Ads by TechWords

See your link here
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 
 

Hosted Services Tapped to Manage Data on Chemicals

Manufacturers replace paper safety info sheets with online systems

October 3, 2005 12:00 PM ET

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


    Additional Resources

    Xerox
    By using solid ink technology only from Xerox, you could save up to 65% by printing color for the cost of black and white. Enter for a chance to WIN a PhaserTM 8860 network color printer!
    Microsoft
    Save time and mitigate security risk. Deploy it now.
    Sybase
    In this white paper, IDC analyzes the role of next-generation mobile enterprise platforms as organizations seek a more strategic deployment of mobile solutions.

    Learn the important issues you must consider before starting your next mobility initiative. Get your mobility white paper from IDC now, compliments of Sybase.

    White Papers & Webcasts

    MarketVibe: Communications and Collaboration Needs at Business Organizations
    In April 2009, IT and business leaders were invited to participate in a survey on business communications and collaboration solutions. The goal of...  

    How to Reduce Eclipse BIRT Development Effort for Data Visualizations
    Web applications can come with a long list of visualization requirements for structured data. By delivering your output through the BIRT Interactive Viewer,...

    The Value of Network and Application Visibility by Aberdeen
    This survey-based paper analyzes best practices for improving application visibility and analysis. This paper can help serve as a guideline for organizations looking...  

    Legacy IT Modernization - Practical Reality
    (Source: BluePhoenix) Corporate budgets continue to tighten. Organizations are looking at ways to reduce operating costs and eliminate unnecessary expenses while at the...

    The CIO's New Guide to Design of Global IT Infrastructure
    Is it possible to eliminate the impact of distance? This paper explores the 5 key principles successful CIOs are using to redesign IT...  

    Interactive Guide: Getting Started with Data Governance
    In this online interactive guide, Andrew White, Research VP with lead analyst firm Gartner, answers these questions to help get you on the...

    2007 Gartner Magic Quadrant Report
    Riverbed positioned in Leaders Quadrant of Gartner Magic Quadrant for WAN Optimization Controllers. Analyzing strengths vs. cautions, Gartner helps organizations looking to acquire...  

    Why Now is the Right Time for the Linux Desktop
    (Source: Novell) Faced with tighter budgets, enterprises are rethinking their desktop strategies to deliver the same - if not better - services and...

    Five Steps to Successful IT Consolidation
    Has your Enterprise made the strategic decision to consolidate remote site IT infrastructure into central data centers? Then you have probably discovered that...  

    Agile Enterprise Content Management (ECM) for Rapid ROI
    (Source: IBM) Content rich business processes are a core feature of daily operations at just about any organization today. Very often these essential...

     

    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