Milwaukee-based identification solutions manufacturer Brady Corp. has formed a partnership with MSDSonline, a Chicago-based producer of cloud-based environmental health and safety (EHS) solutions. Through each of their specialties, Brady and MSDSonline intend to help EHS professionals more easily and efficiently create workplace labels that reflect the Globally Harmonized System (GHS) updates made to OSHA’s Hazard Communication (HazCom) Standard.
While MSDSonline provides chemical management and inventory services, Brady offers durable labels that withstand chemical conditions, according to Candace Spears, global product manager for safety and facility ID software at Brady.
“There is still a lot to be done for many companies as they transition their workplaces to align with GHS. It is our goal to help ease the transition by simplifying the creation of GHS workplace labels,” Spears said. “This is an exciting collaboration for Brady that adds to our growing resource of HazCom/GHS solutions and provides our customers with the tools they need to guide them on their path to compliance.”
Spears said she expects the partnership to benefit Brady’s existing customers and to attract new ones.
Brady’s existing customers who previously had to manage their chemicals themselves can now use MSDSonline’s chemical management solutions, while new customers who previously used MSDSonline for chemical management can now use Brady, according to Spears, to print their labels directly to durable material capable of withstanding chemical conditions.
Chemical labeling is a foundational element of GHS that aims to improve label consistency for safer chemical handling. As part of this standard, primary chemical labels must have six key elements: signal word, symbols, product name or identifiers, hazard statements, precautionary statements and manufacturer information. This information is taken from the Safety Data Sheets (SDS) that chemical manufacturers are required to provide along with any hazardous chemicals that are distributed.
Under GHS, SDSs need to follow a consistent format to communicate chemical hazard information. MSDSonline customers can use updated SDSs to easily create labels that are formatted with the GHS label elements and then print them directly to Brady’s BBP 33 label printer.
“Printing workplace labels that comply with GHS is a top concern among customers,” said Chuck Haling, vice president of sales for MSDSonline. “This printing solution we’ve created with Brady is an important step in going the extra mile to address our customers’ needs and provide them with the best service possible.”
