An important revision to a safety standard affecting three roll printing ink mills was announced by NPES The Association for Suppliers of Printing, Publishing and Converting Technologies and the National Association of Printing Ink Manufacturers (NAPIM).
    
B65/NAPIM 177.1-2007, Safety Standard – Three-Roll Printing Ink Mills, which revises and replaces B177.1-1997, was approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and is currently available from NPES. The 2007 standard incorporates significant changes to the 1997 version.
    
“Similar to the recently revised safety standard for vertical post mixers, this standard is a concise, detailed guide for developing safe work practices, training programs and equipment guards,” said George Fuchs, NAPIM manager of environmental affairs and information systems. “Three-roll mills are still prevalent within the ink industry, and the periodic revision of these safety standards is intended to raise the bar for both equipment design and work practices for its safe operation.”
    
“We were pleased to work closely with NPES in developing this standard; it provides another example of how the concerted efforts of NAPIM members can translate into a benefit for the entire industry,” said Jim Coleman, NAPIM executive director. Mr. Coleman added that the NAPIM Regulatory Affairs Committee intends to develop a training video based on this standard.
    
“This is an excellent example of a successful joint effort between both equipment manufacturers and equipment users to develop a safety standard, within a formal consensus standards development environment, in the best interests of the industry,” noted Mary Abbott, NPES director of standards programs.