As the regulatory playing field affecting the printing and graphics industry continues to develop, companies face an evolving landscape of workplace safety expectations, environmental regulations, chemical restrictions, and packaging laws. According to Gary Jones, vice president of environmental health and safety affairs at PRINTING United Alliance, 2026 is shaping up to be a pivotal year for printers navigating compliance and sustainability.
From changes at OSHA to state-by-state environmental mandates, Jones says businesses need to stay informed and proactive; noting may changes are happening on the state level, making it a challenge to keep track of ongoing developments.
A New Direction at OSHA
One of the most notable developments, Jones says, is a shift in philosophy at the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Jones recounted a recent presentation by David Keeling, the newly appointed Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA, from which he came away optimistic.
“What really struck me,” Jones says, “was that he wants to change the relationship with small business. Instead of it being adversarial, which it historically has been, he wants to make it more cooperative.”
While OSHA remains an enforcement agency, Keeling emphasized a broader focus on education and outreach. “What I got from that conversation,” Jones explains,” is that he wants to use inspectors not just to enforce, but also to educate. So, it appears that Keeling wants inspectors to enforce OSHA’s regulations, there may be some outreach and education occurring.”
This approach reflects Keeling’s experience leading safety programs at UPS and Amazon. He often questioned what companies really learned from inspections. “He said a lot of times companies were like, ‘We don’t know,’” Jones says. “So now, inspectors will hopefully leave behind more than just citations — they’ll leave behind knowledge.”
Another new initiative is OSHA’s Safety Champions Program, a voluntary, self-guided framework designed to help businesses improve their own safety cultures. “It’s really meant for all-sizes of businesses,” Jones says. “You can move at your own pace, and if you need help, there’s a network of support.”
Unlike OSHA’s Voluntary Protection Program (VPP), which Joes describes as resource-intensive and typically suited for large corporations, the new Safety Champions Program is more accessible for small and mid-sized businesses, including printers. “This is really for small businesses,” he emphasizes. “That’s what makes it interesting.”
Read the rest of this feature on Wide-Format Impressions, a publication of PRINTING United Alliance, ASI’s strategic partner.
