SPF/UPF/UV Protective Clothing for Indoor/Outdoor Cultivation

Hello,

We are UV SafeWear, a commercial clothing company designed specifically to protect workers and businesses in the cannabis industry from UV radiation. With the technology flooding the market with stronger and stronger lights, we felt a need to create a product to protect workers and the businesses that employ them with 50+ UPF protective clothing. The medical liability most owners are assuming is misinformed and the health risks endured by those working in cultivation sites is constant. We want to see this industry grow…both literally and figuratively…but in order to do so we must protect the people in the industry. Our goal is to educate the industry on the true health risks as well as provide effective solutions to the problems. Please feel free to check out our site.

https://www.uvsafewear.com/

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Welcome! Are there any guidelines out there yet for workers in this industry around exposure?

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Sadly no…it is such a new industry that health and safety have yet to really get a grasp on what the actual working conditions are. Places like Las Vegas are further ahead in regulation, but no state yet has any safety guides for how workers should be protected

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Makes sense - hopefully OSHA or someone will come up with standards for this industry, particularly for vision protection.

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Currently, the best vision protection we are seeing is with Method 7. They are doing amazing things. Which is why we aren’t even trying to compete in the high end glasses market. OSHA will eventually be on board with regulations, once regulators and those creating the standards get a better grasp of the nature of the industry. But for the time being, we really just want to focus on the education and getting those who have liability to understand the scope of the dangers. I truly believe those in this business want to help people, and truly want the best for their employees.

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How do you recommend protecting workers in greenhouses? Since the sun conditions can vary, I’m curious if their protective needs vary as well.

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What about outdoors! It’s getting worse, especially as it seems through the ozone depletion we are seeing increased uv exposure. With many acres of outdoor gardens and a large team this is a becoming an increasing problem. Each season the sun seems to burn a bit more. Skin cancers are an increasing concern to outdoor farm workers.

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With each space, the needs can vary. We recommend just offering 50+ UPF clothing and covering as many exposed areas as possible. This was the real issue when creating our products. We were working with large indoor cultivation sites and seeing how each has their own specific needs for protection, without sacrificing sanitation. Partnering with them really helped us create what we believe are the current solutions for UV exposure.

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Actually, its the indoor environments that are causing the most harm, specifically in regards to vision. You have continuous bursts of UV radiation (even with HPS lights) that flood the rooms. MH bulbs produce more UV radiation, which usually creates higher potency, while HPS light seems to increase weight. The rooms we have experience with use a combination of both. Those working in these spaces are being continually affected the entire time they are working. But the solution is the same for outdoor cultivation. Proper clothing and covering as many exposed areas as possible.

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Are there issues with LED lighting? We seem to be seeing more UV components - what sort of eyewear is recommended for different lighting setups?

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LED are the fastest evolving light we see…granted I am not a pro on this topic. But you are still seeing significant UV radiation from them currently. What’s in the market now and what seems to be coming will still have issues with UV radiation, specifically considering the wattage they are heading towards.

I still think Method 7 is the top of the list for grow glasses. We don’t even try and compete. But there are several great options out there that will not kill a budget that run between $20-$80/per, depending on what type of color correction you are looking for. The base level lens should be UVA/UVB protective and meet ANSI Z87.1+ standards. This would make them 99.9% protective.

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I think you should partner with companies like @CaliforniaLightworks & @Black-Dog-LED who have UV in their LED lights. I’m sure they could offer your products as a value-add for their commercial customers that have employees who may work under their lights for long periods of time.

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That is awesome for thinking of us, thank you so much. We want to develop as many positive relationships in the industry as possible and will be reaching out to anyone who wants to have a conversation.

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@Nate Thanks for thinking of us.

@UVSafeWear @CaliforniaLightworks focuses on UVB and we focus on UVA but we are both offer UV in our lights. Of course I think we also both offer quality lights. But we would be worth talking to sometime. Your site in your profile says you are based in the Laguna Niguel area. If you go to any Cannabis industry events please look for us. Of course if you are ever in the Denver/Boulder area swing by the office!

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Yes…was going thru your site and you do offer amazing things (the PhytoMax-2 looks sick) and we wish you nothing but success. My breathe of knowledge, in regards to lighting, is geared around UV radiation and the risks involved. I try to stay as currently informed as possible but the technology is so impressive and moving so fast that I find myself constantly researching. Would love to speak with you and see what your experiences are and what you see the industry moving towards. We’re really trying to educate the industry on the liability aspects of UV radiation to ensure the industry keeps moving forward and maintains its ethical values of caring for their fellow person.

And yes, we are currently figuring out the details for Cannabis events and can’t wait to meet everyone in person. Such a great community of extremely talented people.

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Thanks for the compliment on the PhytoMAX-2, we are very proud of our new line.

That would be great to meet up at a show. We are still a bit buried with the PM-2 launch but we should connect at some point even if you don’t make it to any of the same shows. We will be in your neck of the woods for the Anaheim show in September if we don’t see you before then.

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Just wanted to give you a heads up @UVSafeWear, I found this recent journal while I was browsing through science news. Might interest you:

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nature22488.html

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In the second half of this article they mention a NIOSH visit to evaluate working conditions at a cannabis farm, which is good news. One glaring omission is any mention of UV light exposure in the evaluation:

Here’s the full report for those who want to read further:
https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/nioshtic-2/20049586.html

That is a really great article. And yes, sadly, the cannabis community has yet to grasp the risks involved when dealing with UV exposure and what those short/long term health issues really mean. So much focus is on sanitation and properly testing the products (which are both very important), but they are failing to realize health issues beyond your standard injuries (as mentioned in the article). UV exposure is not an immediate concern when compared to on-site injuries, but will be financially catastrophic once the industry has matured and owners who are legally liable for the safety of their employees are confronted with lawsuits. Our goal and mission is to educate the industry and hopefully help everyone avoid major health problems.

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At least it’s a step in the right direction that they’d starting to test for workplace hazards. Hopefully they’ll add in UV exposure as they continue to make recommendations to keep workers safe.

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