So today I got into a wonderful discussion about the ethics of being an owner of a tattoo shop. All kinds of tattoo shops have been springing up all over the northern Colorado area since I have lived here in the past year and a half. One of the most recent ones was opened by someone whose whole tattoo experience was getting a few.
He told me his shop was successful because he was making money. In any other business I would agree, except that he makes money by cutting corners. This is not the business to cut corners in. Because of the fact that Larimer County doesn't have the budget to inspect tattoo facilities, he found this as a great chance to exploit unsuspecting college students.
At any given moment I could walk into his shop and count over 10 Colorado health department violations in a 10 minute period. Just to name a few;
1. Tattoo stations too close together and allowing traffic to come within 12 inches of a client that is receiving work.
2. Barrier film not being used on equipment. (This is to prevent anything a tattoo artist touches or comes near during a tattoo to be transferred to the next client.)
3. Ink bottles and other non-disposable items on the tattoo counter no more than a few inches from where the tattooist dips his machine in ink.
4. Old dried blood on equipment to include tattoo bottles. (This equipment is now contaminated and should be disposed of or you risk passing any blood borne pathogens to the next client.)
5. Gloves not being changed before touching any surface not covered in barrier film.
6. Hands not washed before tattoo procedure.
7. Employees not tested or vaccinated for hepatitis B prior to employment.
8. Insufficient lighting. (This will greatly reduce the quality of the work and heighten the chance for later infection because it reduces the ability for an artist to work at the proper depth.)
9. Paper towels were being pulled straight from the roll with blood soaked gloves. This isnt a bad thing if the whole roll is disposed of the bio hazard trash, but it is retained for the next clients enjoyment.
10. Improper documentation for the Autoclave and spore testing. (This is a test done once a month to ensure the effectiveness of the sterilization process.)
I could go on for a while, but these directly relate to the safety of the client and artists.
Even then this could be understood if his response was he was in the process of fixing it. His response was that he did not care about the safety of clients or his artists. His business was successful and made a lot of money. He would never change his practices because he felt that the only measure of success was the increase of profits.
Ive been battling with the county, city and state for months now trying to stop this time bomb from exploding. Unfortunately the rich control the laws and also dont get tattooed so they think this doesnt affect them. At least until they find out that their pre-med school daughter made an uneducated decision and got a flower on her hip at a studio she thought was inspected.
Venting over for now.
He told me his shop was successful because he was making money. In any other business I would agree, except that he makes money by cutting corners. This is not the business to cut corners in. Because of the fact that Larimer County doesn't have the budget to inspect tattoo facilities, he found this as a great chance to exploit unsuspecting college students.
At any given moment I could walk into his shop and count over 10 Colorado health department violations in a 10 minute period. Just to name a few;
1. Tattoo stations too close together and allowing traffic to come within 12 inches of a client that is receiving work.
2. Barrier film not being used on equipment. (This is to prevent anything a tattoo artist touches or comes near during a tattoo to be transferred to the next client.)
3. Ink bottles and other non-disposable items on the tattoo counter no more than a few inches from where the tattooist dips his machine in ink.
4. Old dried blood on equipment to include tattoo bottles. (This equipment is now contaminated and should be disposed of or you risk passing any blood borne pathogens to the next client.)
5. Gloves not being changed before touching any surface not covered in barrier film.
6. Hands not washed before tattoo procedure.
7. Employees not tested or vaccinated for hepatitis B prior to employment.
8. Insufficient lighting. (This will greatly reduce the quality of the work and heighten the chance for later infection because it reduces the ability for an artist to work at the proper depth.)
9. Paper towels were being pulled straight from the roll with blood soaked gloves. This isnt a bad thing if the whole roll is disposed of the bio hazard trash, but it is retained for the next clients enjoyment.
10. Improper documentation for the Autoclave and spore testing. (This is a test done once a month to ensure the effectiveness of the sterilization process.)
I could go on for a while, but these directly relate to the safety of the client and artists.
Even then this could be understood if his response was he was in the process of fixing it. His response was that he did not care about the safety of clients or his artists. His business was successful and made a lot of money. He would never change his practices because he felt that the only measure of success was the increase of profits.
Ive been battling with the county, city and state for months now trying to stop this time bomb from exploding. Unfortunately the rich control the laws and also dont get tattooed so they think this doesnt affect them. At least until they find out that their pre-med school daughter made an uneducated decision and got a flower on her hip at a studio she thought was inspected.
Venting over for now.
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happy holidays and new year!