Workers involved in printing processes may be at risk of
developing musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) from workplace activities which
force them to work outside their physical capacities (i.e., lifting an item that
is too heavy, or lifting too often, or working in awkward body postures). MSDs
are a serious problem as they can increase the number of employee lost work
days, increase insurance costs, increase training and staffing costs, and reduce
operation efficiency and quality. Changes which allow employees to work within their
physical limits reduce the number errors, sick days, and
injuries and enable employees to be more productive and produce a higher quality product.
Ergonomic improvements are often simple and obvious, but even if they require
significant effort they generally justify the resources spent. Good ergonomics
is good business.
This eTool is a product of the
OSHA and Graphics Arts Coalition Alliance.
This eTool* provides information based on the experience of others with the hope
of making the process of hazard minimization easier. This eTool is divided into
the following process pages that correspond to the major styles of printing:
Lithography, Flexography,
and Screen Printing.
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Within each process page the user will find a
description of the printing process and the trouble areas that have
currently been identified for that process. The user can navigate between
each area to become familiar with the hazard and to see what others have
identified as possible solutions allowing an employer or employee to address
these problems. |
*eTools are "stand-alone", interactive, Web-based training tools specializing in
occupational safety and health topics. They utilize graphical menus and as indicated in the disclaimer,
do not create new OSHA requirements.
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