Health and safety are a major concern of every employer and employee. Employers need to take the necessary precautions in order to ensure that they provide a safe environment for their workforce.

The Printing Industries Association (the national association) has a  program – EHS Verify  to help PPI members avoid workplace injuries and contain their workers compensation insurance costs. EHS Verify, is a customized audit process that helps strengthen EHS programs to prevent workplace injuries and incidents and reduce the risk of OSHA and EPA fines and penalties.

The EHS Verify audit process includes:

• pre-audit activities,
• an on-site visit,
• a report with audit findings and scoring,
• development of a corrective action plan to address areas for improvement,
• remote follow-up on corrective action plan progress in 3 to 6 months,
• and a follow-up on-site evaluation in 1 to 3 years (depending on the magnitude of the items identified for improvement).

The core of safety training focuses on written Hazardous Communication, Illness Injury Prevention, and Workplace Security programs—all available as PDF fill-in programs. Companies should supplement these programs by incorporating other material in this section (e.g., eyewash station, lockout/blockout, and safety sheets for employee training) depending on the nature of their business.

See the following links to Hazard and Safety Websites from US OSHA as well as the individual PPI states:

• USA: https://www.osha.gov
• Alaska: http://labor.state.ak.us/lss/
• Hawaii: http://labor.hawaii.gov/hiosh/
• Idaho: http://dbs.idaho.gov/safety_code/
• Montana: http://erd.dli.mt.gov
• Oregon: http://www.orosha.org
• Utah: https://laborcommission.utah.gov/divisions/UOSH/
• Washington: http://www.lni.wa.gov/Main/ForBusiness.asp

Ergonomics in the Printing Industry: https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/printing/index.html

We are your resource and are here to help you avoid costly workplace accidents, or EPA compliance audits.  

As always, feel free to contact PPI directly for assistance in tracking down specific information/forms.