Pulp and Paper Safety Association to Support New Initiatives

SAMANTHA GEIER

In the early 1940s, a group of safety professionals gathered to form the Southern Pulp and Paper Safety Association. This non-profit, member-based organization grew to become the leading association devoted to safety throughout the forest products industry and is now known as the Pulp and Paper Safety Association (PPSA).

Since its inception, PPSA has been dedicated to promoting safety education and improving the quality of safety standards for the forest products industry. The association provides quarterly reports presenting material on new safety technologies and legal information on the latest OSHA standards, as well as workplace safety advice. Yet the most prominent way in which the association is accomplishing its goals is through its annual conference, which is now in its 74th year.

Our conference brings together personnel and industry leaders in an environment dedicated to improving the safety of our workforce,” said Peter Masias, corporate director of safety and risk management for Green Bay Packaging and PPSA board member. “It provides a forum for people to discuss the cultivation of safety practices as well as exchange ideas for improving workplace safety.”

PPSA’s Safety & Health Conference is held each summer and features sessions covering a wide variety of topics. From workplace safety case studies and updates on safety regulations to insights that help prevent errors and education on the latest technology, the conference provides a distinct opportunity to learn from industry suppliers and network with a large group of safety professionals.

This year’s conference, to be held June 18-21 in Charleston, SC, will be a collaborative effort with the American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) focusing on Serious Injury and Fatality (SIF) Prevention. In 2016, AF&PA created initiatives to reduce occurrences of SIFs, including defining what constitutes a serious injury, developing a safety alert system to facilitate SIF reports, and producing a survey that augments the safety data currently collected to include specific questions regarding SIF incidents.

The AF&PA has challenged our industry to eliminate serious injuries and fatalities,” said Larry Warren, Domtar senior director of health and safety, pulp and paper/corporate and PPSA board member. “We are excited to be an intricate part of this initiative and look forward to providing educational and practical resources to bring the industry together and exceed those expectations.”

TAPPI serves as a management and administrative resource for PPSA. For more information on PPSA, please visit www.ppsa.org.

On the Bookshelf:

Ultimate Roll and Web Defect Troubleshooting Guide

The “Ultimate Roll and Web Defect Troubleshooting Guide” is a must -have communication tool for suppliers and their customers to assist in the identification and elimination of roll and web defects. This industry resource was written and edited by 22 industry experts with more than 500 years of web-handling and winding experience, along with 16 contributing editors. It includes a glossary of more than 3,000 terms commonly used in the paper formation, polymer extrusion, coating, and converting industries.

The “Ultimate Roll and Web Defect Troubleshooting Guide” can also be purchased as an E-book or Bundle. Visit www.tappi.org/bookstore for more information.

The AF&PA has challenged our industry to eliminate serious injuries and fatalities. We are excited to be an intricate part of this initiative.”

Larry Warren, Domtar