Printing & Packaging EHS & Safety Management Software

Manage pressroom safety, chemical exposure, converting hazards, material handling, and environmental requirements across printing and packaging production.

Printing and packaging facilities operate through frequent job changes, cleaning cycles, material changes, and equipment adjustments. Employees work around rotating cylinders, moving webs, cutting blades, heated surfaces, inks, coatings, and adhesives.

Dexur EHS brings incident reports, workplace inspections, exposure assessments, and corrective actions into a shared operational record. Help pressroom supervisors, converting managers, maintenance personnel, and environmental teams address the conditions behind injuries, near misses, and compliance findings.

Maintain visibility across commercial printing, labels, flexible packaging, folding cartons, corrugated products, and finishing operations.

Request a Printing & Packaging EHS Demo

From report to resolution

Address Safety Risks During Setup, Production, and Changeover

A printing or converting line presents different hazards depending on what the operator is doing.

Normal running may keep employees outside guarded areas. Plate changes, blanket cleaning, web threading, blade replacement, and jam clearing can bring hands and bodies close to moving or stored-energy components.

Short production runs and frequent changeovers increase the importance of consistent work methods. An adjustment made to restore print quality or correct web tracking can create an exposure that is not apparent from production statistics.

Identify Risks by Printing and Packaging Process

Pressroom and Print Finishing

  • Drawing-in hazards between cylinders, rollers, and moving substrates
  • Unexpected movement during plate, blanket, or anilox-roll changes
  • Contact with cutters, folders, stitching equipment, and binding machinery
  • Solvent exposure during press washing and ink cleanup
  • Skin contact with inks, coatings, and cleaning products
  • Ultraviolet radiation and, for some curing systems, ozone
  • Burns from dryers and heated equipment
  • Handling injuries involving cylinders, ink containers, and paper stock

Flexible Packaging and Labels

  • Nip points at laminators, coaters, slitters, and rewinders
  • Stored web tension and unexpected roll movement
  • Adhesive exposure during mixing, charging, and cleanup
  • Flammable vapor where solvent-based materials are used
  • Hot surfaces at sealing, drying, and extrusion-coating equipment
  • Static-related ignition concerns where flammable atmospheres may occur
  • Blade injuries during slitting and roll preparation

Cartons and Corrugated Packaging

  • Crushing and cutting hazards at die-cutters and folder-gluers
  • Pinch points at feeders, stackers, and transfer sections
  • Steam and heated-surface exposure at corrugators
  • Entanglement during scrap removal
  • Manual handling of dies, sheets, bundles, and finished cartons
  • Dust and trim accumulation around cutting and collection equipment
  • Baler and compactor hazards in waste-handling areas

Follow the Task That Created the Exposure

  1. 01

    Identify

  2. 02

    Investigate

  3. 03

    Prioritize

  4. 04

    Assign

  5. 05

    Correct

  6. 06

    Verify


Classify each finding by operating phase:

Make-Ready → Production → Cleaning → Changeover → Maintenance


A hand injury during blanket cleaning should be evaluated against the cleaning method, machine state, and protective arrangements. A recurring solvent complaint may require examination of wash-product selection, ventilation, container handling, and work duration.

Dexur EHS preserves this context so follow-up addresses the task and its causes.

One unified platform

Support Safety Across the Pressroom and Converting Floor

01 / INCIDENTS

Incident & Near-Miss Management

Document injuries, exposure concerns, equipment events, and near misses against the relevant press, converting line, or finishing station.

Separate normal-production events from those occurring during intervention. This distinction helps teams identify where employees must approach a hazard to restore operation or complete a job change.

Examples include:

  • A hand drawn toward a roller during cleaning
  • Unexpected press movement during a plate change
  • A dropped printing cylinder or anilox roll
  • A laceration while replacing a slitter blade
  • A solvent splash during washup
  • A parent roll shifting during loading
  • A near miss while clearing a folder-gluer jam
  • A burn during hot-melt adhesive maintenance
02 / INSPECTIONS

Inspections & Hazard Management

Schedule inspections around the line’s machinery, materials, and access points.

Review:

  • Cylinder and roller guards
  • Interlocks and other designated protective devices
  • Web-threading and make-ready arrangements
  • Cutter, die, and blade-changing provisions
  • Roll stands, chucks, lifting attachments, and restraints
  • Ink rooms and adhesive-mixing areas
  • Dryer exhaust and curing-system enclosures
  • Cleaning-product storage and dispensing
  • Trim-extraction systems and scrap accumulation
  • Balers, compactors, and waste-transfer points
  • Walkways around pallets, hoses, and stored tooling

Assign findings to the machine or area involved. Where repeated access is needed to correct a production problem, refer the underlying equipment issue for technical review.

03 / COMPLIANCE

Compliance & Exposure Records

Organize documentation for applicable workplace programs, including:

  • Machine safeguarding
  • Hazardous-energy control
  • Ink, coating, adhesive, and solvent handling
  • Air-contaminant assessments
  • Skin and eye protection
  • Noise exposure
  • Respiratory protection where required
  • Powered industrial truck operation
  • Emergency arrangements
  • Injury and illness recordkeeping

Use the actual material formulation and task when evaluating exposure. Water-based, low-odor, or solvent-free descriptions do not establish that a product is harmless.

Printing processes can require different control measures for press cleaning, ink mixing, laminating, and curing. HSE: Printing Industry Chemical-Control Guidance

04 / CORRECTIVE ACTIONS

Corrective Action Management

Translate findings into specific equipment, procedure, or workplace improvements.

Typical actions include:

  • Repairing a defective guard or interlock
  • Correcting a recurring web-tracking fault
  • Providing a safer cylinder-handling arrangement
  • Improving access for blade replacement
  • Revising the press-cleaning method
  • Repairing ineffective local exhaust
  • Replacing an unsuitable chemical-dispensing container
  • Improving roll storage and restraint
  • Addressing frequent scrap jams that prompt manual intervention

Finding → Required Improvement → Responsible Owner → Due Date → Evidence → Verification


Check the correction during the activity that produced the problem. A line operating normally does not demonstrate that its changeover or cleaning task is safe.

Printing & Packaging Incident Records That Explain the Work

Classify Events by Mechanism and Activity

Useful incident and near-miss categories include:

  • Entanglement or drawing-in at press cylinders and rollers
  • Crushing at die-cutters, feeders, and stacking equipment
  • Guillotine, slitter, knife, and die-related injuries
  • Unexpected startup during adjustment or cleaning
  • Roll movement, dropped cylinders, and load-handling events
  • Chemical splashes and skin exposure
  • Solvent-vapor and adhesive-related inhalation concerns
  • UV exposure or curing-system defects
  • Burns from dryers, sealing bars, steam, and hot-melt systems
  • Fires involving flammable materials or accumulated scrap
  • Static-related events requiring investigation
  • Repetitive-strain and manual-handling injuries
  • Forklift collisions and pedestrian near misses
  • Baler and compactor incidents
  • Contractor events during repair or installation

Capture Job and Equipment Details

Include:

  • Facility, department, press, and line identification
  • Printing or converting process
  • Job or work-order reference where relevant
  • Substrate type, width, roll size, and handling arrangement
  • Ink, coating, adhesive, or cleaning-product identity
  • Production speed and operating mode when relevant
  • Task underway and reason for intervention
  • Guarding and isolation status
  • Tooling, blade, cylinder, or die involved
  • Ventilation and drying conditions
  • Employees, contractors, and witnesses
  • Immediate response and temporary precautions
  • Photographs, procedures, and maintenance history

Job information can help explain changing conditions. A heavier roll, wider substrate, different adhesive, or more frequent cleaning requirement may alter the task.

Investigate Why the Intervention Was Necessary

Event → Job and Task Review → Machine Condition → Exposure or Energy Assessment → Corrective Work → Verification


Questions may include:

  • Why did the operator need to enter or reach toward the hazardous area?
  • Was the machine designed for the adjustment being attempted?
  • Had a recurring defect increased the frequency of intervention?
  • Did the procedure match the press configuration?
  • Was chemical handling affected by container size or dispensing method?
  • Did a new substrate or coating change ventilation or drying needs?
  • Was the selected lifting device suitable for the cylinder or roll?

The investigation should examine both the immediate event and the operating conditions that made it more likely.

Map OSHA Requirements to Printing and Converting Tasks

Requirement Printing & Packaging application Supporting records
Machine Guarding — 29 CFR 1910.212 Press cylinders, rollers, cutters, die-cutters, folders, and other hazardous machine areas. Safeguarding assessments, inspection results, defects, and verification.
Mechanical Power Transmission — 29 CFR 1910.219 Covered belts, pulleys, gears, shafts, and transmission components. Equipment findings and protective-device repairs.
Lockout/Tagout — 29 CFR 1910.147 Covered cleaning, unjamming, blade changes, servicing, and maintenance. Machine-specific procedures, training, periodic inspections, and contractor coordination.
Hazard Communication — 29 CFR 1910.1200 Hazardous inks, coatings, adhesives, developers, cleaners, and solvents. Safety data sheets, labels, chemical inventories, and employee instruction.
Flammable Liquids — 29 CFR 1910.106 Applicable solvent, ink, and coating storage and handling. Storage reviews, dispensing arrangements, and corrective actions.
Air Contaminants — 29 CFR 1910.1000 Applicable airborne contaminants generated by cleaning, printing, coating, or curing. Exposure evaluations, measurements, and control recommendations.
Personal Protective Equipment — 29 CFR 1910.132, .133, and .138 Eye, face, hand, and other protection selected for assessed tasks. Hazard assessments, selection criteria, training, and deficiencies.
Respiratory Protection — 29 CFR 1910.134 Work requiring respirators under the facility’s exposure-control arrangements. Program documentation, medical evaluation status, fit testing, and training.
Occupational Noise Exposure — 29 CFR 1910.95 Presses, corrugators, cutting equipment, and finishing lines. Noise surveys and hearing-conservation records where required.
Powered Industrial Trucks — 29 CFR 1910.178 Covered trucks handling rolls, pallets, and finished packaging. Operator training and evaluations, equipment findings, and traffic-related actions.
Electrical Work Practices — 29 CFR 1910.333 Servicing press drives, control cabinets, dryers, and curing equipment. Work assessments, deenergization practices, and applicable precautions.
Recordkeeping — 29 CFR Part 1904 Covered occupational injuries and illnesses. Recordability decisions, applicable OSHA forms, and case evidence.

Applicability depends on the equipment and activity. OSHA’s printing-industry guidance identifies the relevant general-industry framework. OSHA: Printing Industry Standards

Evaluate Cleaning and Adjustment Tasks Individually

A task does not qualify for an exception from lockout/tagout simply because it is brief, frequent, or performed during a job change.

OSHA’s minor-servicing exception has specific conditions, including that the activity be routine, repetitive, and integral to production and use alternative measures providing effective protection.

Document the basis for any task-specific determination. Do not treat an inching control, stop button, or emergency stop as equivalent to energy isolation without evaluating the applicable requirements and protective arrangement. OSHA: Minor Servicing Exception

Separate Workplace Safety From Packaging Compliance

Compliance area Primary concern Relationship to EHS activities
OSHA workplace requirements Employee injury prevention, chemical exposure, machinery hazards, and safe work. Inspections, exposure assessments, investigations, and corrective actions.
Air permits and emission standards Applicable emissions from inks, coatings, adhesives, cleaning, and control equipment. Material-use records, monitoring tasks, deviations, and technical follow-up.
Hazardous-waste requirements Classification and management of generated waste. Waste determinations, accumulation-area findings, and disposal documentation.
Food-contact requirements Regulatory suitability of packaging substances for their intended use. Refer formulation and use questions to product-compliance personnel.
Customer packaging specifications Agreed requirements for materials, performance, and product quality. Maintain the appropriate technical approval and supporting documentation.
Fire and building requirements Applicable storage, equipment, ventilation, and facility arrangements. Findings and remedial work under locally adopted requirements.

Air Emissions: Determine Coverage by Process

40 CFR Part 63, Subpart KK addresses specified printing and publishing operations, including covered publication rotogravure, product and packaging rotogravure, and wide-web flexographic printing.

It should not be applied automatically to every digital, offset, label, or packaging facility. Establish the applicable process, source status, and permit conditions before assigning monitoring and reporting tasks. EPA: Printing and Publishing NESHAP

Press Wipes: Verify the Conditions for Any Exclusion

Federal rules provide conditional exclusions for certain solvent-contaminated wipes. Eligibility and management conditions matter, and state implementation may differ.

Maintain the necessary container, handling, destination, and documentation controls where the facility relies on an applicable exclusion. Avoid classifying every used press wipe as either ordinary trash or hazardous waste without review. EPA: Solvent-Contaminated Wipes Requirements

Food Packaging: Keep Product Suitability and Worker Exposure Separate

Food-contact questions concern the regulatory status and intended use of packaging substances, including relevant components of adhesives, coatings, and other materials.

A material’s suitability for a particular food-packaging application does not establish that employees can handle it without exposure controls. Product-compliance review and workplace chemical assessment require separate evidence. FDA: Packaging and Food Contact Substances

Prepare Reports That Support Production Decisions

Examples include:

  • Press incidents by cleaning, setup, and running activity
  • Repeated jams requiring operator intervention
  • Blade injuries by equipment and replacement method
  • Roll-handling events by weight, size, and attachment
  • Chemical complaints by wash product or adhesive
  • Guard and interlock defects awaiting repair
  • Exposure-control recommendations still outstanding
  • Emission-control deviations and related maintenance
  • Recurring findings after corrective work

Find the Tasks That Repeatedly Bring Employees Close to Hazards

A press with few reported injuries may still require frequent reaching, cleaning, or adjustment near moving parts.

Review the frequency and reason for intervention alongside incident totals. Production interruptions, recurring quality problems, and maintenance history can provide useful context when investigating safety concerns.

Ask Questions Specific to the Pressroom

  • Which presses require repeated manual correction of web tracking?
  • Are blanket-cleaning events concentrated on a particular machine?
  • Which slitters lack an adequate method for handling removed blades?
  • Are cylinder changes causing repeated strains or dropped-load near misses?
  • Which cleaning products generate the most exposure complaints?
  • Do ventilation concerns appear after coating or adhesive changes?
  • Are scrap blockages prompting employees to reach into equipment?
  • Which protective-device faults remain unresolved?
  • Did the correction reduce the need for hazardous intervention?

Prioritize by Consequence and Task Frequency

Consider the severity of a possible injury, how often employees approach the hazard, and whether the protective measures are dependable.

Assess chemical risks using formulation, quantity, application method, exposure duration, and ventilation—not odor alone.

Task Observations + Incident Reports + Machine Defects + Exposure Findings + Job Changes

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Identify Frequent or High-Consequence Interventions

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Examine Equipment and Work-Method Causes

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Assign Engineering and Procedural Improvements

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Check the Revised Task

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Monitor Subsequent Jobs

Measure Pressroom Safety and Corrective Work

Use indicators that reveal the hazards associated with cleaning, changeovers, tooling, and material handling.

KPI What to measure Printing & Packaging application
OSHA TRIR and DART Rate Recordable cases and cases involving days away, restricted work, or job transfer, normalized by hours worked. Compare pressroom, converting, finishing, and warehouse outcomes with appropriate workforce context.
Make-Ready and Cleaning Events Incidents and near misses during setup, washup, threading, and adjustment. Identify tasks bringing employees close to cylinders, rollers, or exposed moving parts.
Blade and Tooling-Change Findings Injuries, near misses, and deficiencies involving slitters, knives, dies, and cylinders. Evaluate handling methods, storage, access, and protective arrangements.
Chemical Exposure Follow-Up Reported concerns, assessments completed, and control recommendations outstanding. Track inks, wash solvents, coatings, laminating adhesives, and curing-related emissions.
Critical Safeguarding Defects Open guard, interlock, and isolation findings, including age and temporary precautions. Highlight equipment needing repair or technical review.
Roll and Cylinder Handling Performance Load shifts, dropped items, strains, and related near misses. Assess roll stands, lifting devices, attachments, and storage practices.
Verified Corrective Action Closure On-time completion, overdue work, verification status, and repeat findings. Determine whether the original task or equipment problem was resolved.

Where reliable activity data exist, review changeover events against the number of changeovers and handling events against relevant movements. This adds context beyond raw counts.

Give Each Production Team the Information It Needs

Corporate EHS Leaders

Compare commercial print sites, label plants, flexible-packaging facilities, carton operations, and corrugated plants.

Review:

  • Serious machinery events
  • Cleaning and changeover patterns
  • Chemical exposure priorities
  • Material-handling injuries
  • Unresolved equipment defects
  • Environmental deviations
  • Improvements relevant to similar lines at other locations

Keep the process differences visible when comparing results.

Plant Managers and EHS Teams

Monitor:

  • New incidents and investigations
  • Presses requiring safeguarding repairs
  • Exposure assessments and ventilation recommendations
  • Recurring jams or unsafe access conditions
  • Contractor servicing and equipment modifications
  • Outstanding permit tasks
  • Corrections requiring planned downtime

Use these records to coordinate production, maintenance, purchasing, and environmental responsibilities.

Pressroom and Converting Supervisors

See findings associated with their equipment, job changes, and work methods.

Communicate temporary restrictions, report recurring interventions, and confirm that employees have the revised instructions or handling arrangements.

Maintenance and Engineering Personnel

Review the defect, operating conditions, supporting photographs, and expected verification.

Identify whether a repair restores the existing design or whether the task requires an engineering change, such as improved access, automatic cleaning, or a different lifting arrangement.

Follow the Operating Structure

Organization

  1. Enterprise
  2. Site

Operations

  1. Printing or Converting Department
  2. Press / Line
  3. Job or Task

Follow-through

  1. Finding / Incident
  2. Corrective Action

Use substrate, tooling, or chemical details when they help explain the event.

Keep the Safety Record With the Press, Task, and Material

Printing and packaging operations change jobs frequently, but unresolved hazards can persist across many production runs.

Dexur EHS preserves the history of machine defects, cleaning concerns, handling problems, and corrective work so each new shift or job does not begin without that information.

Explain What Happened During the Job

Retain the operating mode, intervention, substrate, tooling, and chemical details needed to understand an event.

Address the Reason for Repeated Intervention

Link incidents and observations to recurring jams, tracking problems, or cleaning difficulties. Support repairs that reduce exposure at its source.

Make Chemical Changes Visible

Associate new inks, adhesives, coatings, and cleaners with the relevant exposure review, handling instructions, and environmental assessment.

Improve Tooling and Roll-Handling Accountability

Track findings against cylinders, dies, lifting devices, and storage arrangements. Assign follow-up to the personnel able to correct the handling problem.

Keep Equipment-Service Handover Complete

Document protective devices restored, tests performed, and restrictions remaining after contractor or maintenance work.

Preserve Distinct Compliance Responsibilities

Maintain clear ownership for employee safety, waste management, air emissions, and packaging-material suitability while coordinating shared technical actions.

Verify Improvements Across Later Production Runs

Review whether the revised cleaning method, repaired guard, or handling aid remains effective as jobs and materials change.


See Dexur EHS for Printing & Packaging

Bring pressroom incidents, converting inspections, chemical assessments, material-handling findings, and environmental follow-up into one operational safety record.

See how Dexur EHS can help your teams address the risks of printing, cleaning, changeovers, and packaging conversion.