PRINTING United Alliance’s quick action of identifying a potentially catastrophic bill in Washington state which would have banned inks containing chlorinating pigments prevailed with the bill being significantly revised.
Gary A. Jones
In a last minute and shocking action by the Washington State legislature, a bill making its way through the legislative process was amended to include a ban of all printing inks and paints that use chlorinated pigments. If this ban were enacted, it would have a devastating impact on the printing industry.
Workplace injury and illness rates for printing and related support industries in 2020 dropped and remained lower than those for manufacturing facilities in general, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
Virginia was the first state to implement its own workplace health and safety regulation addressing COVID-19. Virginia first issued a temporary standard, followed-up with a permanent one, which was subsequently revised in September 2021. Now, Virginia is proposing that the standard be rescinded.
The CDC released revised guidelines outlining a change in quarantine recommendations. The new guidance states that some people who have been exposed to COVID-19 may now quarantine for less than two weeks.
Protecting the health and safety of employees during the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak is essential. In order to address this issue, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission issued updated guidance for employers considering screening and testing protocols for employees and job applicants.
Every year, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration announces the most frequently cited workplace violations for the year. In order to provide more definitive direction for printing operations, the top 10 violations for printing were isolated from OSHA’s violation statistics.
