Product Overview

Summary: This Digital Printing Safe Operating Procedure provides clear, practical steps for setting up, operating and maintaining digital printing equipment safely and consistently. It helps Australian workplaces control risks such as entanglement, electrical hazards, chemical exposure and manual handling injuries, while also improving print quality and productivity.

Digital printing environments combine high-speed mechanical equipment, electrical systems, heat, and chemical consumables such as inks, toners and cleaning agents. Without a structured procedure, operators can be exposed to avoidable risks including contact with hot components, entanglement in moving parts, inhalation of vapours or toner dust, and strains from repetitive tasks or poor manual handling. This Digital Printing Safe Operating Procedure sets out a clear, step-by-step method for preparing, operating and shutting down digital presses, wide-format printers and multifunction devices in line with Australian WHS expectations.

The SOP is designed for both commercial print shops and in-house print rooms across corporate, education, government and not-for-profit settings. It supports duty holders to demonstrate due diligence by documenting safe work methods, lock-out and isolation practices, housekeeping standards and emergency response steps specific to digital printing operations. At the same time, it embeds quality and efficiency by standardising job setup, material handling, colour checks and maintenance routines. The result is a safer, more consistent and more reliable digital printing operation that protects workers, equipment and your business reputation.

Key Benefits

• Ensure digital printing tasks are carried out in line with Australian WHS legislation and recognised industry good practice.
• Reduce the likelihood of injuries from moving parts, hot surfaces, electrical faults and hazardous chemicals.
• Standardise digital print setup, operation and shutdown to improve quality, reduce waste and minimise rework.
• Streamline onboarding and refresher training for new and existing operators with clear, documented steps.
• Demonstrate due diligence to regulators, clients and auditors through a formal, auditable procedure for digital printing operations.

Who is this for?

• Print Room Supervisors
• Digital Press Operators
• Graphic Arts and Printing Managers
• WHS Managers
• Production Managers
• Small Business Owners in Printing and Signage
• In‑house Corporate Print Room Coordinators
• School and University Print Centre Staff

Hazards Addressed

• Entanglement or crushing from moving rollers, belts and feed mechanisms
• Burns from hot fusers, print heads, heaters and curing units
• Electrical shock or fire from damaged cords, improper isolation or faulty equipment
• Exposure to inks, toners, solvents and cleaning chemicals via skin contact or inhalation
• Toner and paper dust inhalation in poorly ventilated areas
• Manual handling injuries from lifting paper boxes, rolls, cartridges and finished print jobs
• Repetitive strain injuries from sustained or awkward postures at presses and finishing equipment
• Slip, trip and fall hazards from paper offcuts, packaging and poor housekeeping around print equipment
• Eye strain and fatigue from prolonged visual inspection and screen-based workflow management

Included Sections

• 1.0 Purpose and Scope
• 2.0 Definitions and Equipment Types (digital presses, wide-format printers, MFDs)
• 3.0 Roles, Responsibilities and Competency Requirements
• 4.0 Applicable Legislation, Standards and Codes of Practice
• 5.0 Required PPE and Safety Equipment
• 6.0 Pre-Start Checks and Work Area Preparation
• 7.0 Safe Handling and Storage of Inks, Toners and Chemicals
• 8.0 Step-by-Step Operating Procedure for Digital Printing Tasks
• 9.0 Managing Jams, Faults and Abnormal Conditions
• 10.0 Lock-Out, Tag-Out and Isolation for Maintenance and Repairs
• 11.0 Manual Handling and Ergonomic Controls in the Print Room
• 12.0 Housekeeping, Waste Management and Recycling (paper, cartridges, chemicals)
• 13.0 Emergency Procedures (fire, chemical exposure, electrical incident, injury)
• 14.0 Cleaning, Routine Maintenance and Contractor Access
• 15.0 Training, Induction and Competency Assessment
• 16.0 Monitoring, Review and Continuous Improvement of the SOP
• 17.0 Document Control and Recordkeeping

Legislation & References

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Cth) and equivalent state and territory WHS Acts
• Work Health and Safety Regulations 2011 (Cth) and equivalent state and territory WHS Regulations
• Safe Work Australia – Code of Practice: Managing the Work Environment and Facilities
• Safe Work Australia – Code of Practice: Managing Risks of Hazardous Chemicals in the Workplace
• Safe Work Australia – Code of Practice: Hazardous Manual Tasks
• AS/NZS 4024 series: Safety of machinery
• AS/NZS 3000: Electrical installations (Australian/New Zealand Wiring Rules)
• AS/NZS 1715: Selection, use and maintenance of respiratory protective equipment
• AS/NZS 2161 series: Occupational protective gloves
• AS 1319: Safety signs for the occupational environment