Formed in July to replace the former Print Industry Advisory Committee (PIAC), which had its last meeting in March this year, the group will carry on PIAC’s work of monitoring health and safety performance in the printing industry, focussing on improvement areas, reviewing HSE guidance and promoting health and safety knowledge and best practise across the industry.

PIAG is made up of representatives from printing trade associations such as BPIF, Picon, Fespa, NPA, the Newspaper Society and trade union Unite, all of which were also members of PIAC.

In its former guise the group was chaired and primarily resourced by the HSE, but as part of a government efficiency drive it announced last year that it would downscale its involvement from March.

Under the new structure, which is chaired by Trinity Mirror’s group health and safety manager David Hoy, HSE representatives will attend PIAG’s twice-yearly meetings to maintain links with the print industry and will continue to work with members on developing new health and safety legislation and guidance pertaining to print but it will not provide resources for the group.

At PIAG’s inaugural meeting in July the HSE committed to carrying out a detailed analysis, over the coming weeks, of existing statistics on types and causes of accidents being reported in the industry.

PIAG will use the data to develop a plan of action for addressing the issues and improving health and safety standards.

Hoy said that although the HSE’s withdrawal was a loss the group would continue to provide an useful and comprehensive service for the industry.

He added: "PIAC was very effective and achieved a lot over the years. The rate of serious accidents reported to the HSE relating to print has decreased dramatically in the last 10 years and that plus a reappraisal of HSE’s priorities led them to withdraw.

"It’s a sad loss but it is a reflection of the times that we live in and there is no practical reason why PIAG won’t be just as effective."

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