ANSI's Safety Standards
by Harshad Matalia
Safety requirements for newspaper post-press equipment are specified in the American National Standard B65.2-1988, "Safety Standard for Binding and Finishing Systems," the first published industry standard for such machinery.
A non-profit, non-governmental body, the American National Standards Institute is the only recognized standard-setting organization headquartered in the United States. It does not write standards, but coordinates and manages voluntary activities to avoid duplication of efforts and conflicting standards. Standards must meet consensus, due process and other criteria. Adopted and used voluntarily, ANSI standards become mandatory only when referenced by government agencies. OSHA, for example, has adopted ANSI's lockout/tag-out procedures for press set-up.
For the graphic-arts industry, ANSI accredited a voluntary group of industry experts, equipment vendors and users-including NAA-to develop safety standards. NPES, the Association for Suppliers of Printing and Publishing Technologies, is the B65 committee's secretariat.
ANSI requires all standard-writing organizations to review existing standards every five years. In early 1994, the B65 committee recommended its safety standard be revised in light of changes in post-press technology.
A subcommittee--B65.2--began work in June of that year, agreeing to expand the standard's scope to make it a complete safety standard similar to the one in place for presses. Specifications for mechanical safety devices, guards, interlocks, symbology and warning labels will be added to the revised standard, which should be compatible with new European requirements.
Meeting three times a year, the subcommittee recently finished its 13th draft and is close to completing the revision process. Some proposed changes will affect newspaper post-press equipment, particularly inserters and collators. In an attempt to make start-stop procedures similar to those of printing presses, changes will be made to requirements involving push buttons in operator-control stations and such safety-signaling systems as personnel warning lights and audible alarms.
When approved by ANSI, the revised standard will apply to all new binding and finishing equipment manufactured or installed in the United States. When existing systems are upgraded, safety features must comply with the new standards where feasible, or at a minimum duplicate the features of existing printing equipment.
Newspapers planning to buy new equipment or a total post-press system should keep abreast of ANSI developments. To get a copy of the current B65.2 draft or for more information, contact the author.
Harshad Matalia is NAA's post-press manager. E-mail, matah@naa.org; phone, (703) 902-1852; fax, (703) 902-1842.