Mobile Computing Improving EH&S Management
Actio and Brady Worldwide Partner
MSDS software provider, Actio Corporation, recently announced a strategic partnership with the labeling company, Brady Worldwide. The agreement sets the stage for the development of a web-based HazCom labeling tool to be based on information contained in Material Safety Data Sheets.
“Our customers need a complete, high-performance, multi-service system,” stated Russ McCann, President and co-founder of Actio Corporation. “Expanding the periphery of our HazCom information management is both a natural extension and critical duality in HazCom provider success.”
By providing a regulatory information stream from Actio Corporation’s proprietary IntelligenTEXT MSDS to Brady’s label creation software, Codesoft, the partnership has produced a web-based solution that automatically recognizes and routes the requisite hazardous material information from the MSDS to the label. This creates a connection between a company’s chemical list, their MSDS library, and the labels on their secondary packaging.
BTI Study Says the Internet Saves Money
The BTI Consulting Group recently completed a study of how more than 225 companies use the Internet to manage environmental information. The research suggests that a typical large company spends $80 million on environmental costs, but the potential exists to reduce that amount to less than $40 million through strategic use of the Internet. The study also found that environmental managers are increasingly looking for collaborative data sets and centralized access to common source of information.
The study, E-Strategies for Environmental Management: Opportunities for Performance 2001, describes the needs analysis for developing E- Strategies and includes guidelines for success.
For more information, visit the BTI web site at www.bticonsulting.com or email Rneuwirth@bticonsulting.com.
product news: Information/Data Resources
ForMyWorld
Environmental Defense and the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) recently launched ForMyWorld, a non-commercial web site that delivers “detailed, zipcode-specific environmental information for every community in America.”
“ForMyWorld offers people across America facts and advice tailored specifically to their communities, so users can access information quite literally about their own backyards,” said Environmental Defense executive director Fred Krupp. “The Internet is the ultimate expression of ‘think global, act local.’ The web gives Environmental Defense and the National Wildlife Federation the unique chance to offer pooled resources in a way we’d never be able to do offline.”
ForMyWorld offers customized Neighborhood Reports with detailed local data. Each report contains ways to take community action to improve the environment. Users can receive reports on four different topics:
- Pollution studies: provides information on levels of contaminants in local air, waters, and soils, as well as toxic emissions from local manufacturing activities;
- Nature: provides a detailed overview of native animals – from birds to snakes – in addition to information on local natural recreation areas;
- Recycling: identifies area recycling centers for everything from junk mail, to motor oil, to used batteries; and
- Gardening: supplies information about native plants and provides monthly gardening tips.
“People look to our organizations to give them the information they need to discover and care for the world around them,” said NWF president and CEO Mark Van Putten. “The Internet gives us an ideal opportunity to give people the information they want and the opportunity to make a difference for their community, their nation, and their world.”
Major funding for the new service comes from the Packard Foundation and the Surdna Foundation. The site contains no banner ads or e-commerce.
