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Are you AI-First? By editor Posted October 13, 2018 In Artificial Intelligence, Digital Strategy, Technology & Design 0 An AI-First company is an enterprise that has transformed to believe and understand the incredible and disruptive potential of Artificial Intelligence. Such an enterprise not only sees the value but can see the destructive impact of being left behind. An AI-First Company understands that it might not know all the answers but realizes that it needs to seek out a path forward with AI or risk being marginalized. Key Characteristics of an AI-First Company A-First companies might not be any different from their previous form but think and act differently. Here are some key characteristics of such companies. Approach to Problems and Planning An AI-First company evolves its approach to problems. AI-First companies realize that determining the existence of a problem and selecting the most consequential problems is a function of data and analytics. An AI-First company invests in building predictive mechanisms that can signal current or upcoming problems including the severity and priority of these problems. Building these predictive mechanisms becomes the first step in determining how and when to prepare for problems or upcoming issues. In addition, these companies leverage news and information that is generated inside and outside the enterprise as it is generated and ensure that their employees and customers have access to the insights embedded in the news and information. Approach to Products and Product Development An AI-First company understands how a prediction or classification could help them deliver a better solution to a problem faced by their customers and how their existing products can be adapted or new products created that change behavior based on the predictions and classifications. Enterprises that understand the power of AI ensure that data scientists come part of the core product ideation and development team with a heavy infl

Independent Fire Services Ltd was founded in 2002 by Dominic Cook. Dominic worked as a fire officer in the fire brigade. He worked for many years with Chubb in a variety of senior management roles before looking after Kidde's South East operation. Independent Fire Services is staffed by ex Fire Brigade personnel who provide a range of fire training and services to SME's and Blue Chip companies through-out Scotland and the UK. In March 2007 we achieved ISO 9001:2000, and in January 2009 we gained the new current standard ISO 9001:2015 the scope being: The supply and delivery of fire training. The supply, installation and maintenance of fire protection equipment. To conduct and report upon findings of business fire risk assessment. In choosing a BAFE registered company for your fire equipment and services you are investing in quality protection that provides nationally recognised Third Party Approvals. BAFE registered companies acknowledged in new Government legislation as the sure way of demonstrating competence. BAFE is recognised and endorsed by: Association of British Insurers Chief Fire Officers Association Health and Safety Executive Trading Standards British Standards Institution Government

The quality or the lack thereof can be a huge contributing factor to a fractured and sluggish digital journey where ROI is hard to achieve and results come in short supply. The quality of data has a direct impact on the ability of the enterprise to be aware of relevant events, its reaction time, the decision time and its action time. A clear and concerted effort is required to measure and improve the data quality to drive better decisions and actions. Common Quality Issues The following are the most common quality issues Comprehensiveness Comprehensiveness quality issues refer to key attributes or data points missing from the data collected by the enterprise. This can occur when the data producing systems or the data delivery networks have glitches or malfunction or are incorrectly configured to miss entire rows of data or attributes of the data. Integrity Integrity quality issues refer to the corruption of the values of key attributes to contain unidentifiable or unreadable data. When key attributes are empty or null when they are by design, not allowed to be empty/null or when an attribute contains a value that does not meet the specifications of the type of the attribute for example, a string column contains an integer or a timestamp column contains a string not parse-able into a timestamp. Integrity of data is important before data can be included in the data set to drive analysis, decisions and actions. Sampling Sampling quality issues refer to the inclusion or exclusion of a certain percentage of the records in a data set with the assumption that the remainder records are good, representative sample of the original data set. Bad or inaccurate sampling can lead to a distorted view of reality and that can lead to bad decisions. In addition, sampling itself can make the data set inappropriate for certain types of analysis that require the entire dat set to be utilized for training. Filtering An upstream filtering scheme can end up removing too many or

Occupational Safety and Health Administration or OSHA is a body created in the year 1970 by the American Congress in order to protect the workers from being harmed or injured in the workplace. This entity implements rules and standards that will enforce health and safety of the workers. With this, working in companies that are OSHA compliant can give you that sense of security. But what are these standards and how they are implemented? OSHA Regulations There are two kinds of regulations being handled by OSHA and these are health standards and safety. The former deals with toxins exposure and the outcomes of other hazards while, the latter deals accident prevention. Some of the rules being implemented by this organization were actually adopted from private agencies. OSHA was supported by other bodies such as the NIOSH or National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health in the creation of the laws. OSHA compliance can be very advantageous since it boosts workers productivity knowing that the company can provide better care. With this, employers must devote time to come up with a safer work area. OSHA - Protection to Workers Employees have the right to work in a safe workplace regardless of the industry they work in. Hence, if you think that the company you are working with has violated the rules you have the option to file a complaint at to OSHA. With your report, they can conduct inspection on your workplace to determine whether your employer is OSHA compliant. In essence, OSHA gives employees the following rights: Request OSHA to inspect the work area - This can be done if your employer has violated the laws on operating heavy machineries such as forklifts and failed to provide an area such as eyewash facilities for employees who are working with corrosive substances. Even the failure to comply with the safety floor markings is subject to OSHA's investigation. Practice their rights - OSHA safeguard the right of workers so that they can exercise the

Safety Myths We Could All Live Without Safety MythsI'm going to level with you today: There's a lot, and a mean a metric ton, of misinformation when it comes to safety in the workplace. The more experience you have, the more and more you discover which of the things you've been told actually seem to hold up to the action of a real workplace, and which advice becomes clearly idealistic and less useable. That said, why can't we just skip past the clutter? Why do myths about the nature of safety and accident prevention continue to circulate when experienced practitioners know them to be complete bologna? To be honest, I can't answer that, but hopefully what I can do is more useful; in this article, we're going to go over some common workplace safety myths and dissect them so that, with a whole lot of luck, they won't leave anyone's lips ever again. Accidents Happen Safety Myths AccidentsFirst of all, yes, accidents do happen… but the statement itself is dismissive, and suggests that some things are just out of our control. The problem with this sentiment is twofold. First of all, it's a slippery slope: If you decide one thing is out of your control, it's easier to accept that another thing might be as well. Before you know it, you're leaving too much up to chance and not enough up to your problem solving skills. The second problem is that the idea that accidents just "happen" of their own accord is silly and untrue. There is always something you can do, and you should always be actively improving your safety by finding these things as they come along. One counter example to this that people sometimes come up with is a case in which an employee does something really boneheaded and gets themselves into a dangerous situation. "Isn't that kind of out of my control?" one might ask. Actually, there are two possible situations here: 1. The worker deliberately put themselves in harm's way for some unknown reason. In this case, a resu

At Creative Safety Supply, we appreciate how our military personnel give up a good portion of their freedoms in order to serve the American public in foreign lands, distant seas, and hostile airspace. Our company just recently released a new line of military condition tags for sale. They're designed to be used by military members to accurately display the conditions of operational supplies, such as weapons, ammo, and equipment.

Workplaces today are extremely safe compared to what people had to endure generations ago. This is in large part because of the increased focus employers have put on workplace safety. Employers made this effort for a variety of reasons including regulatory pressure, the best interests of their employees, and of course, the fact that a safe workplace is a more profitable workplace. Despite all the great strides that have been made, many workplaces are still quite hazardous. The following 10 workplace safety mistakes illustrate just how far many industries still have to go. They can also help spur ideas for where improvements can be made in your facility. 1. Using Ladders Improperly One of the most common and most dangerous workplace safety mistakes is failing to use a ladder properly. People make many ladder-related mistakes in the workplace, all of which can be devastating. The following are just a few of the more common examples: Unsteady Ladders - If you don't take the time to properly steady the ladder when setting it up, it could easily slide out while you're on it, causing serious injuries. Leaning from Ladders - When working on a ladder, you should never reach off to the left or right as that can throw the center of balance off, which could cause the ladder to fall. Using Objects as a Ladder - Using scaffolding, chairs, stools, or other objects to reach high areas can be dangerous. These things aren't meant for climbing the same way a ladder is. Climbing too High on Ladders - One should never step onto the upper rungs of a ladder. Depending on how the ladder is placed, even several rungs down can be unstable. 2. Lack of Visual Communication The noise in many workplaces can be quite deafening at times, which can make it difficult to communicate. When it comes to safety, communication is essential. This is why it is so important to have visual communication options in any loud workplace. Visual communication can come in many forms including

Improving Indoor Air Quality Indoor Air QualityWhen trying to make improvements to the workplace, many companies don't even consider the actual air that is breathed in by everyone all day. Indoor air quality can be a significant problem that can have a wide range of different effects on employees throughout the facility. Some of these issues can be immediately seen, such as with allergies. Others may take longer to develop, but can be very serious. If you are not taking air quality seriously in your facility, you are not only doing everyone a disservice, but you could be exposing the company to the risk of potential lawsuits years down the road. With this in mind, take some time to look at five of the most important things that you should know about indoor air quality, and how you can make simple changes to improve it. According to OSHA's Safety and Health Topics: Poor indoor air quality (IAQ) has been tied to symptoms like headaches, fatigue, trouble concentrating, and irritation of the eyes, nose, throat and lungs. Also, some specific diseases have been linked to specific air contaminants or indoor environments, like asthma with damp indoor environments. In addition, some exposures, such as asbestos and radon, do not cause immediate symptoms but can lead to cancer after many years. 5 Things to Know about Indoor Air Quality 1. Proper Ventilation and Filtering One of the biggest problems in most workplaces is that the air in the facility doesn't get properly circulated. As the air is breathed, moved around machinery and exposed to cleaning chemicals, it keeps picking up more and more contaminants along the way. Over time, this air can become hazardous to your health and lead to things like headaches, allergies and many other issues. This is why OSHA and many other regulatory organizations recommend reviewing your facilities air ventilation system and filtering. By taking the air from within the facility and venting it outside, all of these common contam

Waste water treatment plants are usually operated by municipalities or private utility companies, and are regulated by the states wherein they reside, but their standards were enacted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). According to the Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974 (amended in 1986 and 1996), all local treatment systems are regulated so that the water they treat is tested for contamination, their improvement plans are reviewed, they have onsite inspection to ensure that machinery and sanitation efforts are functioning properly, that personnel are properly trained, and that they comply with all standards (or face stiff penalties). On top of these regulations are safety expectations imposed by the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) under the U.S. Department of Labor. Waste water treatment plants have so many potentially hazardous areas that can impact people, directly and indirectly. Who is Affected? Directly, employees at the plant run the risk of workplace injuries from working around the huge pumps, walking near and above open water treatment containment tanks, agitator pools, furnaces, pipes, and various other facility obstacles, machinery and equipment which can create pitfalls for unsuspecting workers. Indirectly, end users of the treated water run the risk of drinking and using improperly treated water, but this post is primarily concerned with the safety of workers and visitors to the treatment plant. Ways to Make It Safe Pump pipe marking label image from wikipedia Workers who must work near open vats of raw sewage or even treated water should have all opportunities for falling into the water prevented via various safety devices, warning signs, or precautions. Potentially hazardous holding tanks or agitators should have traction tape laid on walkways or catwalks to reduce slipping. All pipes should be clearly marked with pipe marking labels to display what the contents of the pipes are. Any electric panels should b

One of the most common injuries plaguing nearly any industrial business is the eye injury. The human eye is susceptible to damage from a variety of different sources, however, most eye injuries stem from exposure to chemicals, paints, solvents, allergens, sawdust, laboratory materials, etc. However, it is important to remember that nearly ninety percent of all eye injuries are preventable when proper procedures are followed and adequate eye protection is used. The right type of goggles, depending upon the job, can protect the eyes from coming into contact with nearly any eye irritating contaminant. Nonetheless, eye injuries still seem to occur and businesses need to be ready and prepared just in case an eye injury does happen. One of the best ways to provide immediate support to an injured eye is to utilize the help of an eyewash station. Guidelines for Eyewash Stations When it comes to the safety standards related to primary eyewash stations, OSHA sets the overall requirements. However, it is ANSI (American National Standards Institute) that is the entity who provides the necessary guidelines that employers must follow regarding the design, type, performance, location, and details specific to any eyewash station. Even though the ANSI z358.1-2009 covers the guidelines for all types of eyewash equipment such as emergency showers, eyewash stations, face washes, and combination units, we are going to focus on guidelines related to eyewash stations. Tips for Compliance with ANSI's Eyewash Standard Every Second Counts! - When an eye injury occurs every second really does count. An eye injury can go from bad to catastrophic in mere seconds if the eye is not properly flushed. ANSI mandates that all eyewash be located just a short 10 second walk from any eye hazard. The path to the eyewash station must well lit and remain clear and free of debris. The eyewash station must also be properly identified with an eyewash station sign. Yes, the Water Does Matter - there

How to Create Bumper Stickers for Your Sticker campaigns For everything from political campaigns to social causes and beyond, cars adorned with bumper stickers are a regular sight across the country. Regular stickers, even more common, are a staple of our world from a young age, and an easily recognizable object for even children. Have you ever wondered how they're made? Sure, there are many companies that print stickers and the like in bulk for a third party, but there are also countless custom sticker campaigns floating about with highly customized messaging, some of which sprang up nearly instantaneously from their creative parties. These aren't cheap, flimsy creations either, some of them are the backbones of grass roots organizations that have changed the way we think and live our lives. Whatever your idea or needs, you're reading this because you want to create your own stickers, labels, or some other similar creative piece with professionalism and reliability. Let's take a look at exactly how you might get that done. Step One - Get Your Printer Especially if you're going to be producing large quantities of whatever you're making, it will be important that you have a reliable printer that isn't going to break down on you. For this reason, I'd suggest a thermal printer. Thermal printers have relatively few moving parts compared to traditional printers. Thermal Printers 101: The primary way in which thermal printers differ from traditional inkjet type models is that they use heat to transfer or even produce text and images. There are two subtypes: thermal transfer and direct thermal. Thermal transfer printers heat an inked ribbon which is then rolled over a paper or high-graded vinyl, transferring an image. Direct thermal printers work with thermal-chromatic paper, but do not require any ink. A heating element is pressed against the paper in the pattern of the text or imagery desired, and the paper responds by changing color in those places.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, is a government body tasked with regulating safety for workers, primarily in physical labor occupations, across the United States. They set the rules for transporting materials and chemicals, operating machinery, and other such guidelines to keep workers safe and to give them a voice when conditions might not otherwise be up to par. OSHA is your friend as a business owner, but there are certain situations in which interaction with OSHA can be a bit nerve-wracking for a company's management. OSHA Investigations OSHA investigations usually stem from serious injuries, fatalities, and large-scale catastrophes that occur in the workplace. Especially in the case of fatalities, OSHA is there for both the worker and for the company. For the employee and their family, and by extension the safety of other employees, OSHA will look into the circumstances surrounding the death or injury and determine if the company or its policies were fully or partially to blame for the incident. On the other hand, as long as you have adhered to OSHA guidelines, the investigation can help protect you from legal action if it is concluded that your company was not at fault. Re-opening OSHA Safety Sign Guide A Guide to OSHA Safety Signs This Guide to OSHA Safety Signs walks you through the recent updates to OSHA and ANSI sign requirements. You'll learn the required components of OSHA safety signs, including tips for formatting and posting your signs. Get Free OSHA Safety Sign Guide However, OSHA does have the right to re-open an investigation, even if it had previously reached a conclusion and closed it. This can be a bit worrying for management who have already been told that they were in the clear. However, the re-opened investigation must be concluded within six months of the original incident, so there is a fairly small statute of limitations on this re-opening period. For example, in June of 2013, a veteran mechanic worki

Many businesses need and even require the use of safety signs to warn employees and customers of potentially hazardous areas. However, the task of finding the right signs to portray the right message, along with finding a reputable company to provide the signs may be more difficult than originally intended. We are here to ease some of that burden with 10 helpful tips for finding the right safety signs to satisfy your business needs. 1. Identify Areas that May Need Safety Signs Before even beginning a search for a safety sign supplier, the first step in the process should be to accurately identify any areas within your facility that may be in need of safety signage. Think of all areas used by employees and/or customers such as aisles, walkways, fork lift zones, hazardous waste areas, potential slippery surface areas, etc. The key here is to identify all the locations that could pose hazardous conditions so proper signage can be created. 2. Pinpoint Potential Safety Hazards. Once certain areas have been designated as potentially hazardous, the next step would be to determine the actual safety hazards in the area that pose risks. An example of this could include an area where liquids are routinely transported. In this case, a spill may be likely which could endanger employees or customers due to the enhanced risk of a slip or fall. 3. Determine the Message to be Conveyed by the Signage Signs are posted everywhere, from "Watch Your Step" signs to "Employees Only" signs. However, for a sign to be truly effective it must convey a clean and clear message that can be understood easily by nearly anyone. For instance, in a work environment that includes welding, safety signs warning of potential arc flashes may be needed. In this case, a sign should be posted instructing anyone who enters to wear proper protective gear, this sign could read "Warning: Arc Flash Zone Proper Protection Required." 4. Consider the Conditions where the Signs will be Located Now

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

Your facility probably has many written safety procedures-hazard communication or emergency response, for example-but do you have a comprehensive health and safety management system (HSMS)? OSHA mandates many kinds of safety plans, but there is no federal mandate regarding a health and safety system that covers all other safety plans (though some states do require one). This system governs how safety works in your facility and gets everyone involved. If OSHA doesn't require an HSMS system in your state, then why bother implementing one? While a safety system does require a lot of work, the benefits are numerous. Not only will employee morale improve, the number and severity of injuries will be reduced and production may actually increase. Safety, it turns out, is good for business. OSHA also recognizes businesses that have used effective HSMS to achieve lower-than-average injury and illness rates through their Voluntary Protection Programs. Data suggests companies that have developed these kinds of safety systems have seen positive results. According to OSHA: "Companies in OSHA's Voluntary Protection Program, VPP, all of whom have implemented comprehensive safety and health management systems, experience lost workday incidence rates that are 60% to 80% lower than their industry counterparts. They also experience reduced absenteeism and turnover, improved productivity, and lower Workers' Compensation costs. Safety and health management works and adds to the company's bottom line profits." Getting a health and safety system started at your workplace takes a lot of legwork, so let's take a look at how to begin and how to get everyone from management to employees on the work floor involved. Management Leadership Business-Meeting-1 For a health and safety system to be effective, it can't just be left entirely up to a safety manager. Management needs to set the tone for the program and demonstrate their commitment to it by providing necessary polic

Eliminate Losses When looking for ways to improve the profitability of a manufacturing facility it is important to look at the things you have the most control over. While it would be nice if you could just double the number of orders you have to fill, that is typically not going to be possible. What you can do, however, is look at how you can eliminate losses that eat away at the bottom line. There are six big losses that most manufacturing facilities experience. While it may not be possible to completely eliminate these losses, it is typically possible to take steps to reduce them quite significantly. When done properly, this can help ensure your facility operates more efficiently, which will have a very positive impact on the overall profitability of the company.

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

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

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