We've all heard that before, and the old saying rings true for your workplace, too. Now, when we approach the topic of workplace safety, there are a few issues to take into consideration. First, every employer has the legal obligation to provide their employees a safe working environment. In the US, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is the government agency that has established safe work practices and regulations employers must follow. Did you know that one of these requirements is for all workplaces whose employees come into contact with chemicals to provide training in how to properly use said chemicals and their accompanying Material Safety Data Sheets and labels, and to also know the risks they can encounter in using hazardous chemicals? This standard, Hazard Communication, is also one of the top violations that printers have traditionally been cited for, for either failure to have a written program or failure to document training. Having a proper safety and health program in your workplace can help you make sure you do not end up as one of those statistics.

　　There are many reasons that support the need for all companies to have safety and health programs -avoiding citations from OSHA is a good one- but beyond that, it just makes sense. A safe workplace can ensure better productivity, improve employee morale, and saves your company money, too. Safe workplaces keep a company’s medical and insurance costs down. So what is the goal of a safety and health program? A successful program will be one that fosters a culture of safety within the workplace. This really must come from the top, down. It has to start from the people with the highest rank at your company. If the people at the top can demonstrate that they take safety seriously, it helps to send the message to employees that there is a vested interest in their safety. SGIA has sample safety and health programs that you can use and tailor to your company’s needs. You can find them in the Business Management: Safety and Health portion of the SGIA website under Safety Compliance Assistance http://www.sgia.org/govt/ga_safety.cfm.

　　SGIA has also recently updated our Right to Know and Personal Protective Equipment training program, available for the first time in DVD format. This program will help companies comply with the Hazard Communication standard, as well as OSHA’s training requirements for the use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Each program includes an Instructor’s Guide, which gives helpful information on the components of the standard and exactly what it is companies have to comply with. The DVD also has both English and Spanish language options. A set of 20 Employee Guides come with each order, and additional copies are available for purchase upon request. Companies can select to have all English or Spanish Guides, or a combination of the two. The Employee Guides are meant as a take-away for employees, and include a helpful glossary of common terms associated with Material Safety Data Sheets and chemical hazards.

　　We all have the right to work in a safe environment, and establishing a safety and health program for your company is the first step.