Category: Thermal Printing

Department of Labor's National Emphasis Program Targets Warehouses and Distribution Centers

1/11/2024

Signage plays a crucial role in communicating and mitigating potential hazards

Department of Labor's National Emphasis Program Targets Warehouses and Distribution Centers

In July 2023, the Department of Labor made a significant announcement aimed at fortifying workplace safety across the nation. The unveiling of a new national emphasis program specifically targets warehouses and distribution centers, recognizing the unique challenges and potential hazards inherent in these environments. With a focus on reducing and preventing workplace hazards, this initiative underscores the government's commitment to safeguarding the well-being of employees across diverse industries.

From the OSHA News Release:

"In the past 10 years, warehousing and distribution centers have experienced tremendous growth with more than 1.9 million people employed in the industry. The Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows injury and illness rates for these establishments are higher than in private industry overall and, in some sectors, more than twice the rate of private industry.

"Our enforcement efforts are designed to do one thing: lead to permanent change in workplace safety," said Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health Doug Parker. "This emphasis program allows OSHA to direct resources to establishments where evidence shows employers must be more intentional in addressing the root causes of worker injuries and align their business practices with the goal to ensure worker health and safety."

Under this three-year emphasis program, OSHA will conduct comprehensive safety inspections focused on hazards related to powered industrial vehicle operations, material handling and storage, walking and working surfaces, means of egress and fire protection.

The Department of Labor's initiative comes as a proactive response to the evolving landscape of workplace safety. Warehouses and distribution centers, pivotal components of the supply chain, often contend with a multitude of hazards ranging from tripping and fall risks to more complex issues like equipment identification and emergency evacuation procedures.

What can you start to do right now to address this three year focus program is a comprehensive evaluation of your signage.

Key Area of Focus:
Signage and Identification

Department of Labor announces national emphasis program aimed at reducing, preventing workplace hazards in warehouses, distribution centers

To align with the goals of the national emphasis program, companies operating in warehouses and distribution centers should prioritize the review and enhancement of various safety measures.

Signage plays a crucial role in communicating and mitigating potential hazards. Here are key items that companies should start reviewing related to signage:

Lock-Out / Tag-Out Procedures

Ensure that clear and comprehensive signage is in place to communicate lock-out/tag-out procedures for machinery and equipment.
Periodically review and update signage to reflect any changes in equipment or safety protocols.

Emergency Evacuation Routes

Clearly mark emergency evacuation routes with visible signage throughout the facility.
Conduct regular drills to ensure that employees are familiar with evacuation routes and assembly points.

Tripping & Fall Hazards

Identify and label potential tripping and fall hazards, such as uneven flooring or exposed cords.
Implement consistent and standardized signage to alert employees to these risks.

Pipe Labeling / Container Labeling

Ensure that pipes and containers containing hazardous materials are clearly labeled.
Review and update labeling regularly to reflect any changes in the types or locations of materials.

Shelving & Location ID

Implement a systematic shelving and location identification system to enhance efficiency and reduce the risk of workplace accidents.
Clearly label storage areas, shelves, and aisles for easy navigation and inventory management.

Equipment ID

Clearly mark and identify all equipment, including forklifts, conveyors, and other machinery.
Use standardized symbols and colors for quick and easy recognition.

Prioritizing Safety in Warehouses and Distribution Centers

As the Department of Labor emphasizes the importance of workplace safety in warehouses and distribution centers, companies must proactively review and enhance their safety measures.

Implementing clear and effective signage related to lock-out/tag-out procedures, emergency evacuation routes, tripping and fall hazards, pipe/container labeling, shelving and location ID, and equipment ID is a crucial step toward creating a safer work environment.

By investing in these initiatives, companies not only ensure compliance with regulatory standards but also foster a culture of safety that benefits both employees and the organization as a whole.

If you would like some assistance in developing developing signage to help you with compliance please feel free to reach out to us.

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Leading Marks Partners with MAX USA for the Distribution of Their Thermal Printers.

5/12/2021

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Leading Marks is proud to partner with MAX USA for the distribution of their thermal printers.

MAX has been recognized worldwide as a leader of industrial tools and office products. The MAX thermal printers can be found in manufacturing facilities, chemical plants, educational & health care facilities and many more. Thermal printing solutions include the Letatwin and Bepop printers.

About the Letawin Thermal Printer

The Letatwin printer is a compact printer designed on-demand printing of tubing, tape, and wires.

The Letatwin printer has an enhanced feeding system that provides you with a marking speed of 1-1/2” (40mm) per second. It is developed for maximizing productivity of wire and tube marking jobs.

This compact package includes the Letatwin printer with an integral keyboard and PC Editor software for connected design of labels. Data can be transferred to a USB flash drive for printing away from the PC. It easily accepts data from Windows Excel or a .csv file reducing the time for data entry.

Consumables include heat shrink vinyl tubing and polyester tape. The heat shrink vinyl tubing is suited for 1.5 diameter to 8.0 mm diameter tubes and wires. The tubing is available for flat or round requirements and can be half-cut for ease of applying. The polyester tapes come in a variety of colors in widths from 5mm to 12mm.

MAX LETATWIN LM-550A2BH is portable, high speed thermal transfer printer for control panel marking, wire numbering, and device labeling.

The MAX LETATWIN LM-550A2BH is portable, high speed thermal transfer printer is ideal for control panel marking, wire numbering, and device labeling. Using thermal transfer technology, it is ideal for printing directly onto heat-shrink and PVC tubing and for printing on MAX polyester tapes for marker strip labeling.

Unique features include the ability to make half-cut or full cut parts, a warming element and optional battery power capability. The enhanced MAX software LETATWIN PC Editor and driver can be downloaded from the MAX USA website.

Connect to a computer and print directly to the machine, or save marker data to the machine's large internal memory and take it with you on-site. Engineered for high productivity and robust environments, including a shock resistant rubber keyboard, you will use your LETATWIN trouble free for many years to come.

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What makes the Bepop Thermal Printer Unique?

3/31/2021

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Leading Marks is proud to partner with MAX USA for the distribution of their thermal printers.

Sourcing labels and signs can often be a challenge and not permit you to meet the delivery requirement without a minimum charge. This is where the MAX Bepop printers allow you to capitalize on your investment by permitting you to print on-demand with the specific message needed for the situation.

The Bepop printers are 4-color thermal printer that can print in standard ANSI color or 4-color CMYK high resolution colors. In addition to a 1” per second print speed, it cuts labels to size or outline shape without the need of costly dies at 4.7” per second.

The user-friendly software allows you to design labels for your needs or utilize standard templates pre-stored in the library. A complete library of standard icons are also included with the software. The Bepop printers come in two model sizes; one for 4” wide materials and one for 8” materials.

MAX Bepop CPM-200GU 8 inch wide sign and label printing and cutting machine

MAX Bepop CPM-200GU 8" wide sign & label printing and cutting machine.

APPLICATIONS

ANSI and OSHA Agency Required Signage
Health & Safety Signs
Product & Asset Labeling
Visual Management Signs
Pipe Marking / GHS Labels
5S / Kaizen / Kanban Labels
Wire and Cable Marking
Custom Labels
Shadow Boards
Warehouse shelf identification

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NEFF Automation Eliminates Outsourced Engraving With In-House Thermal Printing

5/17/2017

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Neff Automation in Warrendale, PA specializes in providing automation products and solutions to enhance manufacturing and assembly processes and improve productivity in a wide variety of industries. We focus our activities toward manufacturing process improvement, productivity enhancement, total cost management and downtime reduction. Neff offers Automation Products, Sub-Assembly, Custom Designed Solutions and Inventory Optimization.

Neff Automation Thermal Printed panel plate

Thermal printed panel plate, plates can be printed in-house and adjusted as need.

"Neff Automation, previously Intek Systems, once shared office space with Laurie Barcaskey. Since she started Leading Marks, Neff have partnered with her for our marking requirements. She also makes referrals to us when automation is required." said, Rob Kozminski, Panel Shop Foreman at Neff.

"Leading Marks was able to help change our process for making panel plates. Previously we were going outside to engrave 2-ply materials, which caused lost production time for travel. With the new thermal printing process we are now able to print in-house and make adjustments to layouts as needed, and this printing process has also expanded our printing capabilities. It also allows us to use the printed label as a template for drilling holes for switches at the same time." continued Rob.

"We would definitely recommend Leading Marks. Laurie is easy and pleasant to work with, and responds to emails and questions quickly. We appreciate her broad knowledge on marking technologies and that if she doesn’t know the answers she will put us in contact with someone who does."

Thermal printed panel plate, left side, detail

Thermal printed panel plate, right side, detail.

For more information on thermal transfer labeling on rigid plastic, get in contact with us!

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NEWS

Department of Labor's National Emphasis Program Targets Warehouses and Distribution Centers

Key Area of Focus:
Signage and Identification

Prioritizing Safety in Warehouses and Distribution Centers

Leading Marks Partners with MAX USA for the Distribution of Their Thermal Printers.

About the Letawin Thermal Printer

What makes the Bepop Thermal Printer Unique?

NEFF Automation Eliminates Outsourced Engraving With In-House Thermal Printing

AuthorS

Archives

Categories

NEWS

Department of Labor's National Emphasis Program Targets Warehouses and Distribution Centers

Key Area of Focus: Signage and Identification

Prioritizing Safety in Warehouses and Distribution Centers

Leading Marks Partners with MAX USA for the Distribution of Their Thermal Printers.

About the Letawin Thermal Printer

What makes the Bepop Thermal Printer Unique?

NEFF Automation Eliminates Outsourced Engraving With In-House Thermal Printing

AuthorS

Archives

Categories

Key Area of Focus:
Signage and Identification