While SGIA’s Safety Recognition Program has provided its members with useful information for keeping employees safe in the nearly two decades since its inception, it has undergone significant updates this year. We have revamped the program in response to the ever-changing safety and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) compliance landscape. Its new participation guidelines, or Rules of Engagement, organize and include more action items to guide participants through the necessities of creating and maintaining an all-encompassing safety and health program for their facilities. Finally, drawing inspiration from OSHA’s Safe and Sound Week, we created our own complementary campaign.
SGIA’s Safe and Sound campaign provides all members with a readily accessible toolbox of policy and written program templates that will help to satisfy OSHA's safety program requirements. We will also provide inspection and compliance checklists, safety posters, safety training guidance and one-on-one assistance with any and all safety needs. The materials are designed so that members can take immediate action to address several key — and commonly overlooked — safety and OSHA requirements. Serving as a strong foundation for a complete program, this SGIA resource is essential to understanding how to comply, avoid violations, and prevent injuries and illnesses.
Not complying with OSHA regulations puts your bank account on the line. Fines for single violations can run up to nearly $13,000, and inspections commonly identify multiple violations — leading to heftier fines that can be in the $35,000 - $40,000 range or even higher. SGIA’s new Safe and Sound campaign will address several of the printing industry’s top 10 violations, including hazard communication, lockout/tag-out, machine guarding, respiratory protection, powered industrial trucks, personal protective equipment, electrical safety and portable fire extinguishers.
Violation penalties are expensive, but losing or injuring a worker due to unsafe conditions or incomplete training is immeasurably more costly. Having a fully functioning safety and health program is priceless, and it is imperative printing organizations make OSHA compliance and safety a priority.
Throughout our 2019 Safe and Sound campaign, be on the lookout for:
- A series of videos highlighting how to avoid some of the top 10 OSHA violations for printers
- A daily safety or compliance activity accompanied by checklists, written program templates and posters that can be found on our “Safety & Health” page on SGIA.org
- Additional point-earning opportunities for SGIA Safety Recognition Program participants
Companies that complete three of the identified activities within a month are eligible to receive OSHA’s Management Leadership coin. This coin is electronic and can be proudly displayed on your company’s website to show your commitment to providing a safe and healthy workplace for your employees.
If you are proud of your company’s safety efforts, or if you are committed to continuous improvement, join the 2020 Safety Recognition Program beginning next January! This program provides recognition for all you have done and are continually doing to maintain safety in your workplace. Sign up today at sgia.org/programs.