In an effort to communicate the vital role that standards play in daily life, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) publishes snapshots of the diverse standards initiatives undertaken in the global and national standards arena, many of which are performed by ANSI members and ANSI-accredited standards developers. Two of the latest selections follow:
Training for Paper Mill Employees
Industrial machines used in the pulp and paper industry to create large quantities of paper must be operated by trained paper machine tenders, or paper machine first hands. A new standard developed by the Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry (TAPPI) provides guidelines for skills and knowledge outcomes for paper machine workers. TAPPI T 1501 gl-18, Training Standard for the Paper Machine Tender, serves as a useful measure of the capabilities and understanding that a person must have in order to successfully fulfill this position as part of a technologically advanced workforce. This standard is the first of its type in describing job classifications within the pulp and paper industry using the information sources it references, and may help determine if similar standards for related jobs would be useful.
TAPPI, an ANSI member and accredited standards developer, is a volunteer-led organization with thousands of member engineers, managers, scientists, academics, suppliers, and other stakeholders around the world. They develop standards, provide education, and keep members up-to-date on news related to the pulp and paper industry.
Safety in Grinding, Polishing, and Buffing Operations
The use of power-driven machinery that grinds, polishes, or buffs is essential for a variety of applications across industries, but it brings with it hazards for the machine operator and others nearby. Further, the machines may generate contaminants, raising environmental concerns if these contaminants are uncontrolled. The American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) has published a new standard that guides these machines. ANSI/ASSP Z9.6-2018, Exhaust Systems for Grinding, Polishing, and Bluffing offers requirements intended to protect the health of personnel engaged in and working in the vicinity of grinding, polishing, and buffing operations. The standard also gives emission and exposure control principles for the contaminants generated by these operations.
ASSP, an ANSI member and accredited standards developer, is a membership organization with more than 38,000 members in 80 countries dedicated to making the world a safer and healthier place, and connecting safety and health professionals with a community of peers, resources, and opportunities.