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It's the time of year when we should be looking at the training requirements of the various safety and environmental laws applicable to the printing industry. The objective of the training is a better protected workforce and reduction of exposure to the community. Within the printing plant there are many instances when chemicals and physical hazards can lead to injury to the people on the job or damage to the community.
Training programs provide safeguards in the storage, handling and disposal of chemical products, as well as in the physical operation and maintenance of the equipment. Those that are mandated by law will, if not provided, be the basis for enforcement actions by the various safety and environmental regulatory agencies. On the other side of the coin, a well trained worker will not only be safer, but will most likely be more productive and a keener producer of higher quality.
Right To Know
As a result of the Superfund Amendment's Right to Know provisions, state and localities have required an annual listing of chemicals and inventories held in buildings. Thresholds depend on whether the state follows the federal guidelines or mandates lesser inventory quantities. This report indicates the hazardous nature of the chemical family or the specific formulation. Coupled with this report is the OSHA requirement for training in the handling of chemicals in the workplace under the Hazardous Communication Standard.
Training for this pair of regulations deals more with the communication of information about the chemicals as a means of obtaining a better understanding of how the chemicals are to be used, stored, disposed, and what to do in the event of exposure or an accidental release. Key elements are the Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) as the basic source of information and labels as the most prominent source of information in the plant.
Training should include how to read an MSDS, ask questions if the MSDS does not cover a situation, as well as the standard instructions for the use, handling and disposal of any chemicals used in the process. For printers this will include solvents, inks, press washes, fountain solutions, coatings, plate making chemistry, maintenance products, etc. Reading and heeding label precautions is a second facet of this training effort.
Hazardous Waste
Major generators of hazardous wastes are required to train the personnel who handle chemicals that become classified as wastes in the paperwork that accompanies the collection and shipping of the wastes, labeling the contents of the collection and shipping drums, and the safety precautions required to ensure that the wastes are properly disposed.
Forklift Trucks
Drivers of forklift trucks must have training by a certified trainer in the handling and safety precautions of the vehicles. This includes a test obstacle course to determine that the classroom efforts are carried out in the actual use of the fork lift. Training is mandatory every three years.
Lock-out/Tag-out
What do you do when you shut a machine down for maintenance or to change cylinders and rollers? The procedure for shutting down in a safe manner and locking off the source of energy to the press, the tagging of the machine, and the subsequent unlocking and start-up are all part of the training under this regulation. Designed to prevent injuries from stored energy that could accidently release the moving parts of machinery, the regulation requires training of all people involved in the operation and maintenance of the equipment. With the prevalence of rollers and pinch points in printing presses, this training is important.
Emergency Response Training
Depending on the nature and amounts of chemicals stored in the plant, it may be necessary to develop a contingency plan to outline the procedures to be followed in the event of a catastrophic event in the plant—fire, explosion or spill. This requires a formal plan that specifies the role of supervisors, notification procedures when the incident occurs and the evacuation plans to move the employees out of the building and account for them once assembled. Just think—when was the last time your company had a fire drill?
Technical Printing Technology
Of course, we should not overlook the need to update our trained personnel and train the new people in our workforce. Basic training in the set-up and running of the printing presses, as well as the auxiliary equipment that precede the press and the finishing equipment after the printing means as much for safety objectives as when the session is training for productive and qualitative work. More knowledge of the equipment, its maintenance and operating conditions, as well as the materials used to print, will contribute to a safer environment.
For information, contact the Printers National Environment Assistance Center at www.pneac.org or OSHA's Printers Alliance at www.osha.gov/dcsp/alliances/gac/gac.html.
Fred Shapiro is president of P-F Technical Services Inc. Silver Spring, Md., a technical and environmental management consulting firm to the graphics arts industry. He is also a member of the PIA/GATF "Solutions on Site" consulting network. Contact him at (301) 598-7949.
author: By Fred Shapiro