Industry Safety Record Earns OSHA Notoriety

Department of Labor statistics reveal that printing is one of the safest industries within its classification category, nondurable goods manufacturing. Since 1994, the Bureau of Labor Statistics' data on injury and illnesses for nondurable goods manufacturing has consistently ranked printing and publishing the third-safest industry, behind petroleum and coal products (#1) and chemical and allied products (#2).

The data reveals that printing and publishing's injury and illness rates have ranged from a high of 6.7 cases per 100 full-time workers in 1994 down to a low of 5.0 cases in 1999. The injury and illness rate for printing and publishing was 5.1 cases in the year 2000 (the latest available data). The average injury and illness rate for all of nondurable goods manufacturing in 2000 was 7.8 cases per 100 workers; for durable goods manufacturing, the rate was 9.8 cases.

"The industry's success in reducing injuries and illnesses is well recognized by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which in recent years has been focusing on more targeted inspections for unsafe workplaces," explains Jim Kyger, human relations director for the Printing Industries of America (PIA), Alexandria, Va. "OSHA inspection data reveals that inspections at printing plants have been reduced and citations are fewer."

Kyger reports that OSHA inspections, citations, and total penalties for printing and publishing have all dropped dramatically from fiscal 2001 to fiscal 2002.

"Printing and publishing's success in achieving safer workplaces is the direct result of safer practices, procedures, and training by printers, and improved equipment from manufacturers," observes Michael Winn (R.R. Donnelley), chair of PIA's employment policy committee. "We're pleased with the results, but obviously more can always be done to protect our employees. For example, Donnelley has joined the advisory board of PIA and GATF [Graphic Arts Technical Foundation] for a Susan Harwood grant recently awarded by OSHA to reduce ergonomics injuries in printing—an effort to further reduce injury rates."

The $249,740 Harwood grant, awarded last September, is for developing employee and instructor ergonomic training materials for the printing industry that includes work practice guidelines, training materials, fact sheets, and employee pocket cards in English and Spanish. The grant was one of 64 awarded to nonprofit organizations. In 2002, OSHA awarded more than $11 million in Harwood grants.