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Social distancing is the new buzz word for 2020. Measures imposed by governments across the globe have caused the cancellation or postponement of sporting leagues, events and tournaments, leaving a gaping hole in the lives of sports fans everywhere. Luckily, the internet means there are still plenty of ways for everyone to get a daily dose of exercise and sporting entertainment. Social Distancing Exercise Daily exercise is as important now as it has always been. Whilst there are no team sports allowed, there are still plenty of ways to stay fit and active. Being allowed out for daily exercise means running and cycling are still on the cards. And for those with extra energy to burn, High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) sessions are all the rage. YouTube is full of HIIT workouts lasting between 10 minutes and 1 hour. King of HIIT and the nation's favourite PE teacher, Joe Wicks, has plenty of videos online to suit everyone from beginners, kids, and seniors to hard-core fitness fanatics. Online Gaming Online gaming offers up the thrill of sports, albeit without the physical aspects. And you don't need a PlayStation or Xbox as plenty of computer games and apps are downloadable. Dream League Soccer 2020 - Take charge of a footie team, building it from over 3,500 players and rise through the ranks of eight leagues to the top flight of football. TGC 2019 - An authentic golf sim that lets players design challenging courses, compete in Skin wager matches, or become a golfing pro in the PGA Tour Career mode. NBA 2K20 - Adapted for Android, this basketball app has multiple gaming modes. Build a career, compete in streetball tournaments, or become GM of your own team. Even Formula One is getting in on the online gaming act by running virtual races with current and past drivers fighting it out via a video game. F1 fans can watch the races on Sky Sports, YouTube, Twitch, and Facebook channels. Not a fan of online gaming? You can always challenge yourself with one

One of the key milestones on the Digital Journey starting with a Digital Strategy, Digital Transformation and then sustaining on Digital Innovation is the point where the enterprise reaches a point of data maturity powered by a single, organization wide, consistent version of the truth including the state of the customers and the state of the business and the state of the employees. This point is critical as it becomes the launchpad for several, forward looking initiatives including Artificial Intelligence, ChatBots, Blockchain etc. "Complete" A Complete version of the truth ensures that the following criteria is met: Entity Pivot The key entities that need to be tracked to generate a complete, comprehensive version of the truth are the following Employee Employees, regardless of customer facing or not, need to be understood including where they excel vs. struggle and where their struggle impact the customer experience. Key information about employees that should be tracked is what the employees are working on, how productive they are and how often they introduce delay and errors in business processes. Business Business visibility requires that the enterprise be able to track key metrics such as customer lifetime value, customer attribution, customer acquisition cost and customer satisfaction. In addition, the stage of the customer ranging from prospect to commit to paying customer to abandoned needs to be tracked. In addition, the customer's quality of service and experience needs to be tracked and understood. Customer The most critical of the three is the understanding of the customer. Customer KPIs have a direct impact on and are completely impacted by the Business and Employee KPIs. It is extremely important to understand how customers are searching for, discovering, learning, understanding, using and continuing to use the product and services delivered by the enterprise. In addition, it is important to understand what capabilities drive what kin

In the past decade, cell phone usage while driving has sprang up as a major driving safety issue in the United States and many other developed countries. Originally, teens were the primary target of anti-texting and driving campaigns, but now that cell phone usage is standard amongst a multitude of demographics, the issue has become more broad and is impacting a larger population. According to OSHA's page on Distracted Driving: The human toll is tragic. DOT reports that in 2009, more than 5,400 people died in crashes linked to distraction and thousands more were injured. "Texting while driving" has become such a prominent hazard that 30 states now ban text messaging for all drivers. OSHA - Distracted Driving From checking Facebook, to making phone calls, to checking in with friends and loved ones via text, cell phones have become distracting in the workplace as well, and many companies have, in recent years, implemented cell phone policies on usage to help to maintain productivity. Just like with regular driving, however, cell phones also present a safety risk to workers on the job, especially when machinery and vehicles are being used. In this blog post, we're going to cover various aspects of cell phone workplace safety with regard to work sites. Cell Phone Workplace Safety and Transportation Many of the most problematic workplace instances of cell phone distraction, just like in the rest of the world, come from those who are constantly driving. In your company, this might mean that a delivery truck driver gets distracted and hurts a worker on their way in or out of your warehouse, or it could mean that they injure a civilian or damage someone's property while out on a delivery. Either case you want to avoid, and with damage or injuries to outside parties, you have even less coverage (no worker's compensation, etc.) than if you had an incident contained to workers and company property. The best way to void these distractions are to set hard rul

Back pain and injuries account for some of the most reported and most serious common workplace injuries worldwide. In fact, you'd be hard-pressed to find a country whose labor department doesn't dedicate pages of literature to both employers and employees solely on this topic. Loss of work days and productivity, lifelong injuries and disabilities, and short term discomfort are all common results of lower back-related incidents. According to an OSHA fact sheet, More than one million workers suffer back injuries each year, and back injuries account for one of every five workplace injuries or illnesses. Further, one-fourth of all compensation indemnity claims involve back injuries, costing industry billions of dollars on top of the pain and suffering borne by employees. okstate.edu - OSHA Fact Sheet While employers have a responsibility to their workers to implement training programs that minimize injuries (and proactively improve the ergonomics of work-related tasks), employees also need to respect their own bodies and know their limits. This article will be broken up into several sections, each relating to specific aspect of lower back injuries in the workplace, with a primary focus on prevention. Anyone reading through should have a solid grasp on this all-too-common workplace plague by the end of their brief time here. Let's begin. Eliminate Back Injuries While we'll get to proper lifting technique and some employee-level suggestions in a minute, one of the best things employers can do is actually seek to eliminate lower back hazards from their workplace altogether; this is known as elimination - getting rid of risks period - and should be your first step in improving safety before moving on to prevention - mitigating risks that you and your workers have to live with in order for your business to function. Most lower back injuries are associated with lifting, and the most dangerous zones for humans are when lifted objects are below the knees or

One of the biggest hurdles to Digital Transformation and Digital Innovation is the organization's inertia and tendency to optimize for self-preservation. Self-preservation can exist in the enterprise at the individual, team, divisional or the organizational level and can have a devastating impact on the organization's ability to innovate and grow. Self-preservation is not a new phenomenon however, it is more deadly for an enterprise now than ever. This is because the speed of technology change has increased geometrically. In the past, self-preservation would automatically get corrected as the technology was generally learned and adopted slowly with enough time for the enterprise to become aware of the change and implement it. However, the rate of technology change has magnified tremendously and the enterprises no longer have the luxury to take their time with the change. Inaction risks getting left behind and other competitors who leverage and change faster stand to capture the largest market shares and customer mind share. Self preservation is the tendency of the enterprise to ignore, undermine or postpone the adoption and integration of new technology in the enterprise to avoid a change in the status quo across technology, products, services and most importantly, day to day operations and organizational structure. Self-preservation can lead to what is termed as "politics" in an org, it can stifle innovation and innovative individuals & teams and it can favor business driver stagnation over risk taking. 5 Signs of Self-Preservation The following are signs of self-preservation Highlighting the Journey of Innovation as Failure Adversarial teams and individuals within an enterprise who are interested in self-preservation often go out of their way to highlight the tough, risky journey of true innovation as a failure citing the cost and the time being taken to address the real problems in a truly innovative manner. While the individuals and teams trying to

Improving and Implementing Safety Lean Manufacturing Safety Lean ManufacturingWhen people look at facility improvement opportunities they often look at process improvement methodologies, such as Lean Manufacturing. Another thing that is commonly reviewed is facility safety improvements. In many cases, however, they don't see that using lean manufacturing techniques can often also provide safety improvements. Thinking about safety lean manufacturing will allow you to make improvements throughout your facility in a way that will not only reduce waste and increase profitability, but also help improve safety at the same time. The following are five examples of how lean can directly improve safety within your facility. According to DesignSafe's document on, Integrating Safety and Lean Manufacturing Safety must not be viewed as a separate activity that is a non value-added effort with objectives contrary to lean concepts. Elimination of waste can also be interpreted as the elimination or minimization of risk that adversely affects wasted human resources and lost time from injuries. Lean imperatives of faster, better, and cheaper must encompass the issue of running safer as well. Safety Lean Manufacturing - Top 5 ways to Combine Them 1. Eliminate Overproduction to Reduce Unnecessary Interaction with Machines Safety Lean Manufacturing OverproductionOne important focus for lean manufacturing is the elimination of over production. While this is mainly done to help eliminate waste, it will also make for a safer facility because people won't be working on the machines as much. Any interaction with the machine is an opportunity for an accident, so this is a good move for safety too. Look also at the fact that when people are spending more hours working at a machine, they are likely to be more fatigued, which increases the risk for accidents and injuries. 2. Listening to Employees Improvement Ideas One of the trademarks of a good lean manufacturing program is t

Today construction is synonymous with progress and development and hence it is a very common sight to see a number of construction works going on in different regions around the world. Especially in cities where large numbers of sky rises are seen, a lot of activity in the area surrounding the construction site is evident. But to maintain a safety circle around such areas where constructions take place, it is important to cordon off the area so that the public is not inconvenienced by the work going on there. Moreover, in cities, the roads are usually filled with traffic and such construction sites do cause plenty of problems to the smooth movement of vehicles. This is the reason why there are stringent rules in place regarding cordoning off areas, such as construction sites that can be hazardous to the traffic as well as the public on the road. This is why warning tapes are important in construction sites as they help to maintain the precautions needed for safety and protection to the public as well as the traffic on the road. Moreover, with the right kind of messaged printed on them they can be used as a very effective barricade. A variety of safety equipment should be put in place in any constriction site irrespective of the type and size of construction it is. Some of the equipment is meant for the workers involved in the construction while some of the others are to protect the people in the vicinity of the construction site. One such tool that is of utmost importance and mandatory to any construction site is the warning tapes. These tapes also known as danger tapes help in the protection of trespassers, the people walking nearby and the traffic that passes by the site. High visibility, weather friendly and brightly colored, the warning tapes have helped to alleviate the occurrence of accidents and disasters around the construction sites to a great extent. The warning tapes are made of a variety of materials and are available in a standardized set of colors.

There are many areas in life in which we employ little tactics to help improve safety. For instance, we wear our seat belts to help stay safe while traveling in a vehicle and we also make sure our shoes are tied so we don't trip and fall while out and about. These safety actions are almost automatic as many people don't even have to think about doing them, they just happen out of pure habit. Not only do these little safety practices help to keep us safe, but they also add to the safety as others as well. For instance, if a person working in a warehouse is walking around with untied shoes, he or she could slip and fall and essentially bump into and take down another employee as well. Safety practices when done correctly really have an impact on almost everyone, especially in the workplace. There are many different small safety practices or items that can be done or utilized to help greatly improve the safety for everyone. It is important to remember that safety isn't always expensive. Sometimes safety is just about keeping a shoe tied, or hair pulled back. Here are some safety tips that won't break the safety bank: · Training - This one is my favorite. The truth is, we can add all the PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) we want but it won't really mean much unless the employees have been properly trained about safety. Employee training should always be the first line of defense against workplace hazards. Furthermore, training is cheap and can often times be 100% handled right in house. · Add Some Gloves - It is estimated that nearly 25% of workplace injuries involve the hands and fingers. Avoid this type of injury through the utilization of proper safety gloves. Gloves are effective as they provide a barrier between the hand and harmful elements such as chemicals, high temperatures, and items which may cause cuts or lacerations. Gloves are very cost-effective and are often an easy practice to implement. · Goggles aren't just for Swimming - I

Introduction It's the end of the day. You get home from work, sit down on your couch, and begin to relax. In this process, you may turn to music as a way to help you relax and forget the stresses of daily life. The best kind of music for this? Classical instrumental music, of course! But there's one small problem: how do you find classical music? After all, classical music isn't as popular as pop, hip hop, and rock, making it semi-difficult to find classical music, especially if your taste involves more obscure pieces. The journey to find such pieces can be difficult, which is why I want to help you by telling you the best sites and streaming services to find-and listen to-classical music. So, without further ado, let's jump right into it! The 5 Best Sites for Classical Music YouTube What kind of list would this be if I neglected to mention one of, if not the most popular website in the world, YouTube. Ever since it's inception in 2005, the site's displayed steady growth, allowing billions of people to find enjoyment and joy on the Internet. And with YouTube being one of the biggest sites in the world, it only makes sense to have a section of the website dedicated to music. This section, aptly named YouTube Music, contains any kind of music for any kind of listener. This includes classic instrumental music. Trust me when I say, there is plenty of classical music for you to listen to, from the most popular composers to the more obscure composers. Spotify Next up, we have Spotify, a titan of the streaming industry. While Spotify doesn't allow the streaming of videos, no service besides Apple Music can compete with its catalog of music, including classical instrumental music. Spotify is especially great for people who like all kinds of genres, and its cheap subscription price gives little reason to not at least consider using the service. As a matter of fact, I think there's a free monthly trial. Wouldn't hurt to give it a spin! Only thing that may give you trou

MedCab: Best and Fastest 24/7 Ambulance Service in Kaiserbagh, Lucknow MedCab offers the most reliable 24 hours ambulance service in Kaiserbagh, Lucknow. We are the most reliable ambulance service, due to our quick and 24 hours availability. As we offer a range of expert medical services, MedCab is considered to be the top ambulance choice in Kaiserbagh. Kaiserbagh, also known as Qaisarbagh, is a prominent historical location in Lucknow. The place is rich in history, particularly as it is the location of the Chhatar Manzil Palace. The Chhatar Manzil is also known as the Umbrella Palace of Qaiserbagh due to the umbrella-shaped domes of the Palace. The Chhatar Manzil served as the residence of the rulers of Awadh and had a unique European and Indian mixed architecture. Besides the historical Chhatar Manzil Palace, Kaiserbagh is also an excellent residential location. Kaiserbagh has a number of markets and also good schools, such as the Emma Thompson School. There are also some good hospitals around the location, such as the Nishat Hospital and Research Centre Private Limited and the Balrampur Hospital. MedCab provides 24 hours ambulance services to all of these hospitals as well as other hospitals in the city. MedCab offers urgent transportation and our ambulance drivers are trained at ensuring the patient reaches the location as fast as possible. Also, we offer air ambulance services in case the patient needs quick transportation to another city, such as Delhi or Bangalore. This reflects the versatility of MedCab's online ambulance booking services.

Digital Transformation is tough, even for seasoned technologists. This is because it is a transformation of an organization at its core. Everything from culture, technology, ideation, development, integration, delivery, and support needs to fundamentally shift to be more customer-centric, service driven, automation first and experimental in nature. No wonder that a lot of organizations take a long time and a lot of investment to see ROI from their digital transformations. Here are 5 signs that your digital transformation might be in trouble. Culture mistrusts the core digital transformation team You are spawning new initiatives before completing previous ones Decisions are top down with low accountability at the leaf nodes You tend to focus on technology stacks with little focus on customer value Inter-organization politics stifles cross-organization scenarios Culture mistrusts the core digital transformation team It is almost impossible to make an entire organization aware and participate in digital transformation at the same time. There are exceptions but in our experience, starting out with a core digital transformation team is a much better strategy than otherwise. This team should be enabled to attack a limited set of important and business relevant problems, build cutting-edge solutions and use them as examples to train and evangelize digital transformation strategies to the rest of the organization. However, the more entrenched an organization in the old way of doing things, the harder they might this central team. Resistance can be active and passive such as refusal to share data or provide the relevant context of the problem. An organization that does not set up the early crusaders for success almost always has a much harder time showing value from their digital transformation activities. You are spawning new initiatives before completing previous ones Executing on a digital transformation strategy is much harder than defining the strategy especially fo

Enterprises have to constantly decide, at every step in their digital journey, should they build or buy. This question often is posed as a critical, do or die decision and the answer varies on a case by case basis. Building can be expensive, take longer but offers future proofing and more dependability whereas buying offers a faster time to market, less risk and accountability forced through contractual terms. However, a key point often overlooked is the cost of integration. Integration can be required at multiple levels. Vendor Applications Vendor applications typically require a two-way connection between the enterprise systems and the vendor application. The application requires incoming data and information from somewhere in the enterprise technology stack and an output stream of information back into the enterprise at one or more points in the stack or workflow. Vendor Platforms Vendor provided platforms typically have similar integration requirements as Vendor applications requiring an incoming data & information connection and an outgoing information connection into the enterprise process, workflow, platform or product. Application-To-Application Application to Application integrations where an application needs to be connected to another application to either provide data or signals to enable the downstream application to create value can be seemingly deceptive. Application-To-Application integration costs can grow at O(n^2) as potentially, worst case, each application could be connected with every other application. Enterprise Stack Fragmentation The problem of integration is exacerbated by the fragmentation of the enterprise at the organization level. This problem is also known as "Shadow IT" is driven by superficially differing needs of multiple lines of businesses in an enterprise. Shadow IT typically leads to multiple instances of similar technology stacks that cause data, compute and information to be silo'd. Stack fragmentation and its

Confined Space Entry Permits - Safety Guidelines Hidden In The Cracks Dangerous, confined spaces are the stuff of horror films and cringe-worthy moments on screen, and there's a reason. Depictions of people trapped in a confined space not only play on a natural human tendency toward claustrophobia, but they also reflect a very real danger in the workplace. As such, OSHA has implemented a system of "confined space entry permits," hoping to help increase worker awareness and avoid common types of injury and death associated with working in a confined space. In this blog post, we'll cover everything from the definition of a confined space, to the details of a fully developed entry permit system. What Is A Confined Space? While the question may seem elementary, OSHA does adhere to strict definitions for confined spaces; this is important to know as a safety professional, as you'll need to be aware of which spaces require you to adhere to OSHA protocol and which don't. Basically, a confined space has to be a place that's large enough for a person to work and perform their job within, but is not intended for long term occupancy by workers. The third and final criteria is that the space has limited means of entry and exit. In short, the space is a place that someone can fit and work in for a limited time, but which impairs mobility and might be difficult to enter and, more importantly, exit quickly. What Is A Confined Space Entry Permit? Sometimes, confined spaces have additional potential risks and hazards that go above and beyond just their shape and size. In these cases, OSHA requires that permits are filed before a worker enters the space. Here are OSHA's additional criteria that indicate the necessity of a permit: The space contains or could contain a hazardous atmosphere The space is comprised of or contains a material that could engulf a worker who enters. The space has any kind of "internal configuration" that might present an additiona

A swimming pool is a very good addition to any home as they add luxury and a place to cool off during hot sunny days. You should note, however, that swimming pools are just as dangerous as they are fun if the proper safety supplies are not implemented during use. One can easily drown in a swimming pool if you are not careful enough to follow good guidelines such as not swimming alone, and not diving headfirst into any pools that are not extremely deep and allow for diving. This holds especially true if you are not a good swimmer. You should therefore make sure to have safety products and supplies on hand at all times when using swimming pools. It is also wise to ensure that there is some form of supervision when the pool is being utilized. You can employ the services of a professional life guard or have a grown up look after children who are using the pool. You should note that the life guard should also implement the use of safety products and supplies irrespective of how good they are at swimming. Safety supplies for swimming pools start with exterior elements that ensure the pool is safe for use. You can start by putting up a fence and gate. Such steps to ensure the safety of small children who might wander into the vicinity of the pool is especially important. As well, safety supplies are very effective in restricting access into the swimming pool for others who might not appreciate the dangers. This will ensure that unauthorized persons who are not well experienced in swimming can not access the pool without authorization. You can also opt to put a cover over your pool. This will ensure that your pool is not contaminated by debris. It also prevents people from falling into the pool when it is not in use. Other safety supplies include floatation devices. Floatation devices can either be worn or used separately, such as when one holds onto the device and/or lays atop of the floatation device. Floatation devices come in very many shapes and sizes all dependin

Signs are everywhere! Whether you are shopping in a large mall, visiting a zoo, or simply driving in your car, there are signs helping to guide you along your visit or journey. However, one place that signs are highly utilized is within the workplace, especially within industrial work environments. With all the safety hazards possible in different types of jobsites, appropriate workplace signs are a must to help ensure safety. View our "10 Tips For Safety Signage Part 1" Slideshare Presentation Common Signs in the Workplace Signs can convey all sorts of messages from helpful directional arrows guiding employees and visitors to a specific location all the way to urgent, danger zone messages that require people to stop and use extreme caution. Let's discuss some of the most common types of workplace signage. Restriction Signs - These signs often refer to restricted areas or zones, restricted speeds for forklifts, or restricted weight amounts. When a restricted sign is used there are often certain limits in place. Danger Signs - Signs that warn employees of danger are often high-contrast and feature the colors of black, white, and red. These signs can warn of electrical shocks, toxic materials, or any other dangerous situation. Fire Signs - This type of signage is usually white and red and can either warn employees about fire hazards or provide information on where fire safety equipment can be found. Mandatory Signs - Mandatory signs are signs requiring that certain precautions be taken before entering or utilizing an area or piece of equipment. Some mandatory signs may require employees to wear certain protective clothing before entering. Hazard Signs - Often times these signs feature the colors yellow and black. Hazard signs warn employees and visitors of potential hazards in the area. Hazard signs may warn about forklift traffic, slippery floors, or radiation risks, among many other things. Guide Signs - This type of signage is often used

Lean manufacturing is a method used in factories to enhance productivity. As part of lean manufacturing, 5S strategies are quite common sense and you would expect the posters to be easily accepted in an organization. However, it is not that easy to change working habits. As a result, factory managers may decide to use lean posters to make the employees understand the need for lean practices. What is 5S? This is a strategy from the Japanese that stands for Sort, Systematically Organize, Shine, Standardize and Sustain. For a successful lean program in any organization, the management must make sure that all stakeholders understand the process. The best way of educating people about lean practices is through lean posters. After the workers have adopted the practice, the posters act as reminders as well. There are many types of lean posters that management can use in factories. These posters are very essential for reminding everybody about the 5S program. Let us look at some of these posters. Management may use strategic lean posters with the aim of encouraging the workers to work towards a common goal. These posters mainly focus on employee behavior; how to change it for the better. For the best results, it is important for management to align such posters with the organization culture. Do you have programs or initiatives that the poster is promoting? If not, you might as well not bother because the poster may not benefit you much. Posters can also be used to motivate the workers as they continue with their duties. These types of posters have been around for many years, and they are quite effective. However, the effectiveness of such posters depends on whether they are relevant to the people. For a factory that is implementing lean practices, using lean posters is a cost-effective way of educating the workers and reminding them of the firm's commitment to reach its goals.

Enterprises across the board have a lot of untapped potential in their data. The data is not only relevant and useful within the enterprise but can be a valuable source of insights for the enterprise partners and customers. In some cases, the value of this data can be high that partners and customers are willing to pay extra to get access to this information at a certain fidelity, freshness or scope. Enterprises that do not have a clear and coherent monetization strategy are leaving money on the table. In addition, they stand to lose customers to competitors who gain the first movers advantage by addressing this market need. The Value of Data The first step in determining a monetization strategy is an audit of the enterprise data assets and a determination of the customers who are interesting and willing to pay a premium for access to this data. The Value of Data is proportional to the following: Freshness The more "fresh" a dataset is higher its value typically. This is because there is an advantage in the early visibility provided by first access to new information. 'Freshness' is defined the latency between the creation of data and the delivery of the data to the consumer. Consumers of data will pay a premium for fresh data if it fits into their decision and action strategy. Fidelity Higher the "fidelity" of data i.e. how much detail a particular data point carries also increases the value of the data in the eyes of the data consumer. Higher fidelity data offers more information and detail enabling the consumer to design highly valuable analysis that leverages the additional details offering a deeper insight into the situation at the present or historically. Raw The more "raw" a data set, higher its value as it can support a much larger set of analysis scenarios that a processed data set could support. Data sets that are aggregated, sampled, filtered or transformed can have a lower value as they can severely limit the type of analysis. Raw

One of the top reasons for digital innovation and transformation failures can be summarized as the enterprise trying to reinvent the wheel. This is the tendency of the enterprise to attempt to create technology, platforms, and applications that have already been implemented, scaled, optimized and almost perfected. This tendency almost always ends up a failed one as it does not create any net new value for the enterprise but comes with a massive opportunity cost as the enterprise spends crucial resources on reinventing the wheel than innovating for the customer. How The Wheel Is Reinvented Nontechnology enterprises can get trapped in a reinvent state where they conclude that homegrown technology is the only path towards customer and business value. This in itself is not entirely false however the type of enterprise and their decision-making process along with the capabilities they have in house have a very large impact on the success of the strategy.eRaaadada Reinventing the wheel happens when a non-tech enterprise discovers a technology trend towards much later in the hype cycle almost towards the end when the technology is hitting the mass market and decides to recreate or reinvent its own version of the technology. This is often done with the assumption that with some investment, the enterprise can have a home grown version of technology or platform that is designed specifically for its needs and is thus a better fit. However, enterprises assume that the state of the technology will remain constant and while they are attempting to home grow a version that can match the current state of the art. In reality, the state of the art shifts and the enterprise is not able to bridge the gap. Who Reinvents The Wheel Typically, technology teams often decide to go down the path of reinvention when they are allowed to make technology upgrade or technology creation decisions without business KPIs and cost constraints i.e. clear success criteria with fixed cost and clear ti

GHS Label Information When it comes to labels, few are better known than the GHS labels (even if people don't always realize that is what they are called). GHS, or the Globally Harmonized System, is an international set of standards that are agreed upon to help ensure people from across many industries and around the world are all using universally recognized standards. This includes standards when it comes to the classification and labeling systems used for dangerous chemicals. The GHS labeling standards are used by regulatory agencies as well, including OSHA. While GHS is not itself a legal regulatory agency, most companies are required to follow their standards in this area because of the fact that their standards are adopted by governmental bodies. Common GHS Terms Whether reading GHS labels or making them, it is important to be aware of some terms that are commonly used. SDS - Safety data sheets are required to go along with most GHS labels. These data sheets can provide more detailed information about chemicals and other potentially hazardous materials. Class - Different types of hazards are broken up into different classes. Gasses that are under pressure would be one class. Acids could be another, just to give some examples. Hazard Groups - Hazardous materials are broken down into three groups, environmental, physical and health. Hazard Statement - Hazard statements are standardized to describe specific hazards. These statements give brief but essential pieces of information about the items being labeled. Precautionary Statement - This is a statement that provides instructions on how to avoid dangers when working with these materials. Signal Words - Signal words are DANGER and WARNING. Danger is to indicate a higher level of risk, while warning is for when there is a potential for harm but it is not quite as serious. Pictogram - Pictograms are the visual representation of specific risks. Typically they will just be a black image that is ea

Lean Six Sigma for Non Profits We always like to hear about people applying business methodologies and mechanics in arguably unorthodox ways or markets, and today I stumbled across a LinkedIn discussion that happens to exemplify exactly that sentiment. User William Falquero seemed to be onto something interesting as he posed a question for other professionals: Could non-profit organizations benefit from Lean Six Sigma thinking? If so, how would they be implemented, what would the challenges of this sort of endeavor be? Only a few users jumped in right off the bat, but, lucky for our purposes today, they were some critical thinkers with some useful insight and examples to offer up. Today, we're going to take an in-depth look at the use of Lean and Six Sigma thinking and tools within non-profit and charity organizations. Are Charities Good Candidates for Lean? One of the first and most important things to establish when considering implementation of Lean in any company or organization is to figure out how they could benefit from the systems. In the case of charities, one user points out that room for improvement from Lean is readily apparent simply in the mindsets of the people who work at them: "The sweat and tears the non-profit workers and volunteers shed and the effort they put forward is focused on those they serve, with less thought on HOW they are served" This is what Richard Petty had to say of an organization he actually had the experience of implementing Six Sigma with. One thing he goes on to highlight and elaborate on is the fact that many volunteers and non-profit workers are so focused on those they want to help that they may get blinded as to the mechanisms that can take them there (and these are the places opportunities for improvement present themselves). Even in other more traditional workplaces, we see this sort of "tunnel vision" as fairly common: It can be hard to get workers to take a step back from the endgame results they're