Sector guide · Printing
Print rooms combine hazards that rarely share a roof: rollers that grab loose clothing, solvents that strip skin, presses loud enough for mandatory zones, and guillotines in finishing that have their own safety folklore. The kit list is fitted, nitrile-gloved and bought expecting ink.
The sector
Around running presses the clothing rule is the machine-shop one, intensified: fitted kit, no loose cuffs, no drawcords, no lanyards — web and sheet-fed presses alike pull in what hangs, and nip points don't negotiate. Fitted polos and work trousers beat coveralls-with-flap here; hearing protection follows the zoned logic because press floors routinely cross action levels.
Wash-up and ink handling is the chemical corner: blanket and roller washes are solvent work — nitrile as the daily default with proper rated gloves for the stronger chemistry per COSHH, eye protection at decanting, and the skin-care discipline (barrier cream, washing, moisturising) that keeps dermatitis — printing's occupational disease — off the crew. UV-cure and litho each bring product-specific rules; the data sheet decides. Finishing adds guillotine discipline (two-hand controls do the safety; kit stays snag-free), paper-dust FFP2 where extraction lags, and cut-aware gloves for handling stacked stock — paper edges at ream weight cut like blades. Ink means dark polycotton in rotation: press kit is bought expecting stains, retired on saturation like workshop oil kit.
Kit by area
| Area | The kit that matters | The spec detail |
|---|---|---|
| Press operation | Fitted polos/trousers, hearing protection | Nothing loose near nips — the absolute rule |
| Wash-up & ink stores | Nitrile / rated solvent gloves, eye protection | EN ISO 374 per the COSHH sheet |
| Finishing & guillotines | Snag-free kit, cut-aware gloves | Ream edges cut; machines do their own guarding |
| Despatch | Hi-vis, S1P trainers | Warehouse rules at the dock |
| All press crew | Dark rotation kit, skin-care regime | Dermatitis is the trade disease — prevention is daily |
Management notes
Questions
Nitrile as the daily default for ink and general wash-up, stepping up to EN ISO 374-rated gloves in the right polymer for stronger solvent work per the COSHH assessment — plus cut-aware gloves in finishing, where stacked paper edges cut like blades. Skin care alongside gloves is what actually keeps dermatitis away.
Rollers and nip points grab and pull in anything that hangs — sleeves, drawcords, lanyards, cloths tucked in waistbands. Press-floor clothing is fitted with snug cuffs, the same entanglement rule as any rotating machinery, enforced because the consequences are immediate and severe.
Where noise assessments cross the action levels — which busy press floors routinely do — designated zones make hearing protection mandatory under the noise regulations. Muffs or plugs to EN 352, chosen so operators stay aware of machine sounds that signal problems.
Send the roles and headcount — we'll come back with a kit list per role, embroidered and priced.