Risk assessment and control measures for the printing ink production process

Abstract

Safety and health are very crucial in the printing ink production process since it consists of various chemical substances and heavy machines. Risk assessment for printing ink production is vital as the raw materials used in the production process exhibit various physical forms of chemicals such as gases, vapour, fumes, dusts, air borne particles, and powders. This study investigates the assessment on the printing ink production process in order to evaluate existing and potential hazards and risks due to the raw material chemical substances. The study was conducted using qualitative and quantitative approaches. Data were collected through observation of the printing ink production process as well as Hazard Identification, Risk Assessment, and Risk Control (HIRARC). Data were also collected from interviews with the production workers. The result of the study identified nine types of activities that contribute to the hazards and risks. From the HIRARC results, the medium risk level hazard for the printing ink production process was 72.3% of the total hazards and risks identified. However, about 27.3% of the total hazards and risks identified were regarded as a high risk level hazards. In addition, the results also demonstrated that the production workers in the printing ink production process were in the range of moderate to high exposure to hazards and risks. A hierarchy of hazard controls based on the Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) were proposed in this study. The recommended control measures were elimination, engineering and administration control, and personal protective equipment. This study provided a comprehensive risk management and enhanced the precautionary and safety knowledge of employers and employees in handling the chemical substances in the production process based on Malaysian regulations.