OHS in Printing and Packaging Print Plants

Why does printing safety start with the cylinder?

The shift is nearly over and the press has slowed down but not stopped. The operator wants to wipe ink build-up from the blanket cylinder with a rag; the rag is drawn in between the cylinder and the roller, and the hand goes with it. This is the scene that should first come to mind when printing safety is discussed: in offset and flexo printing, serious hand injuries mostly happen not during production but during cleaning and setting.

Dividing the risks in a printing or packaging plant into four families organises the risk assessment work:

Process	Main hazard	Typical moment of the accident	Basic measure
Offset printing	Entrapment between cylinders and rollers, washing with solvent	Blanket washing, plate change	Fixed guard, interlocked cover, inch mode
Flexo and rotogravure	Anilox and plate cylinders, doctor blade, solvent vapour	Plate mounting, doctor blade change, web threading	Local exhaust ventilation, earthing, cut-resistant gloves
Paper cutting	Cuts and crushing under the knife and clamp	Cutting, knife change	Two-hand control, light curtain, knife changing device
Die cutting, corrugating and finishing	Crushing between platens, reels toppling, hot surfaces	Die setting, reel change	Energy lockout, reel handling device, pedestrian separation

This distribution is the same at label, carton box and flexible packaging manufacturers in Bursa and the surrounding provinces: the machines are fast, job changes are frequent, and every job change means an intervention.

The printing press cylinder: where is the nip point?

The line where two counter-rotating cylinders come together is an in-running nip point. In offset, the plate, blanket and impression cylinders and the inking and dampening rollers form these points; in flexo, the anilox roller, plate cylinder and impression drum. The moment a rag, glove, loose sleeve or hair touches this line, it is drawn in. Human reflexes cannot keep up with the machine's pulling speed.

Annex I item 2.8 of the Work Equipment Regulation requires guards against the risk of contact with moving parts to be of robust construction, not easily removed or rendered ineffective and located at an adequate distance from the danger zone. Under item 2.13, maintenance work is done while all movement of the equipment has stopped and it is not running; if this is not possible, the necessary measures are taken.

In printing, the "if this is not possible" part happens often: the cylinder has to be turned to clean it or to register the plate. The right solution is that only inch mode works while the guard is open. In this mode the cylinder turns at low speed and only while the button is held down, and stops when the button is released. A press that can run at full speed with its guard open shows that the interlock system has been bypassed.

Safe method for cleaning and plate changes

Stop the press and see with your own eyes that the cylinder has come to a complete stop.
If there is an automatic blanket wash system, use it instead of wiping by hand.
If manual cleaning is needed, apply the "turn, stop, wipe" cycle: turn the cylinder a little in inch mode, stop it, then wipe. Do not wipe with a rag while the cylinder is turning.
Move the rag and brush away from the nip point, not towards it.
For long interventions such as plate or sleeve changes, removing rollers and breakdowns, cut and lock out the energy; for the steps, see our article on lockout-tagout (LOTO).
If two people are working, only one operates the controls, and a verbal "ready" confirmation is obtained before movement.

Print shop solvent and ink vapour

Solvent-based inks used in flexo and rotogravure printing contain volatile solvents such as ethanol, ethyl acetate and isopropanol. In offset, alcohol added to the dampening solution and blanket wash solvents cause the same problem. These vapours carry two separate risks:

Health: Headache, dizziness, eye and respiratory tract irritation; dermatitis from repeated skin contact with ink and solvent. In UV-curing inks, acrylate-containing components can cause skin sensitisation.
Fire and explosion: Flammable vapour accumulates in the ink preparation room, the solvent store, the drying tunnel and around the doctor blade chamber. Static electricity generated as a plastic film reel unwinds can ignite this vapour.

The Regulation on Health and Safety Measures for Work with Chemical Substances requires every chemical used to be addressed in the risk assessment; safety data sheets are the input to this work. For areas where flammable vapour can form, zone classification is carried out and an explosion protection document is prepared under the Regulation on the Protection of Workers from the Hazards of Explosive Atmospheres; we explained its content in our article on ATEX and the explosion protection document.

The order of priority on site is: where possible, switching to water-based or low-solvent ink, enclosed ink chambers, local exhaust ventilation at the print unit and dryer outlet, earthing and ionising bars on film reels, and finally suitable gloves and, where needed, respiratory protection. For how to reduce solvent vapour at source, see our article on solvent vapour exposure, and for static electricity, our article on earthing and equipotential bonding. We plan workplace exposure measurements with authorised laboratories and enter the results into the risk assessment.

UV drying lamps are a source of artificial optical radiation for the eyes and skin; an interlock that prevents operation while the lamp housing is open is needed here too. Because the corona treatment applied to the film surface can generate ozone, the treatment unit's extraction must be in working order.

Guillotine and paper cutting safety

In a hydraulic paper guillotine, the clamp first presses the paper stack, then the knife comes down. A finger is crushed under the clamp, and cut if it reaches the knife. There are four control points in paper guillotine cutting:

Two-hand control: The cut should proceed only while both buttons are held down at the same time; the knife should stop when one hand is released. Placing a permanent weight on one of the buttons is as dangerous as bypassing the interlock.
Light curtain: Stops movement when a hand enters the danger zone at the front table. Test the curtain's operation at the start of each shift.
Rear area: Access to the back gauge area (the gauge guiding the feed) should be closed with a cover, and the machine should stop when the cover is opened.
Knife change and sharpening: The knife is carried with the handling and changing device supplied by the manufacturer, with its sheath fitted. The change is done with energy cut and locked out. The knife edge is not touched with bare hands.

The same logic applies to die-cutting presses: die setting is done with the machine locked out. Guillotines are among the machine tools in Annex III of the Work Equipment Regulation that require periodic inspection at least once a year. The inspection is carried out by authorised persons registered in EKIPNET (the Ministry's equipment inspector registry); the person who maintains the equipment may not carry out its periodic inspection (Art. 14/A). Bursa Sistemer OSGB does not carry out these inspections; we plan the periodic inspection schedule, coordinate with authorised inspectors and follow up the closing out of deficiencies in the report. You can track the dates with the OHS calendar tool.

Noise, reel handling and OHS in packaging production

High-speed rotary printing, corrugated board and slitting lines produce continuous noise. The thresholds of the Noise Regulation are: at the lower exposure action value of 80 dB(A) hearing protection is made available, at the upper exposure action value of 85 dB(A) its use is mandatory, and the exposure limit value of 87 dB(A) may not be exceeded under any circumstances, taking into account the effect of the protector. If 85 dB(A) is exceeded, hearing tests are mandatory. The priority is reduction at source: maintaining worn gears and bearings, eliminating air leaks and moving control points away from the noise source.

In terms of OHS in packaging production, another topic as important as noise is reel handling:

Paper and film reels are heavy; instead of rolling them by hand, a reel lifting device, chain hoist or forklift with a clamp is used. Lifting equipment is also subject to annual periodic inspection under Annex III.
Reels are stacked with chocks to prevent rolling and at a height at which they will not topple.
Unwind and rewind shafts are stopped during reel changes and web threading; gloves, loose clothing and jewellery are not worn near a rotating shaft.
Cutting waste and paper dust create a slip hazard and fire load; they are collected at the end of the shift.

If you are buying a new printing press, the Machinery Safety Regulation (2023/1230/EU), most of whose provisions enter into force on 20 January 2027, and the TS EN 1010 series of standards prepared for printing and paper converting machinery should be included in your purchase specification.

Pre-inspection checklist

Review your print shop with these questions:

On each print unit, is access between cylinders closed off, and does the press stop when the cover is opened?
With the guard open, does only the hold-to-run inch mode work?
Are there written instructions and lockout points for cleaning and plate and sleeve changes?
Are the two-hand control and light curtain on the guillotine tested at the start of each shift?
Are the knife changing device and knife sheath on site?
Are the solvent and ink inventory, safety data sheets and explosion protection document up to date?
Are solvent-soaked rags collected in lidded metal containers?
Have noise measurements and hearing tests been carried out and the results entered into the risk assessment?
Are the periodic inspection reports for the guillotine, lifting equipment, compressor and electrical installation valid?

At packaging manufacturers in the chemicals and plastics sector, working through this list together on site is a routine part of Bursa Sistemer OSGB's OHS specialist services.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can cleaning be done on a printing press while the cylinder is turning?

No. Wiping with a rag while the cylinder is turning is the most common cause of entrapment accidents. Cleaning is done with the press stopped and, where needed, in inch mode, which runs at low speed only while held down, using the "turn, stop, wipe" cycle. If there is an automatic washing system, it takes priority.

Should workplace exposure measurement be done for solvents in a print shop?

Measurement is needed if the risk assessment shows that exposure to solvent vapour may be significant. The assessment is renewed when the ink or solvent changes or a new line is installed. The measurement is carried out by an authorised laboratory; the result is entered into the risk assessment.

Is a paper guillotine subject to periodic inspection?

Yes. Guillotines are among the machine tools in Annex III of the Work Equipment Regulation that require periodic inspection at least once a year. The inspection is carried out by an authorised person registered in EKIPNET; the person who maintains the machine may not inspect the same machine.

Which gloves should be used in flexo printing?

For doctor blade changes, cut-resistant gloves are chosen, and for solvent contact, chemical-resistant gloves. Near rotating cylinders and shafts, however, a glove can be drawn in; interventions at these points should be made only with the machine stopped.