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An arc flash is a dangerous situation in which an electrical current leaves its intended path and leaps through the air from one conducting source to another, or even sometimes the ground. Many times the transfer of electrical energy resembles and arc, hence the term arc flash. However, it is important to never underestimate the power behind an arc flash. An arc flash can vaporize metals, plastics, and even flesh. Many times arc flashes cause irreversible damage and harm to people and surrounding objects. In fact, most people injured in arc flash situations often never return to the same quality of life due to severe injury stemming from heat and burns. The heat of an arc flash has been calculated to be near 35,000 degrees Fahrenheit which is four times as hot as the sun's surface! What Causes an Arc Flash? There are many possible contributors towards an arc flash, which makes it difficult to really fully stop one from occurring. Some common culprits that may add towards the probability of an arc flash include dust, condensation, corrosion, material failure, faulty construction, dropping a tool, or simply accidental touching. National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Boundaries In an attempt to help protect employees and visitors from electrically charged equipment possible of creating arch flashes, certain safety boundaries have been put into place by the NFPA. The boundary resembles a target and in the middle is the energized equipment, and then there are four outer rings around the center with each ring labeled and specified for safety. The first ring, closest to the center (energized equipment) is called the prohibited approach boundary, then the next ring further out is called the restricted approach boundary, the next ring is called the limited approach boundary, and the furthest ring out from the center is called the flash protection boundary. Let's quickly describe each boundary. Prohibited Approach: Being within this boundary during an arc flash

The safety of employee's remains one of the top priorities of many businesses. Without clearly defined safety guidelines, the health and wellbeing of employees is at risk. In order to ensure that employers provide the protection necessary, OSHA provides the guidelines needed to develop a safety plan. Many states have enacted their own rules for safety plans; in fact at least 24 states have enacted their own state mandated safety plans. Furthermore, many businesses choose to turn their safety plans into one detailed safety manual that can be utilized by employees in nearly any work position. Reasons for an OSHA Safety Plan OSHA safety plans are written documents that outline the processes and procedures to help avoid health hazards and injuries, as well as identify the proper steps that should be taken if an accident does occur. This is especially important when it comes to hazardous work environments such as construction sites, factories, mining caves, and long shoring. For example, when a new construction project is being started, an OSHA safety plan will be implemented. First, the employer will need to thoroughly assess the project site for potential health hazards. Each hazard should be accounted for. Once the hazards have been identified, remedies should be sought or provided to either lessen or remove the hazard completely. When looking to reduce a hazard, steps such as providing personal protective equipment or using a special type of safety scaffolding for employees working at heights of more than 6 feet should be implemented.

When running any sort of physical production based business, you will often have stock on hand. Instead of only stocking for a short time, there will be a "backup" supply of products that can be called upon as demand changes. This is known as "just in case" manufacturing and is highly common in most industries. However, several decades ago, the rise of lean business gave way to the concept of "just in time" manufacturing. In a just in time, or JIT, system, products are made as they are demanded and there is little to (ideally) no back-stock at any time. Why go lean? The idea behind JIT manufacturing is that one can eliminate several kinds of waste by taking away the need to keep inventory of excess stock. From now on, equate "stock" to "excess stock" or the concept of having too much on hand, because in a JIT environment "stock" doesn't really exist outside of individual orders. When you don't have to keep inventory, employees free up their time for other projects and tasks. Also, you have less paperwork to manage, and can focus on other things, like workplace safety, new profitability angles and marketing strategies, etc. Another reason to go to a JIT model is that you increase accountability of management. Because you have no inventory to fall back on in a JIT situation, inventory cannot be used as a crutch to make up for other problems. Slow, inefficient production is often masked by a stockpile of inventory, making it harder to realize certain areas of production may need improvement - these may include machine functionality, worker habits, reliability, and inadequate space management. Another huge place you save by adopting this method is in transportation. Materials do not need to be stocked at various sites and you need to do much less transporting. You will eliminate time wasted in transit when there is traffic or road congestion, and you'll even be more environmentally friendly by reducing fuel burned for shipping purposes

When shopping for industrial label printers, it is important to find one that is reliable, produces high quality labels and signs, and can keep up with the demand of the facility. Bepop printers excel in all three of these categories, and many others. When evaluated in real working conditions, it is easy to see that these printers will meet or exceed the requirements of even the most demanding situations. There are multiple models created by Bepop, such as the CPM-100G3U and the CPM-200GU. Each one is designed to print, and cut labels for use in virtually any situation. Reliable Printing Bepop printing and cutting machines are manufactured by MAX®. This is a company with a lot of experience building printers that can stand up to the toughest conditions, and their Bepop line is certainly no exception. While it is always best to keep printers as clean and safe as possible, Bepop printers have been tested extensively in dirty and difficult conditions. They can continuously print out great labels and signs in almost any type of environment.

If you are planning on purchasing an industrial-grade thermal label printer, you need to weigh several factors. Let's face it, these kind of machines are not cheap-they aren't like the flimsy ones that folks buy to make organizational labels for their home, or for scrapbooking-these are commercial level equipment, and they're designed to hold up to all the rigors of an industrial operation. Pipe Marking Labels So, with that in mind, here are the top 6 factors you should consider before you buy an industrial label maker: 1. Purpose: First off, what do you need to make heavy-duty labels for? Sure, these types of printers can make funny bumper stickers with a catchy slogan on it-but what do you REALLY need it for? Common uses for these are for making lots and lots of pipe markers, arc flash labels, and NFPA 704 "diamond" signs. They're also great for making safety slogans, caution and warning signs, 5S, lean, kaizen, and traffic marking stickers. Depending on how many you need, you might need to use it every day, or for sporadic printings throughout the year. These printers are great, because most of them can print on label tape up to 4 inches wide, and can spit labels out much quicker than those store-bought consumer ones. They can also take the heat and tougher environments of factories and warehouses. 2. Durability: Modern label makers are nearly flawless at their job. They use thermal transfer ribbons and heat seal the text or graphics from the ribbon to a compatible thermal label. This allows for a product that will last for many years before seeing much physical degradation or fading. They are water-resistant and even resist chemical wear. 3. Ease of Use: Many label makers come with their own proprietary software, but I would recommend buying a label maker that can be used with any kind of word processing software or even programs like Photoshop. This way, if you have a change in employees, move offices, or just plain lose the or

By Michelle Graham on February 9, 2017 Approaching an Infertility problem needs to be met in a series of steps. If we look to nature to discover why infertility prevails in populations we find an increase in infertility when there is a famine of sufficient nutrients for that population. The birth rate goes down dramatically in response to the lack of sufficient nutrient resources in the environment. This is a natural response to preserve the strength of each species. Lack of essential nutrients ultimately contributes to birth defects, so Nature protects the species by preventing reproduction until the nutrient deficiency has been addressed.

Sentiment, Sentiment Analysis, Sentiment Tracking have become a hot topic with multiple 'AI' startups focussing on providing sentiment driven insights to enterprises. The number of such startups points to the potential that enterprises see in Sentiment analysis and the impact it has on how the enterprise plans, operates, executes and delivers value. Sentiment Analysis is process of extracting sentiment (emotion or feelings) captured in signals that are embedded in various types of media such as print, text, audio, video, images etc. For example, if a reporter submits a report on a particular enterprise, the sentiment embedded in the article can point to how excited, worried, upbeat or impassive they might are about the enterprise. This sentiment can be then used by the enterprise to understand the perception about the enterprise that the external market carries and whether that perception is improving, degrading or staying unchanged. This insight can be used by the enterprise to improve their go to market plans, change their PR strategy or even go deeper and change their product strategy. Sentiment Analysis Is Not New The tracking, measurement and use of Sentiment is not a new scenario. Enterprises have been leveraging the output of sentiment analysis for a long time. User surveys, focus groups, market research, customer interviews etc. are all examples of generating data to perform and track sentiment. Similarly, influencer marketing through association with influencers or events or organizations with a certain perception or sentiment associated with them is a common technique to improve the enterprise's own sentiment. Sentiment Analysis and strategizing based on the analysis is a common and required function for any enterprise. Sentiment Analysis Using Artificial Intelligence With the advent of Artificial Intelligence (AI), enterprises now have another technique in their kitty to understand how they are perceived in the market and how that perception i

For many enterprises, transforming into a digital organization is a very big priority. Digitization is more than a passing fad; instead it almost is a precursor to survival in the next decade. Analog mechanisms of running businesses are no longer sustainable nor likely to give confidence to customers, employees, stakeholders and shareholders. Measuring Digital A digital organization is characterized by the following Time to Customer Insight The Time to Customer Insight in a digital organization is the time it takes to collect, process, analyze information to determine the health of a customer, their satisfaction with current products and services, their unmet, possibly unstated needs and the impact that external market events might have on the customer. Time to Reaction Time to Reaction is the time taken to react to a customer insight through the introduction of a new product/service to solve an existing or a new problem or through better packaging of existing solutions to address otherwise existing problems. Time to Market Time to Market is the time taken to bring a new capability, product or service to market often as reaction to a customer or market insight or feedback Time to Iteration Time to Iteration is the time taken to solicit, gather, process, analyze customer feedback and effect a change in existing products or services or bring new products and services to market to address the customer feedback. Digital Organizations Digital organizations are characterized with minimal Time to Customer Insight, Time to Reaction, Time to Market, Time to Iteration and a constant effort and investment into further optimizing and minimizing these metrics. Digital organizations focus on the flow of information through the organization and use of the information to generate and deliver more value for the customers. Key Characteristics of Digital Organizations Instrumentation of Interfaces, Products, Systems, Applications, Processes A digital organization ensures

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

3-D printers, the article explains, can make prototyping and customizing easier, which creates a less wasteful manufacturing environment. Additional benefits of 3-D printers are they can increase the consistency of products and ultimately lead to lower prices.

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

Large scale industrial units are devilishly hard to manage. There are hundreds of employees working under an establishment and the number of equipment, tools and machine components used are countless. If the tools and equipment are not categorized and stored systematically, then a lot of time is wasted in finding the appropriate tool or machine component before starting any job. To minimize this waste of time, the tools, equipment and different machine components are kept on different racks, which are categorized by rack labels. The labels distinguish the racks from each other and tell the employees what is stored in which rack. This article is going to discuss the need of getting the racks labeled, and the different types of rack labels available in the market. There are different types of rack labels available in the market such as the polyester warehouse label, multi level rack warehouse signs, magnetic warehouse labels, cold storage labels, cold storage rack placards, cover-up labels. These different varieties of labels are used for different types of storage units. Let us discuss in depth the different types of rack labels. The polyester warehouse labels are the toughest labels in terms of the physical abuse, shocks and harsh industrial conditions, they are withstood. These levels are better than the paper labels because they are tear resistant. There is a polyester film over the labels which protect the text from chemicals and abrasion. The adhesive used on the polyester labels help in creating strong bonds over any kind of surface. The labels are available in all kinds of custom sizes and shapes. The multi level rack warehouse signs are designed to get rid of the requirement to have long range scanners as they help in identifying multiple rack labels with one single label, which contains information about all the racks. The magnetic warehouse labels come handy when the labels are needed to be relocated over and over again. The labels are provided with mag

Even though pipe marking is an essential practice when it comes to safety in any facility with exposed pipes, this practice is often undervalued and sometimes even overlooked by employers. Why? Well, it could be due to a lack of time to pipe mark or it may even be that they don't have the correct supplies to engage in pipe marking, however in many cases, it is often both of those reasons combined with a lack of knowledge concerning appropriate pipe marking. Why is Pipe Marking so Important? ANSI Makes it Easy! Instead of having each and every industrial work environment utilize different methods and rules for pipe marking, ANSI has made it quite simple by providing a set of pipe marking standards which should be in place within every facility which features exposed piping. Let's break down these standards into some smaller, bite size pieces. Color Coding: The color coding of pipes just makes visual acuity of pipes and their contents a little less complicated. According to ANSI the following colors should be used to indicate the contents. Workplace Organization Guide

Workplace practices for keeping employees safe and improving the safety of their environments has improved vastly over the past century. While part of this improvement comes, without a doubt, from the vast leaps in technology. An equally important piece of the puzzle comes from what we've learned from experience. For the most part, processes that don't work get phased out while those that do get brought conveniently to the forefront of publications and articles to help industries constantly re-invent and improve their "best practices" for safety. One system we're glad to see making its exit in recent years, is the "simple" safety system, in which safety statistics and decisions are based almost exclusively on the opinions of management and the actual reported accidents and injuries that occur on the job. While the latter part of that system can provide useful data, it is reactionary rather than preventative, and requires someone to get injured or property to get damaged before corrective measures are taken.

To those who are used to a warehouse environment, walking through the maze and sorting out the various items safely might sound like a walk in the pack. To the visitors or new employees it is a different story altogether. Huge warehouses can be quite complicated especially with the various equipment's and different chemicals everywhere. There is hence a need for vigilance to ensure all the relevant people are informed on how the operations within the premises are run. Safety Safety within the warehouse is vital if the basic objective of an organization is to be achieved. It is imperative that the employees and any visitors feel safe within the workplace precincts. Warehouse signs can play an important role in this. Warehouses can be dens of danger if there are no adequate safety measures in place. Studies have shown that hundreds of workers die every year from work related injuries. These can result from; electrical faults, contact with hazardous chemicals, tripping from a slippery floor, a blast from explosives or from a forklift gone wrong. The hazards are many and so are the solutions. There are tens of stipulations on how employees' safety can be safeguarded but the most important of them is through the use of signs. Labeling of the various hazard areas can go a long way in ensuring that employees and visitors are adequately informed of the lurking dangers and appropriately informed on the precautionary measures to take. Effective signs The key purpose of signs is to inform or convey a specific message to another individual or individuals. Warehouse signs serve the same purpose and ensure that employees are well informed of what they are expected to do. To achieve this hence these signs should be well designed and written. The message to be conveyed should be clear with no room for ambiguity. The signs should be written in a language that is easily understandable to all without discrimination. If English is used, it is important to use another common lan

Our recent webinar for training on Youngevity's newest business acquisition Nature Direct talked about the importance of choosing environmentally friendly household cleaning products. Jeanette AndersonNature Direct environmentally friendly home cleaning products, the co-founder of Nature Direct explained the points of difference with Nature Direct products, and some basic items every household needs to have to keep their home environment safe for the whole family. read more...

Pandemic & Natural Flu Prevention with Simple Daily Habits The current Coronavirus Pandemic sweeping the world is causing all of us to look at our daily habits. Most of the focus has been on hand sanitation, covering your mouth if you cough or sneeze, and keeping your distance from people who may be at risk of spreading the virus. However, a more prudent action to take would be to look at the daily habits you have in place which could protect you long term from being in the high risk group of most likely to suffer severe consequences from contracting a virus such as COVID-19. Rather than resort to waiting for an immunization to emerge, you could start now to adopt daily habits that support natural pandemic and flu prevention. This high risk group comprises people over the age of 60 who are immune compromised and/or have an underlying health condition that makes them more susceptible to disease and death from that disease. Unfortunately, the health of our population as a whole has been declining for many years now. Have a look at some of the statistics: From 1990 to 2013 there was a 141% increase in deaths from Heart Disease. From 1996 to 2009 there was a 145% increase n people suffering from Asthma From 1999 to 2015 there was a 150% increase in Inflammatory Bowel Disease From 1990 to 2015 there was a 250% increase in Epilepsy From 1999 to 2010 there was a 300% increase in Diabetes From 1996 to 2018 300% more births required fertility treatments. From 1991 to 2015 there were 783% more deaths from Alzheimer's Disease From 1990 to 2018 there was a 4,200% increase in Autism Common diseases are now increasing at epidemic rates, but none of this is hitting the headlines of our mainstream media! What could be causing this massive decline in our population's health, and therefore making us more vulnerable to pandemics like COVID-19 and seasonal flu viruses? Nutrient Deficiency Diseasesmineral-defiency-deseases-and nutrient deficiencyDr Wallach has been saying for man

Entirely Plastic-Free Stainless Steel Vacuum Insulated Fitness Bottle $29.95 The plastic-free water bottle is made of durable and high quality stainless steel to last you many years of enjoyment. It is extra special because its entire interior and exterior are plastic-free, even the interior of the lid! PLASTIC-FREE ALTERNATIVE TO SINGLE-USE BOTTLES The Vacuum Insulated Stainless Steel Bottle is a plastic-free water bottle created as an alternative to the plethora of single-use bottles. Aside from creating waste, disposable plastic water bottles may leach microplastics and antimony trioxide, a possible carcinogen, so why take the chance if we can avoid it. MADE OF DURABLE STAINLESS STEEL This plastic-free water bottle is made of durable and high quality stainless steel to last you many years of enjoyment. It is extra special because its entire interior and exterior are plastic-free, even the interior of the lid! There is only a small food safe silicone ring in the rim of the lid to ensure an airtight seal. Beyond the safety aspects of keeping plastic out of bottles, this bottle won't absorb or impart flavors the way plastic might. VACUUM INSULATED DESIGN TO KEEP REFRESHMENTS COLD OR HOT This stainless steel bottle is insulated to keep your refreshments cold when you need them or hot for your tea, coffee or chocolate drink. The plastic-free, vacuum insulated, and stainless steel design make this water bottle a zero waste multi-purpose bottle! Additional information Dimensions: Height with the cap: 9.6″ Diameter at base: 3.15″ Materials: 18-8 (304) food grade stainless steel with a small food grade silicone ring in the lid. Health and Environment: BPA-free, phthalate-free. Packaging: Recyclable cardboard box.

Designed with a built-in wooden toggle and cotton rope lock that allows you to roll the whole bag into a portable little bundle, The reusable shopping bag features a flat bottom, making it perfect for bulk shopping and stacking purchases. This heavy-duty cotton reusable shopping bag has not been treated with any chemicals and is Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) certified. GOTS is the highest standard for textiles made from organic fibers. Additional Information Dimensions: Open: 18″ x 16″ Folded: 7″ x 3″ x 2″ Flat Bottom: 4″ x 13.75″ Materials: Made of 100% unbleached certified organic cotton and printed with environmentally-friendly, water-based pigments. Care Instructions: Machine washable in cold water. Hang dry. Health and Environment: BPA-free, phthalate-free, PVC-free and lead-free. Compostable.

As the winter season approaches, it's crucial to ensure the safety and well-being of our furry companions. The colder months bring unique challenges for pets, from chilly weather to hidden hazards. In this guide, we'll explore practical tips and strategies to pet-proof your home for winter, focusing on creating a cozy environment, identifying and eliminating dangers, adjusting your pet's care routine, and more.