Not only is it a smart idea to make sure every employee is informed of chemical hazards in the workplace, it’s also the law! Many of us in the printing industry work with chemicals and materials on a daily basis, and under the Hazard Communication Standard, OSHA requires printing companies to identify hazardous chemicals and provide training to ensure that employees are working with these chemicals in a safe manner. OSHA has made significant revisions to the Hazard Communication Standard, including replacing the Material Safety Data Sheet with the Safety Data Sheet (SDS). In response, we are making available to all members “need to know” information to stay in compliance with the new requirements and free tools to implement a Hazard Communication program to meet them. If you’re familiar with the Safety—Know It, Live It poster series,you know these popular resources function as straightforward visual references to guides for employees providing critical safety information while they work. We’ve just added two new posters to the series, “Get to Know the Safety Data Sheet” and “Globally Harmonized System of Classification (GHS) Pictograms Quick Reference.” Let’s dive deeper into the details of the new Safety Data Sheet (SDS) represented in the “Get to Know the Safety Data Sheet” poster. The “Get to Know the Safety Data Sheet” poster provides employees with a reference for what information can be found on an SDS and where to look for it. Let’s look at some important facts about the revised Standard and new SDSs: Safety Data Sheets are replacing Material Safety Data Sheets, and now have a mandatory uniform 16-section format. Manufacturers and suppliers of chemicals are required to determine what hazards could be presented by their product, and they must inform you about those hazards on labels and SDSs. Employers are required obtain an SDS for every hazardous chemical employees work with and to maintain them so they can be accessed. On the SDS, you can find information on a variety of topics about the product, including physical and chemical properties, personal protection, handling, storage procedures, first aid procedures, and health effects in the event of exposure. The safety posters are designed to be displayed in employee break rooms or in other common areas to reinforce key safety messages. Posters can also be placed near equipment, along production lines, or at entrances to production areas. There are also new labeling procedures in the revised Standard which require that all labels must include a Product Identifier, Signal Word (such as DANGER), Hazard Statement, Pictogram, Precautionary Statement, and manufacturer contact information. Employees must receive initial training on the new SDS and labeling requirements by December 1, 2013. For more information on the new Hazard Communication...

The Environmental, Health, and Safety Department at Printing Industries of America offers advice on the control and cleaning of combustible dust, a top priority for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The control of combustible dust has become a top priority for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and they are focusing on many industries—including printing operations—where combustible dust is generated. Combustible dust can be generated by several activities involved with printing and binding, including cutting paper, perfect binding, finishing operations, material handling activities, deteriorating building materials, and use of offset spray powder. The generation, handling, and accumulation of combustible dust present both a fire and explosion hazard, and it must be managed to prevent a hazardous situation. In addition, excessive dust can cause problems with product quality and premature wear of motors, especially around motor sleeves. As a result of many fires and explosions occurring due to combustible dust, OSHA initiated a National Emphasis Program designed to target companies that generate, use, or handle combustible dusts and to cite them for violating OSHA standards. Individual printing and bindery operations are a target and have been inspected and cited for violations. A first step to address combustible dust hazards is to evaluate your current condition. This involves determining first whether you generate combustible dust and second whether there is an accumulation of dust that would exceed OSHA’s threshold for a hazardous environment., OSHA uses a combustible dust threshold of 1/32 of an inch (the thickness of a paper clip) over 5% of horizontal surfaces. If your dust accumulation exceeds this threshold, it is very likely that you have a combustible dust hazard situation that needs to be addressed. The two basic responses required are “cleaning” and “control.” Cleaning involves an initial cleaning of all dust in the area(s) or the entire facility and then implementing a regular cleaning schedule to keep the area(s) dust-free, or at least at or below the OSHA threshold. Control involves determining whether the equipment or operation is designed properly for the activities and performing regular inspection and maintenance of equipment and/or operations that have been identified as generating or contributing to combustible dust, such as dust collection systems, balers, production equipment, etc. With both cleaning and control activities, the efforts should be documented to show proof that the activities are implemented as policy within the company. Although these efforts cannot keep an OSHA inspection from occurring, it can help eliminate or greatly reduce the chances of receiving an OSHA citation For a helpful reminder toward safety in the production environments, the EHS Department has developed a series of safety posters. One poster addresses the topic of reducing combustible dust and can be...

Is your operation in compliance with federal, state, and local environmental and safety regulations? Would you be ready if an EPA or OSHA inspector showed up at your door today?  An inspection can happen at any time, and if you are not prepared, you could face thousands of dollars in fines for even minor infractions. The best way to solve a compliance issue is before an inspection occurs, and the Environmental, Health, and Safety experts at Printing Industries of America are here to help with all of your regulatory compliance needs. Our expert staff has the knowledge to provide you with timely and effective solutions for preventing and resolving compliance issues, responding to an enforcement action, or achieving sustainability certification to go beyond compliance. Customer demands for sustainability are increasing, and EHS compliance is a requirement of any credible sustainability program. Agency penalties for noncompliance can be severe and expensive, and safety violations can lead to serious injuries. The first place to start with achieving regulatory compliance is to know and understand what rules apply to your operation. This is done with a compliance audit that the EHS team can conduct to confirm compliance or uncover violations and help correct them in a reasonable fashion and without government penalty. If an inspection has already occurred, the EHS team can help mitigate any violations and penalties.    When in Need, Turn to Printing Industries of America We know printing, inside and out.With nearly 50 years of combined printing industry experience, our EHS experts provide knowledgeable, effective, and professional service to printers across the nation. With our expertise, you eliminate the need to spend time and money educating other consultants about your business and the industry. We know the rules.Whether it’s compliance or sustainability, we have an extensive understanding of regulatory requirements and industry standards, and we can help you understand it all. We can save you money.Our EHS experts have saved clients thousands of dollars by being able to navigate the regulatory process, help develop cost effective compliance management, and negotiate with the appropriate agency in cases of citations and penalties. Learn more about our Environmental, Health, and Safety consulting services by visiting...

To better serve our members and industry, Printing Industries of America is proud to support Sustainable Green Printing (SGP) Partnership. The SGP Partnership is an industry-specific, voluntary program designed to reduce the environmental impact and increase social responsibility of the print and graphic communications industry. The Partnership certifies printers against specific criteria and requires printers to commit to making continuous improvement in the product, process, and envelope areas of the graphic arts industry.The following is contributed by SGP. SGP-Certified Printers Make a Difference SGP Certification does more than reduce your environmental footprint. Your business will operate more efficiently and save you money. Use SGP Certification to satisfy your current customers and increase opportunities to win new ones. Become Certified.      Preference Certified Facilities.      Support SGP.  “Printing is renewable, reusable, and recyclable. Last year we printed enough materials to plant well over half a million new trees, and we are 100% landfill free, thanks to SGP. This has resulted in tremendous savings and efficiencies, while doing our part to improve the environment. Our SGP Certification is just one more reason why our customers choose us as their partner.”   — Sharon Tucker,   Alcom Printing, A leading provider of print, direct mail marketing and business development solutions   “As a land conservation organization, it’s very important that our publications are produced as “green” as possible. We are extremely impressed by Alcom’s commitment to sustainability. They carefully analyze and manage every part of   their processes, including sourcing sustainable papers and inks, managing a net-zero landfill contribution plant, using software-based proofing systems to minimizing the use of fuel, and using ultra-energy-efficient equipment and building design. And they’ve been able to expertly guide us to ensure that the printing process of our publications reflects our own commitment to be good stewards of the earth.”   — Willistown Conservation Trust     Learn more: Register now for our next EHS workshop Safety Matters: OSHA Compliance for Printers on September 18–19, 2012.   Certifying Sustainable Print Facilities in the Graphic Communications Industry    ...

Printing is a dynamic industry that creates new experiences, challenges, and issues for those who work in it. For a printing business to remain competitive, it is important to stay informed, especially on sustainable business practices and regulatory compliance topics. Printing Industries of America is happy to provide a resource for its members to stay up to date with the latest in sustainable and regulatory compliance news for the printing community in the form of a listserv. There are a number of environmental and safety regulations impacting the printing industry, and agencies are continuously issuing new rules and enforcing standards. To avoid the costly risk of being out of compliance, they require constant monitoring and response strategies. It’s just as vital to stay up to date with sustainability news in the printing community. Customers are becoming more concerned with the environmental impact of products, and companies are finding innovative ways to adopt economical sustainable management practices that improve their operation and business. The Sustainable and Regulatory Affairs Listserv provides member companies with important information impacting the printing industry from the Printing Industries Environmental, Health, and Safety Affairs Department. It also provides an opportunity for members to share their own expertise, tips, or concerns with the Printing Industries of America EHS staff and fellow EHS community members in the printing industry. Want to join? Simply send an email with the subject “Subscribe SRA Listserv” to Caitlin Seiler, Environmental, Health, and Safety Specialist at cseiler@printing.org. If you’re already a member of the Safety Listserv you will automatically be a part of this group, there is no need to...

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has asked Printing Industries of America to assist with revising their national annual hazardous air pollutant (HAP) emission factor, which is used to estimate HAP emissions and to determine the need for further regulation of the printing industry. HAP emissions occur from the use of specific chemicals and chemical categories classified as toxic air pollutants, some of which are used in printing. Recently, Printing Industries assisted EPA with revising the national annual volatile organic compound (VOC) emission factor. Due to this success, EPA has requested that the printing industry provide emission information on HAP emissions, so that the nationwide HAP emission factor can also be updated. EPA revised their national annual VOC emission factor for the printing industry from 1,482 pounds/employee to 201 pounds/employee. This revision was in part due to a survey of printers in the Salt Lake City area, which received a high response rate. In order to respond to EPA’s request, the Environmental, Health, and Safety Department is conducting a similar survey asking printing companies to share their VOC and HAP emission information by completing this spreadsheet and submitting it by June 30, 2012. For more information or to submit a spreadsheet, please contact Caitlin Seiler at cseiler@printing.org or 1-800-910-4283 x779. To learn more, please click here....