Bindery Safety/Ergonomics — Finishing Without Incident

By Erik Cagle

Senior Editor

Equipment in the bindery, as it is in many other manufacturing sectors in our country and around the world, can be extremely unforgiving.

An error or a relaxed attitude toward the handling of certain finishing equipment can easily separate you from yours in a hurry.

Fingers, heads and lives were parted with in the commercial printing industry during 2003, according to Gary Jones, manager of environmental health and safety at the Graphic Arts Technical Foundation (GATF). While rare, these accidents are attention getters:

* One young operator lost three fingers while adjusting knives on a three-knife trimmer unit on a saddle stitcher. Someone started the unit while he was still working on it.

* One employee was killed in an incident with an automatic palletizer. The worker wanted to make an adjustment to the electronic eye inside the palletizer. The person skipped proper procedure by scaling the safety fence around the machine. "The electronic eye saw the person, thought it was a bundle and crushed him to death," Jones says.

* Another fatality occurred when a worker, escorting a roll of paper on an elevator, was crushed to death when one of the brakes grabbed, shifting the elevator and jarring the large roll into the employee.

* Two foreign workers were decapitated in separate accidents in Germany and Great Britain, both involving the delivery end of a sheetfed press. In both cases, the press was started while the operators were still inside the delivery end, cleaning it.

Fluke accidents can't be anticipated, but instances where machinery used on a daily basis results in a loss of limb or life because of improper handling can and should be avoidable. Jones also notes that there are generally more injuries that occur in the bindery than in the pressroom.

"The one thing I see is a general lack of respect for the potential hazards of operating the equipment," he states. "Especially from the machine guarding perspective—altering or removing the machine guard—or not using lockout/tagout or other safety procedures when performing maintenance or other routine tasks. I've seen people lift a guard because they're relying on the interlock switch to protect them from injuries.

"When you play chicken with a machine like that, it's not a matter of if, but when, something will happen. Interlocks are only part of the overall safety system on the equipment and should not be relied upon as the sole safety measure. For minor operations, the stop button should always be used, and for major operations, the equipment should be locked out."

Not Always a Headliner

The most catastrophic accidents may attract bigger headlines and more attention, but ergonomics issues—repetitive motion injuries—are far more frequent. From loading pockets to moving pallets and leaning over conveyor belts, bruises, strains and sprains are fairly commonplace.

"Our greatest challenge is to reduce the amount of repetitive motion required by employees in order to maintain safe and efficient production during a 12-hour shift," notes Jim Andersen, president and CEO of The Instant Web Companies, Chanhassen, MN, which generated $124 million in 2003 sales largely through its integrated platform of print, envelope and mailing services for direct mail customers.

"Our approach to resolving this issue has been to utilize cross-training within the organization. As an organization with integrated operations platforms (print, envelope converting, bindery, personalization, mailing), we can move employees through various positions such as envelope machine operator, bindery operator, roll tender, etc., to reduce the repetitive motions that lead to injury caused by performing the same task on a daily basis."

Entry-level employees find themselves tending to chores such as supplying the pocket feeders and removing product from the feeders. In doing the most physical work in the bindery, and arguably the plant, these employees expose themselves to the greatest health and safety risks.

"Our pocket feeders and final inspectors are the ones who do the material handling, and that's pretty much what they do all day long," notes Lori Welch, safety director for Ripon Community Printers (RCP), based in Ripon, WI. "The task or their job assignments may vary slightly, but the bottom line is that it's all material handling."

RCP has made investments to help limit the most strenuous repetitive motion duties, such as acquiring vacuum lifts to lift logs into bundle loaders.

Rotating employees is also important, according to Dan Miller, finishing manager for RCP. Employees are given breaks every two hours, then rotate upon returning from the respite.

Education and training are also vital elements of the RCP program, and injury reporting—no matter how small the incident—is tracked closely. Welch revisits incidents on a monthly basis to ensure that employees are not exhibiting symptoms or to see if they are using any home treatments.

Automated machinery cannot eliminate every labor-intensive bindery task, but some feel that headway can still be made. Andersen seeks a cost-effective solution to automating the amount of handling required to load a folding machine. He also believes a versatile, cost-effective, automated solution in a wide range of formats for the handling and packaging of finished material off of the folding equipment is a necessity.

Similarly, RCP's Miller feels the takeoff position at the end of the binder needs addressing, as existing systems are inadequate. And while the gatherer and binder have seen advances, the trimming aspect of the operation is in need of automation.

In some instances, it's a Catch-22 situation. "Automation is not always the solution. If you automate pocket feeders, you're dealing with logs of signatures," GATF's Jones points out. "You may then have bundles that weigh 70 or 80 pounds.

"Automation makes your job easier, but not necessarily less dangerous. You have to watch out for the people who are willing to take chances. That gets into the psychology of risks and risk acceptance. When you work year in, year out, with that equipment, you get comfortable with it."

Repetitive motions and repeating poor practices can walk hand in hand. One terrible assumption made by printers and trade finishers, Jones believes, is the fallacy that, since a certain type of accident has never happened, it never will.

"People think it gives them immunity for future accidents," he says. "But the difference between an accident and a close call is a fraction of an inch or a fraction of a second."

New Ergonomics Program

The GATF is offering a new Ergonomics Training Program package that provides printers with materials to understand, evaluate and educate employees on print shop-specific ergonomics. The guidelines are aimed at helping employees work smarter rather than harder.

Benefits of the program include an improved work environment, reduced ergonomics-related injuries and costs, improved throughput and productivity, and a commitment to an injury-free workplace.

For more information about the program, contact Christy Semple, training curriculums coordinator, at (412) 741-6860, ext.112, or by e-mail at csemple@gatf.org.