State Regulators Back Off Plan for Press-Guard Rules
The state Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board has shelved proposed new rules for machine guarding for the printing industry.
The board originally proposed to revise the existing regulations and formed an advisory committee with labor, employer and manufacturer representatives to attempt to reach a consensus on incorporation of American National Standards Institute guidelines into the state rules.
The advisory committee met in Sacramento in late December and, despite several hours of discussion, failed to reach the desired consensus.
Industry representatives presented oral and written testimony centered on six themes:
–The industry accident rate continues to decrease and is lower than the state average,in fact, lower than the accident rate for government workers.
–The vast majority of worker injuries in the industry are not press-related.
–Less than 10% of OSHA violations in the printing industry are guarding violations.
–The ANSI standards are voluntary and intended to provide guidance to manufacturers.
–The ANSI standards shift product liability from manufacturers to printers.
–The retrofitting required would have a significant economic effect on printers, with little or no reduction in injuries.
The Standards Board subsequently proposed to take no further action and to terminate the rule-making process on the matter.
,Printing Industries of California
EPA May Set National Rules for Solvent-Soaked Towels
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is developing federal regulations to govern the handling of solvent-contaminated shop towels.
According to the agency’s Office of Solid Waste, the EPA is completing several analyses that will “influence the regulatory approach” it will take.
The analyses were begun at the request of several industries and users of both disposable and reusable towels, including the printing and laundry industries. All have asked for consistency in handling requirements that now vary from state to state. They also want reassurance that the handling will not be subject to the full waste-disposal requirement of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.
“One of EPA’s goals is to ensure that solvent contaminated wipes are managed in an environmentally sound, cost-effective manner that also encourages source reduction and recycling of hazardous solvents, where appropriate,” said Elizabeth Cotsworth, director of the solid-waste office.
Industry representatives are suggesting several appropriate handling measures, including storing used towels in closed containers with “false bottoms” that allow excess solvent to drain from the towels. This will avoid the need to treat shop towels as hazardous waste and exempt them from the many rules governing handling of such waste.
U.S. Seeking to Reduce Emissions From Web Processes
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has proposed a rule to reduce air toxic emissions from paper and other web coating facilities. That is, plants that apply a coating to one of both sides of a continuous sheet of paper, plastic, film or foil. The coatings are applied for decorative and functional purposes.
The proposed rule sets emission limits for all facilities that operate web coating lines and are major sources of air toxics (e.g. 10 tons or more per year of a single toxic or 25 tones or more per year of a combination of air toxics).
The rule is intended to reduce air toxics by approximately 32,000 tons a year, a reduction of about 80% from 1996 levels.
,Printing Industries of California
