Managing Health and Safety in the Design Studio

by: Monona Rossol
from: Professional Practices: June 18, 2002

Graphic designers combine photos, type, and illustrations to make pages, posters, packages, or textile design. Processes used in graphic and commercial art include computer graphics design, illustration, and photo processes, and paste up of mechanicals.

Recently, an illustrator friend of mine was working on a job for a major university press. She called the head graphic designer at the press about a problem that could be easily fixed if he would cut and paste a section of photostat. To her surprise, she found that this was not possible because the graphic designer had never cut and pasted anything in his life!

This story demonstrates the incredible change that has occurred in the graphic design field. Computers have taken over. They have made skilled paste up and mechanical production workers an endangered species. They also make it possible for small studios and home-based freelancers to compete with established studios.

Some people see a certain coldness in computer generated graphics. They prefer to use the old methods in the same way that some music lovers are rejecting CDS and returning to vinyl. This chapter will cover health and safety issues of the old methods as well as the new.

Traditional Graphic Art

Traditional graphic art is an industrial process. Its workers, like other industrial workers, use toxic chemicals to create their product. Included are aerosol spray products, toxic pigments and dyes, lead-containing sign and artists paints, and toxic solvents. Hazardous equipment may be used such as eye-damaging xenon and quartz light sources, ammonia producing diazo copiers, and ozone-emitting photocopiers and laser printers.

Hazardous Products Used in Traditional Graphic Art

• Toxic/Flammable Solvent Vapors: rubber cement thinner, some glues and adhesives, felt-tip markers and pens, turpentine propanol, and other solvents
• Toxic Dyes and Pigments: air brush inks and dyes, textile dyes and paints, touchup colors, color correction products, gouache, oils, water colors, sign paints, and colored pencils
• May Contain Lead and Cadmium: sign paints, artists paints, metal primers, boat and auto paints
• Toxic/Flammable Aerosol Mists: spray adhesives, spray fixatives, aerosol spray paints 
• Photo and Photo Print Chemicals: black and white processing, color developing chemicals, imaging and proofing systems, typography, photostats, etc., blueprint chemicals, and ammonia
• Ozone-Emitting Equipment: copy machines, laser printers, bogus air purifiers, and old carbon arcs

Hazards of Traditional Materials

Dyes and Pigments

Dyes and pigments are used in airbrush colors, textile processes, and paints. Most are synthetic organic chemicals. Historically, the first synthetic dyes were made from a chemical called aniline which was derived from coal tar. Now there are dozens of different chemical classes of dyes. Most dyes and organic pigments are members of these chemical classes.

The vast majority of dyes and pigments never have been studied for long-term hazards, such as cancer and birth defects. However, when several members of one of the chemical classes are tested and shown to cause cancer, it is wise to assume that the rest cause cancer too. Under current labeling laws, untested dyes and pigments can be labeled “nontoxic” even when they are closely related to chemicals known to cause cancer! It is best to treat all dyes and pigments as potentially toxic.

It is suspected that the cause of elevated incidences of bladder cancer in industrial and art painters is related to their use of such dyes and pigments. Some dyes and pigments also are hazardous because they contain highly toxic impurities such as cancer-causing PCBs.

Another class of pigments are the inorganic metal-containing pigments. Included among these are pigments containing lead, cadmium, cobalt, chrome, nickel, manganese, and mercury. The toxic effects of these pigments are better known. Lead-containing colors are especially toxic and are banned in consumer wall paints. Paints that still are allowed to contain lead include artists’ paints and printmaking inks, sign paints, boat paints, automobile paints, and metal priming paints.

Solvents

The term “solvent” is applied to many different liquids used to dilute paints, inks, marking pens, adhesives, aerosol sprays, and the like. All common solvents are narcotics at some level of exposure. Glue sniffers have proven that they can get high—even die—from inhaling vapors from any solvent-containing product, including glue, gasoline, or spray paints. Even abuse of correction fluid killed three people in 1985!

There are no safe solvents. All solvents, natural or synthetic, are toxic. Exposure may occur either by skin contact with the liquid or by inhalation of the vapors they emit into the air. Solvents also can damage the skin, eyes, respiratory tract, nervous system, and internal organs such as the liver and kidneys. These kinds of damage can be acute, from single heavy exposures, or chronic, from repeated low dose exposures over months or years. In addition, some solvents can cause specific diseases such as cancer.

Studies of one of the least toxic solvents—grain alcohol—have shown that babies born to drinking mothers may be of low birth weight and have varying degrees of mental retardation. Since most solvents damage the brain and nervous system, cautious doctors counsel both men and women planning families to avoid solvents.

Photographic Chemicals

Vast numbers of substances, many of them complex organic chemicals, are used in photographic processes. Many of these are known to be hazardous, while the hazards of many others are unknown and unstudied. In addition, manufacturers add new photochemicals to their products regularly. For these reasons, it is impossible in the scope of this chapter to discuss all photochemicals. But in general, these chemicals cause occupational skin and respiratory diseases.

Skin Diseases

Many types of dermatitis have been seen in photographers including hyper- and hypopigmentation of the skin, contact dermatitis, lichen planus (rough scaly itching patches), and more. Developing chemicals probably are primarily responsible for these skin conditions since so many are strong irritants and sensitizers. Skin burns can also occur from contact with acids such as glacial acetic acid for stopbaths and caustics, such as sodium hydroxide, intensifiers (bleaches), and oxalic acid (in some toners).

Respiratory Diseases

Allergic asthma, increased susceptibility to colds, and respiratory infections are associated with photographic developing. These effects can be caused by irritating and sensitizing gases and vapors emitted by photochemicals. Emissions from common photochemicals include sulfur dioxide, acetic acid vapors, and formaldehyde.

Photoprinting Chemicals

Many photographic processes have been adapted to printmaking uses. Included are photolithography, photoetching, and photo silk screen processes. These processes require precautions since the chemicals used are similar to those used in printmaking.

High intensity light from sources such as halide, xenon, or quartz bulbs are needed for these processes. Historically, carbon arc lamps were used; these also emit highly toxic gases and should be avoided.

Photoetching uses solvents to etch plastic. Some of these solvents, called glycol ethers, are highly toxic to male and female reproductive systems. Photolithography uses solvents and dichromate solutions. The dichromates cause allergies and cancer.

Photo silk screen processes include both direct and indirect emulsion methods. Direct emulsions usually use ammonium dichromate as the sensitizer. Indirect emulsions use presensitized films developed by concentrated hydrogen peroxide and cleaned of emulsion with bleach. Concentrated hydrogen peroxide and bleach can cause severe eye and skin damage on contact. When used to remove emulsions, bleach emits chlorine gas which requires ventilation.

Precautions for Traditional Graphic Design

The Safe Studio

• Never use toxic chemical products in home studios. Working at home can result in contamination of eating and sleeping areas. Workers are exposed longer periods of time at home than in workplaces. Children and pregnant women must not be exposed to even low levels of toxic substances.
• Plan studios that can be cleaned easily. Shelving and floors must be sponged and wet-mopped.
• Install ventilation systems appropriate for the work done in the studio. For example, provide a spray booth for air brushing. Provide ventilation at a rate of roughly twenty room exchanges per hour for small darkrooms, ten room exchanges per hour for large darkrooms.
• Separate electrical equipment from sources of water and wet processes as much as possible. Install ground fault interrupters on all outlets within ten feet of sources of water.
•  Install eye wash stations if chemical corrosives or irritants are used. (Emergency showers also are required if large amounts are used.)
• Mark exits and fire evacuation routes. Provide a fire suppression system or fire extinguishers that are approved for the type of chemicals stored and the equipment used. Know how to use the extinguishers.

Personal Hygiene

• Do not eat, smoke, or drink in studios, shops, or other environments where there are toxic materials. Dust settles in coffee cups, vapors can be absorbed by sandwiches, and hands can transfer substances to food.
• Wash hands carefully after work, before eating, using the bathroom, and applying makeup.
• Wear special work clothes and remove them after work. If possible, leave them in the workshop and wash them frequently and separately from other clothing. Wear aprons for photochemical work, and other protective clothing as needed.

Storage of Materials

• Purchase materials in unbreakable containers whenever possible. Do not transfer materials to other containers unless all the label information is transferred as well.
• Apply good bookkeeping rules to storage of flammable or toxic materials. Keep a current inventory of all the materials and post locations of flammable or highly toxic materials.
• Apply good housekeeping rules to chemical storage. Have cleaning supplies and spill control materials at hand.
• Organize storage wisely. For example, do not store large containers on high shelves where they are difficult to retrieve. Never store hazardous chemicals directly on the floor or above shoulder height.
• Store reactive chemicals separately. Check technical advice from the manufacturer of each product (e.g., the Material Safety Data Sheet, MSDS).
• Keep all containers closed, except when using them, to prevent escape of dust or vapors.
• Storage of flammable chemicals should conform to all state and provincial fire regulations. Contact your local authorities for advice. Store large amounts of flammable solvents in metal flammable storage cabinets or specially designed storage rooms.

Chemical Handling and Disposal

• Do not use any cleaning methods which raise dust. Wet-mop floors, or sponge surfaces frequently and empty waste cans daily.
• Dispose of waste or unwanted materials safely. Check federal and local environmental protection regulations. Do not pour solvents down drains. Pour nonpolluting aqueous liquids down the sink one at a time with lots of water. For large amounts of regularly produced wastes, engage a waste disposal service.
• Do not store flammable or combustible materials near exits or entrances. Keep sources of sparks, flames, ultraviolet light, and heat, as well as cigarettes, away from flammable or combustible materials.

Substitution

• Avoid solvents and solvent-containing products when possible. For example, use glue sticks (some glues now allow artists to reposition copy) and waxers rather than rubber cement or spray adhesives. Choose water-based or latex paints, inks, and other products over those containing solvents.
• Choose products that do not create dusts. Avoid materials in powdered form such as dry photochemical, powdered dyes or pigments, or soft pastels.
• Avoid air brush or aerosol products whenever possible to avoid inhalation hazards. If they must be used, install a spray booth or other local exhaust system that captures and removes the spray mists.
• The most comprehensive substitution is to replace chemical processes with computer generated graphics.

Computer Graphics

Computer generation of graphics is certainly a safer method than traditional chemical processes. However, this method is not entirely free of hazards. For example, computers and their monitors emit radiation in the form of visible, infrared, and ultraviolet light and electromagnetic frequency radiation. Video display terminals are associated with eye strain. Keyboard and stylus use may lead to physical overuse injuries and stress.

Light

Natural light contains a wide spectrum of visible, ultraviolet, and infrared rays. Artificial light contains a more limited array of light waves. It is well known that ultraviolet rays can damage the skin and eyes, and even cause skin cancer. Both sunlight and unshielded fluorescent lights have been implicated in causing cancer. Inadequate lighting, glare, and shadow-producing direct lighting can cause eye strain.

Electromagnetic Radiation

Computers and monitors emit low-level, pulsed, electromagnetic frequency (EMF) radiation. EMF radiation is emitted from all electrical appliances and was thought to be harmless for many years. Now some studies show an increased risk of developing cancer among children, workers, and animals who are exposed to EMF radiation. However, there still is no conclusive evidence that these effects are due to EMF radiation. To be on the safe side, pregnant Canadian government workers have been given the right to transfer from video display terminal jobs without loss of pay. This is a humane and reasonable strategy in the absence of definitive data on EMF radiation. Exposure can also be reduced by remaining out of the high-dose areas immediately adjacent to the back and sides of the computer. And many new computers produce less EMFradiation than older models.

Overuse Injuries

Repetitive tasks such typing from the keyboard and using a mouse or stylus put artists at risk of developing special types of injuries called cumulative trauma disorders (CTDs).These usually affect tendons, bones, muscles, and nerves of the hands, wrists, arms, and shoulders.Common injuries include tendinitis and carpal tunnel syndrome. Ergonomics is the study of ways to prevent CTDs. Ergonomics is the science of making the best use of human capabilities by designing work environments using data from engineering, anatomical, physiological, and psychological principles. Today many tools, machines, and office and shop furniture have been redesigned with ergonomic principles in mind.

Precautions for Computer Graphics Studios

Overuse Injuries

• Prevent CTDs by paying careful attention to your body for signs of fatigue, pain, changes in endurance, weakness, and the like. Use good work habits to resolve early symptoms, including: good posture, frequent rest breaks, every fifteen to thirty minutes, alternating tasks often, or varying the types of work done; warming up muscles before work; moving and stretching muscles during breaks; easing back into heavy work schedules rather than expecting to work at full capacity immediately after holidays or periods away from work; and modifying technique and equipment to avoid uncomfortable positions or movements.
• If your symptoms of CTDs do not respond quickly to better work habits, seek medical attention. Early medical intervention will cause the majority of overuse injuries to resolve without expensive treatment or surgery. Delaying treatment can leave you disabled for long periods or even for life.

Room Lighting

• Provide good lighting, especially for close work. Use diffuse, indirect, overhead lighting combined with direct light on the copy and tasks.
• Keep room lighting levels at a comfortable medium level. This can be more easily facilitated if the walls are painted a neutral color like gray rather than bright colors or white.
• Use incandescent lights. Avoid fluorescent lights whose flickering and incomplete spectra can tire and irritate some people.
• If there are windows, use Venetian blinds, translucent curtaining, or other methods to avoid glare on the computer screen.

Screen Lighting and Use

• Use monitors that have accessible contrast and brightness controls for easy adjustments.
• Use maximum brightness and contrast only for mixing colors. When working on an image, lower contrast and brightness to more comfortable levels.
• Avoid background colors that are light and bright. Use black, dark, or neutral colors when possible.
• Get your eyes and your prescription glasses checked frequently. If you wear glasses, have one pair that focuses your eyes at between two to three feet and keep the monitor at this distance. Get lenses that block ultraviolet light. If you need a colored lens, use a neutral gray that will not interfere with color perception.
• Take breaks every fifteen minutes or so to look away from the screen and focus on a more distant place.
• Avoid using a one-pixel brush when possible. If you have to use the one-pixel brush, increase the scale.
• Use light tables lit by incandescent bulbs of low wattage. If you make your own light table, remember to provide a vent for the heat created by incandescent bulbs.

Equipment

• Place computer backs toward a wall to reduce exposure to EMF radiation. Never face the back or sides of a computer or monitor toward yourself or others.
• Purchase monitors that can swivel and tilt easily.
• Chairs should adjust easily for height. Those that can be pneumatically raised and lowered with a foot lever are easiest to operate. Arm rests are desirable.
• Tables or keyboard shelves should be adjustable. Keyboards should be positioned so that hands and arms are in a relaxed position when typing.
• Using a stylus can cause repetitive motion problems. Modifying their shape can be helpful. This can be done by putting the handle into a hole drilled in a rubber ball, or placing a lump of warm, hard plasticine or casting material on the stylus and squeezing it into the shape of your hand.
• Drafting boards should be adjustable, even to a vertical position. Select work tables that are at a comfortable level for your height.

Ventilation

Windows should provide enough ventilation for small studios and home studios in which computer graphics are the sole method of work. Larger studios require ventilation systems. The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers estimates the amount of fresh air required for comfort and health at twenty cubic feet per minute per building occupant. Many office and commercial buildings do not provide this much fresh air. And no office building ventilation system is capable of providing proper ventilation for control of chemicals from traditional graphic arts processes. Should you suspect there is poor air quality in an office or commercial building, a ventilation engineer or industrial hygienist may be needed to identify the cause. This may involve a survey of the system, tests of temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide levels over time, and others. If the ventilation system is at fault, fixing it may involve rebalancing the system or modification of the existing equipment. Temporary relief from poor air quality can sometimes be accomplished with air purifying devices. But advertising claims for air purifiers often grossly overestimate their effectiveness. Before purchasing one, obtain professional advice from someone who is not selling the equipment. Occasionally, people will experience air quality problems when new computer equipment is installed. Computers outgas small amounts of plasticizers and solvents used in the plastic casing, wiring, and circuit boards when they are turned on and get warm. Most people do not even notice these chemicals, but others will have symptoms that will only resolve after months or years when the computer stops outgassing.

Graphic Art Workplaces and the Law

Whether traditional chemical processes or computers are used, graphic design studios are just another workplace as far as the laws are concerned. Employees in these studios, like any other industrial workers, are protected by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). OSHA requires that employers provide graphic art workers with work and a workplace that is “free of recognized hazards.” OSHA only has jurisdiction over employees. Some graphic studio owners try to avoid the OSHA rules and paperwork by giving their jobs to independent contractors. But if these people work under the employer’s direction, and especially if they work on the premises, it is likely the IRS will consider these people employees. Many an employer has found this out after a laid off or fired independent contractor has filed for unemployment benefits.

Should an employee become injured or ill on the job, workers’ compensation usually provides benefits for the employee. At the same time, workers’ compensation protects the employer from being sued for damages by the employee. There are only a few states in which employees can sue employers for workplace injuries under limited circumstances. Some employers also allow nonemployees to work in the studio. These might include students, interns, volunteers, or worker’s children. Should these nonemployees incur injuries or illnesses in the studio, they usually can sue the shop owner. While nonemployees are not regulated by OSHA, the liability of the employer can best be protected by extending to nonemployees the same rights OSHA accords to workers. This means that all the required protective equipment, training, and access to hazard information should be provided to all workers paid and unpaid.

What Are Your OSHA Obligations?

The OSHA regulations apply to every phase of workplace safety such as walking surfaces, lighting, electrical equipment, air quality, fire safety, and much more. OSHA requires employers to provide a workplace free of “recognized hazards.” To determine what these hazards actually are, you need to consult the regulations. The OSHA rules are found in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Section 29 from numbers 1900–1910. Information about obtaining these regulations can be obtained from your local OSHA office (see the blue pages of your telephone book). If hazardous chemicals and products are used in the graphic studio there are three rules that apply specifically to their use:

• Hazard Communication (29 CFR 1910.1200)
• Respiratory Protection (29 CFR 1910.134)
• Personal Protective Equipment (29 CFR 1910.132)

The fewer the number of chemical products used on the premises, the easier these rules are to follow. In fact, one of the greatest benefits of conversion to digital and computer-generated graphics is that they do not involve chemicals that apply to these rules.

Hazard Communication

The Hazard Communication Standard (29 CFR 1910.1200), or Right-to-Know law, requires that employers develop a program to inform and train all full- and part-time employees about the hazards on their jobs. Failure to comply can result in OSHA citations and fines. The following items are required:

• A written hazard communication program detailing how the provisions of the rule will be met. A prototype plan for small businesses can be obtained from OSHA.
• A written inventory of all potentially hazardous products on the premises must be developed.
• Material safety data sheets on all potentially hazardous materials must be on file. 
• Labels on all containers of chemicals must be in compliance with the Hazard Communication Standard rules.
• Formal training by a qualified person must be provided for all employees who are potentially exposed to toxic chemicals.
• Ready access to MSDSs and all written elements of the program must be given to workers during all working hours. Canadian graphic artists are protected by a similar law called the Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS). It also requires collection of MSDSs and formal training of workers.

Respiratory Protection

Respirator use must comply with 29 CFR 1910.134 which requires employers to establish a respirator program. 29 CFR 1910.134(b) provisions (1) to (11) list the “Requirements for a minimal acceptable program.” These include:

• A written program explaining how the employer will meet the requirements and how respirators will be selected
• Formal fit testing of workers by a qualified person using one of the approved
• methods done at least annually
• An annual check on the employee’s medical status to assure that they are physically able to wear a respirator and safely tolerate the breathing stress caused by masks and respirators
• Procedures for regular cleaning, disinfecting, and maintaining all respirators. Respirators that are shared must be disinfected after every use.
• Procedures for formal, documented training of workers

Personal Protective Equipment

In 1996 OSHA changed the rules for personal protective equipment (29 CFR 1910.132, 133, 135–138). OSHA now requires a written program, documented worker training, and regular review of the effectiveness of the program. These requirements are not as onerous as they sound. A short statement about why protective equipment is needed and a list of things the worker needs to know about the equipment takes care of the written materials. Then checking each point off as it is explained to a worker and having the worker sign and date a copy of the list should suffice for training about gloves, goggles, etc. These procedures also protect the liability of employers and supervisors.

Summary

There are scores of other OSHA regulations affecting employees in the workplace. However, self-employed workers who work alone do not come under OSHA’s jurisdiction. The fact that home workers can bid on jobs without factoring in the cost of worker training and OSHA compliance programs is likely to make them even more competitive in the graphic design business. Yet, home workers need safety training and precautions, too. Homes are often less than ideal workplaces. Space, lighting, ventilation, and other studio requirements must be provided at home. And unless great care is taken, the chemicals home workers use, such as those in spray adhesives, markers, paints, airbrush dyes, and the like, will put children and other family members at risk. Whether in a large graphic design studio or a home office, safety and health must be the graphic designers first priority.

Source of Help

For advice on safety or regulatory issues, contact Monona Rossol at Arts, Crafts
and Theater Safety, 181 Thompson St. # 23, New York, NY 10012-2586; (212) 777-0062;
www.caseweb.com/acts/.

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