Subscribe to our e-mail newsletters
For more info on a specific newsletter, click the title. Details will be displayed in a new window.
Computerworld Daily News (First Look and Wrap-Up)
Computerworld Blogs Newsletter
The Weekly Top 10
More E-Mail Newsletters 
Computerworld 2007Subscribe to Computerworld
40 years of the most authoritative source of news and information for IT leaders.

Hosted Services Tapped to Manage Data on Chemicals

Manufacturers replace paper safety info sheets with online systems
 

Sign up to receive Security Resource Alerts

October 03, 2005 (Computerworld) -- An emerging class of hosted services is designed to make it easier for manufacturing companies to manage the material safety data sheets (MSDS) required for each of the chemicals used in their products.
Last week, 3E Co., a Carlsbad, Calif.-based provider of Web-based chemical management services, launched Version 2.0 of its 3E Online offering. The upgraded service allows users to more quickly search for MSDS information across multiple sites, and it makes it easier for manufacturers to verify their compliance with international standards regulating the use of chemicals, according to 3E.
Due to make a similar announcement next week is Actio Corp., a Hampton, N.H.-based application service provider that offers a portfolio of chemical management services. Enhancements to Actio's MSDS Vault service include new features for handling preliminary screening of chemicals, inventory management and chemical tracking.
"The primary return on such services is compliance assurance," said Jeet Radia, assistant vice president in charge of environmental issues at McWane Inc., a maker of cast-iron pipes and fittings in Birmingham, Ala.
Regulatory Requirements
Like other manufacturers, McWane is required to maintain detailed MSDSs listing the physical attributes, toxicity and health effects of each of the chemicals used in its products, as well as its procedures for disposing of them.

How It Works
Online MSDS services:
  • Customers hand over a complete inventory of all the chemicals used in their products to their service providers.
  • The associated data sheets are sometimes sourced directly from chemical makers by application service providers, which then manage and maintain the data for users.
  • Other service providers require customers to scan their MSDS information into the online system they're using.
  • The data is required under the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's Hazardous Communication Standard and is designed to give employees and emergency workers information on the proper handling of chemicals.
    Until recently, McWane maintained 10,000 MSDSs across its 25 facilities using a paper-based approach that made the information difficult to access and even harder to update. The process was cumbersome and imprecise, said Radia, adding that the data sheets lacked a consistent format and often were illegible.
    McWane signed up for a managed MSDS service with Safetec LLC in Vancouver, Wash., about six months ago. Under the arrangement, Safetec is scanning all of McWane's MSDSs into a more organized online system that makes it easier to retrieve information, Radia said.
    The improved access has also allowed the company to tie its enterprise environmental management system to the MSDS data to allow for quicker chemical compliance checks during the manufacturing process.
    Behr Process Corp. in Santa Ana, Calif., switched from a paper-based system to Actio's service two years ago and has seen significant improvements in its ability to comply with OSHA requirements, said Michael Butler, the paint manufacturer's director of environmental and regulatory affairs. The hosted service has also helped Behr expedite the preparation of federal, state and local reports relating to its use and storage of chemicals, he said.
    Cost considerations are another factor for users, said Russ McCann, Actio's president and CEO. Companies typically spend about $50 per year for every MSDS they maintain themselves, McCann said. In contrast, Actio's service starts at about $7,500 annually for a five-year contract, plus $10 per year for each MSDS the vendor manages.
    Officials at 3E and Safetec declined to disclose pricing for their services, saying it varies by customer.



    Print this Story Send Us Feedback E-mail this Story Digg! Digg this Story Slashdot this Story
    "We don't need al-Qaeda to blow us up. We are perfectly capable of lighting the fuse ourselves, courtesy of our..." Read more...
    "Analyzing data from online and your network may be a little easier because of a new browser. Yes, a browser...." Read more...
    Read more Business Intelligence posts or See all Blogs
    Powerset unveils test version of Google-killer
    IPhone out of stock 'companywide,' say Apple sales reps
    Microsoft to limit capabilities of cheap laptops
    More top stories...
    FBI worried as DOD sold counterfeit networking gear
    Update: Microsoft to appeal $1.3B EU fine
    XP SP3 cripples some PCs with endless reboots
    Mistakes such as putting down co-workers or burning bridges when you resign are surefire ways to darken your career prospects. Here's how to avoid them
    Hype and promises abound in the IT world, but these six breakthroughs really will change your life, says author and former IT manager John Brandon.
    Baby boomers are retiring and taking their knowledge with them. Why do so few in IT seem to care?
    Computerworld editors share stories of their first PCs, including some classics and some real clunkers -- then we ask readers to share their early-PC tales.
    Reviews, analyses, how-tos, visual tours, hot issues and predictions about Microsoft's new OS.
    Four years from now, the IT field will be a vastly different place. Will you be ready?
    All Zones
    Application Performance Zone
    Enterprise-Class Security Zone
    Enterprise Solutions Zone
    The File Data Management Zone
    Grid Computing on Windows Zone
    Security Management Zone
    ITIL Best Practices Zone
    The SAS Zone
    Storage Virtualization Zone
    The Data Center Management Zone

    Ads by TechWords

    See your link here
    Computerworld Report: Storage Gets Strategic
    Download this Computerworld Report, free, compliments of HP.
    (Source: Computerworld) Data Storage has emerged from the back room to become a key part of regulatory compliance, disaster recovery and strategic tecnhology plans. Learn more in this new this Computerworld report, a $49.95 value, available free for a limited time, compliments of HP.
    Download this executive briefing download
    Long Tail Supplier Collaboration - What's In It For You?
    Long Tail Supplier Collaboration - What's In It For You?
    Download this webcast, free, compliments of Sterling Commerce
    Go to the webcast 
    The Advantages of a Hosted Messaging Security Solution
    Get this report now!
    (Source: Microsoft Office Live Meeting) Messaging management is becoming more difficult thanks to the growing malware threat. At the same time, messaging system administrators are under enormous pressure to push their messaging infrastructures to do more than ever, including archiving messaging content for regulatory compliance, archiving to support legal discovery and for overall litigation support, providing services to a growing body of mobile users, and ensuring continuity by making the messaging system more reliable, and managing policies for message encryption.
    Download this white paper go
    White Papers
    Read up on the latest ideas and technologies from companies that sell hardware, software and services.
    New Fujitsu High-End Itanium Windows- and Linux-Based PRIMEQUEST Servers Offer the Utmost in High Availability
    New Fujitsu High-End Itanium-Based PRIMEQUEST Servers Offer Industry-Leading System Management for Linux and Windows
    Symantec State of the Data Center Report 2007
    View more whitepapers 
    SAS Information Management Kit

    SAS is the leader in business intelligence and analytical software and services. Only SAS offers leading data integration, storage, analytics and business intelligence applications within a comprehensive enterprise intelligence platform. SAS gives 97 of the top 100 companies in the 2007 Fortune 500 THE POWER TO KNOW®.

    Webcast: The Information Management Roadmap
    Imagine high-quality data, cleansed, analyzed and delivered throughout your organization. Join Computerworld, IT visionary Thornton May and a panel of experts to learn how SAS® can help you make it happen.

    View this webcast 
    Research Report: Information Management Initiatives at Midsize and Large Organizations
    See the top-line results of this Computerworld sponsored survey to see how IT and business leaders are handling information management implementation.

    Download this report 
    White Paper: Information Management: Better Information for Winning Decisions.
    This white paper explains how the SAS Information Evolution Model aids companies in assessing how they use this information to make strategic decisions and drive business.

    Download this white paper