The HSE is supporting this two year campaign aimed at employers, workers, and safety representatives. The campaign is intended to promote the benefits of carrying out, and acting on the findings of, risk assessments in the workplace.
To help small businesses in the printing and publishing industries, we have put together some information on risk management and risk assessment. The HSE printing web pages also provide more general information on a number of health and safety topics and issues.
HSE have produced a set of principles of sensible risk management that highlight what it believes sensible risk management is about, and, just as important, what it is not about.
A risk assessment is simply a careful examination of what, in your workplace, could cause harm to people (i.e. the risks that could arise) so that you can weigh up whether you have taken enough sensible precautions or whether you need to do some more by putting in place further health and safety measures to control those risks.
For some businesses, it will not be difficult to assess and manage health and safety risks. However, for those employers who feel that they need additional help and guidance, the HSE has published a free guide Five steps to risk assessment [79KB]
on how to carry out a risk assessment in your workplace. HSE believes that the ‘five steps’ method is the most straightforward to use for many organizations, particularly smaller businesses who have less complex risk issues to deal with. HSE have also produced an accompanying risk assessment template [50KB] which you can use as a format for your own company risk assessments.
Note: Five Steps to Risk Assessment is not the only way to do a risk assessment and there are many alternative methods that may work better for more complex risks, particular topics, or in particular sets of circumstances.
One method, for example, that is particularly useful when looking at manual handling are the Manual handling assessment charts [211KB].
Another approach you might consider if, for example, you are looking at dermatitis and the chemical risks posed by your printing inks and wash up solutions is to use the information and guidance provided in COSHH essentials for printers.
The HSE Printing web pages also contain useful information and guidance on a range of topics which may help you to identify some of the more common risks in you own workplace, and assist you when you are completing your own risk assessments.
HSE has identified some of the common tasks in the printing industry that can lead to manual handling injuries and produced a number of good practice video solutions for these tasks. See the manual handling module for more details of the videos and the manual handling assessment tool.
HSE has gathered intelligence about Upper Limb Disorders (ULD’s) in the Printing Industry. The finding of the project [PDF 108KB] identified ‘print finishing tasks’ as the greatest contributor to ULD’s risks and symptoms in the printing industry.
If you think that you may have an Upper Limb Disorder (ULD) issue within your own company, HSE have produced a free leaflet INDG 171 [240KB]designed to help employers understand ULD’s and how to avoid them in your workplace. The HSE have also produced a risk factor check list [112KB] and a risk assessment work sheet [52KB].
HSE has identified where most slipping and tripping accidents are occurring within printing and publishing industries. See the slips and trips module for more details. You may like to use the areas identified as the basis for your own slips and trips checklist or visual inspection of your site.
Most machinery has the potential to cause injuries if suitable safeguards are not put in place. As part of your machinery assessment, you might like to consider that: all guards and safety devices are fitted, checked and maintained regularly to ensure that they are working correctly; and where appropriate, you have safe intervention procedures for situations when workers have to enter danger areas; and you have suitable information, training and supervision to ensure that the safe procedures are followed. Shortcomings should be rectified before machines are brought back into use.
HSE has identified that up to 50% of all machinery related accidents in the Printing and Publishing Industries occur on printing presses (38%) and conveyors (12%). The machinery safety module provides useful guidance on some of the more common types of machinery accidents, in printers and publishers.
The remaining accidents occur in smaller numbers across a wide range of machinery and equipment.
Hand fed platens are a particularly high risk machine often found in the printing and corrugating sectors. These machines can cause fatal accidents if the risks are not properly managed. A hand fed platen safety alert has been issued following 2 fatal accidents on these types of machines.
Each year about 50 workers in the printing and publishing sectors are serious injured as a result of falling from height whilst at work.
Most of these accidents are as a result of workers falling less than 2 metres. Falls from ladders and step ladders are implicated in a significant number of these accidents. The HSE have produced 2 free guides on the Safe Use of Ladders and Step Ladders [445KB] and a Toolbox Talk on Learning Ladder and Stepladder Safety [301KB] both of which you may find helpful.
Whilst high falls are less common, they can be particularly serious. In 2004/05 a worker in the printing industry was fatally injured as a result of falling through a fragile roof. And in 2006/07 a worker was fatally injured when he fell out of a mobile access platform which was hit by a vehicle.
Fork lift trucks are implicated in a number of workplace transport accidents in printers and publishers each year. Assessing workplace transport issues involves a number of issues including looking at the safe driver (for example that the driver has been trained), safe vehicle (for example that the vehicle has been properly maintained), and safe site (for example so that people and vehicles are segregated etc).
The HSE have produced web pages specifically aimed at workplace transport issues which you may find helpful.
A new dermatitis module has been developed and provides useful advice on dermatitis in printers.
COSHH essentials for printers illustrate what is considered to be ‘good practice controls’ for dermatitis and provides advice on reducing chemical exposure for a range of common printing tasks.