Health, safety and environmental protection in the print workshop
Safety and environment questions are specific: which guard standard applies, which limit value, which waste stream. Vague answers score nothing, so know the assessment route, the numbers and the documentation.
Machinery safety
- EN 1010-1 and EN 1010-2 cover printing and converting machinery: fixed guards on transmissions, interlocked guards at access points, two-hand control or light curtains at platens, and no reach-in without isolation.
- Lock-off and tag-off before plate, blanket or blade changes. Guillotines need a knife guard, an interlocked clamp and, on some configurations, two-hand start.
- Nip points on folders, laminators and coaters are the main amputation risk; an interlock bypass is a reportable breach, not a shortcut.
Chemicals
- Every chemical arrives with a safety data sheet of 16 sections and needs a written risk assessment; REACH and CLP govern supply, the assessment governs your use.
- Solvents need earthing and bonding of drums and pipework, no ignition source, extraction at source and VOC accounting. IPA and solvent inks are the main VOC sources; fountain solution management cuts both VOC and liquid waste.
- UV inks and washes can cause acrylate sensitisation: nitrile gloves, no skin contact, eyewash within reach.
Waste and environment
- Follow the waste hierarchy: prevent, reduce, reuse, recycle, recover, dispose. Segregate paper, aluminium plates, waste ink, solvent and contaminated rags; waste ink and solvent are hazardous waste.
- FSC or PEFC chain of custody must be documented from invoice to delivery if the logo is claimed.
- Noise: 80 dB(A) is the lower and 85 dB(A) the upper exposure action value; hearing protection is mandatory above 85 dB(A).
Worked example
A screen job uses 40 kg of ink containing 45% volatile solvent. 85% of the solvent evaporates in the dryer and the abatement plant captures 70% of that. Emission = 40 x 0.45 x 0.85 x (1 - 0.70) = 4.59 kg of VOC. That figure is what the permit and the annual return must show, so abatement efficiency is a costing item, not an afterthought.
Traps that cost marks
- Treating water-based inks and fountain solution as harmless without checking pH, biocide and preservative content.
- Using a damaged interlock switch as a convenient stop button.
- Storing solvent waste in unlabelled open containers without earthing.