Many millions of dollars a year are spent on buying chemical protective gloves to use as personal protective equipment. Gloves are available in a wide selection of natural and synthetic materials and range in price from a few cents to as high as seventy five dollars a pair. Each glove has its purpose and employers need to know how to select the best chemical protective gloves to withstand exposure to chemical agents and protect the wearer. All liquids, solids, gases, vapors, aerosols, fumes, dusts and fibers are chemical agents. They are classified as chemical agents to differentiate them from biological agents, such as micro-organisms and physical agents, such as noise, vibration and friction.
The law requires that employers make a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks to health from exposure to chemical agents at work and to do everything possible to protect the worker. This is covered by many of health and safety legislation such as OHSA.
If it can be clearly shown that:
1) There are situations at work where risks to health and safety are unavoidable
2) Methods of control other than protective gloves are not reasonably practicable
3) Employers have further legal duties to provide suitable protective gloves to any employee who may be exposed to such risk.
4) Any protective gloves provided must be manufactured to the appropriate standard and marked.
5) The gloves must also be compatible with the wearer, the work to be done, and any other PPE to be worn, such as aprons, overalls or shoes.
6) Chemical resistance of protective gloves
Protective gloves are available in a wide range of natural and synthetic materials. However, there is no single glove material or even combination of glove materials able to provide unlimited resistance to any individual and also the combination of chemical agents. There are three ways in which any protective glove will, at some stage, fail to protect the wearer from exposure to any chemical agent and these are:
Permeation – the process by which a chemical agent migrates through the protective glove at a molecular level;
Penetration – the bulk flow of a chemical agent through closures, porous materials, seams and pinholes or other imperfections in the protective glove;
Degradation – a damaging change in one or more physical properties of the protective glove as a result of exposure to a chemical agent.
The selection of suitable protective gloves can be a complicated procedure and the degree of protection they give is not always easy to establish. When choosing gloves, always seek expert help from the manufacturer or your distributor of the chemical agent or glove. They are best placed to provide you with glove performance test data which can be used to assist in predicting the permeation, penetration and degradation of specific glove materials by specific chemical agents. Also look to the MSDS sheets for guidance.
There are four requirements which must be met for any protective glove selected to be suitable. The glove must perform the following:
1) Be appropriate for the risk(s) and the conditions where it is used
2) Take into account the ergonomic requirements and state of health of the person wearing it;
3) Fit the wearer correctly, if necessary, after adjustments;
4) Either prevent or control the risk involved without increasing the overall risk.
Proper selection should therefore take into consideration the wearer, the workplace conditions and the protective glove. Employees need to be trained in the correct way to put on, wear and then take off protective gloves to ensure maximum protection. There should be adequate facilities for disposal of contaminated protective gloves.
If protective gloves are selected or worn incorrectly there is every possibility that this may increase the wearer's overall risk to health because:
Contaminants may get inside the glove to reside permanently against the skin which could cause greater exposure than if a glove had not been worn at all_ Wearing a glove for extended periods can lead to the development of excessive moisture, such as sweat, on the skin which in itself will act as a skin irritant_ Wearing gloves manufactured in natural rubber or latex can cause an allergenic reaction in certain individuals.
Selecting protective gloves must be part of an overall health and safety risk assessment for the job to be done. Remember gloves only protect the wearer; they do not remove the contaminant from the workplace environment.
Some types of glove are inconvenient and interfere with the way people work and may cause another danger. Wearing gloves interferes with the wearer's sense of touch. If protective gloves are used incorrectly, or are badly maintained, the wearer may receive no protection at all.
The importance of using a glove material depends on the extent of exposure. For chemical groups such as strong acids, there maybe only one choice of glove material. Whereas, a range of materials may be suitable for other weak acids. Where there is a choice of glove material, the extent of exposure to the chemical agent and how it is handled. Factors such as controlled pour or splashing will determine the best selection of the glove. Where there is a choice, price can also be a significant factor in choosing a particular glove. Consideration also needs to be addressed in the removal of the glove. If the task requires the wearer to take the gloves off their hands repeatedly, the gloves either need to be washed thoroughly or disposed of. Reusing contaminated gloves will provide little or no protection. A good idea if there are many types of chemicals requiring different glove materials, is to color code the chemicals and the bin where the gloves are stored. Any employee will know the red dot on the bottle, requires gloves from the red bin.
Glove selection seems to be an easy task, but in dealing with different chemical compounds the selection in the right glove can be complex. Consult with your suppliers in the chemicals and even your suppliers in safety equipment for the best advice. The MSDS will also be an excellent source of information in the chemical handling and hazards.
Showing posts with label Small Business. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Small Business. Show all posts
Labels:
Small Business
Emerging Trends In The 3PL Third Party Logistics Industry
The marketplace for third-party logistics is arguably the largest market in the world. Any physical good that comes into or goes out of the United States requires extensive logistics planning and management and must be cleared by U.S. Customs. Because of the complexities of these processes, most businesses choose to hire a 3PL provider to manage the transportation, clearance, warehousing, and distribution of their shipments.
Market Statistics
In 2006, imports to the United States exceeded $2.2 trillion (a 10.5% increase over 2005) and exports exceeded $1.4 trillion (an increase of 12.8%). Each of these goods required a number of shipping and warehousing services and must receive US Customs clearance… this is where Go Global takes over.
In 2006, the total revenue for the 3PL industry was $110.6 billion, representing a total industry growth rate of 11.9%. Datamonitor projects that by 2010, the total 3PL market will exceed $140 billion.
Global trade management is also part of the focus at Go Global Logistics. In 2005, the global trade management segment expanded to $222 million, and is expected to swell to $405 million by 2010, a cumulative annual growth rate of 12.8%.
The Go Global Marketplace is cornering this portion of the market, encouraging small and mid-sized businesses to participate in global trade, under the consultation of Go Global. By using the marketplace to manage our customer's transactions, Go Global is able to provide FREE transaction management, shipment tracking, trade negotiations, and our "bidding war" reverse auction function, adding value for our clients and strengthening our comparative advantage over the competition.
Many companies entered international markets precipitously and are only now beginning to address the lack of visibility across their supply chains. Only the largest 3PL (third party logistics) providers offer the newest technologies like online tracking, and 90% of enterprises report that their global supply chain technology is inadequate to provide the timely information necessary for budget and cash-flow planning as well as effective management. Go Global Logistics offers every tool your company needs to have an efficient and transparent supply chain to make your importing and exporting as easy and error free as possible.
One of the most counterintuitive aspects of the freight forwarding and third party logistics industry is the lack of a central location for international trade information and services. The industry is extremely
• Us Census. "Annual Trade Highlights."http://www.census.gov. January 2007.
• Hoffman, William. "3PLs Reach Record Revenue." Traffic World. 23 Apr. 2007.
• Datamonitor. "Global Air Freight & Logistics." http://www.datamonitor.com. Apr. 2007.
• Sowinski, Laura. "What Supply Chain Execs are Buying, Where They're Skimping." World Trade. Sep. 2006.
fragmented and operates behind the scenes. For this reason, many businesses with a desire to enter international markets have no idea where to begin.
Furthermore, those companies that do provide complete 3PL services are very large and have been focusing on maintaining a small number of larger accounts. Many small and mid-sized businesses who were fortunate enough to find a reliable 3PL provider find themselves being squeezed out and not having their contracts renewed. The smaller third party logistics providers do not offer the newer supply chain technologies, and are characterized by "old school" business practices.
Go Global is involved in many of the fastest growing markets in the world such as Asia and Western Europe where the market is expected to grow 33% over the next five years. It is projected that after five years, 3PLs (third party logistics providers) will handle more than 57% of the sector's supply chain requirements. This provides tremendous growth opportunities for Go Global.
Go Global is also slowly expanding into the African markets as the infrastructure and problems with governmental corruption improves. Foreign Direct Investment in Africa has been steadily rising, a sign that it will soon be a viable target market for Go Global Logistics. In 2006, FDI increased 26.5% to $38.8 billion. If this trend continues to develop, Africa may be the next China of international trade, and Go Global hopes to be there to ride the wave.
• Sowinski, Laura. "What Supply Chain Execs are Buying, Where They're Skimping." World Trade. Sep. 2006.
• Commercial Motor. "Significant Potential for Third-party Logistics." Reed Business Information. 15 Mar. 2007.
• Panitchpakdi, Supachai. "Investment in Africa: The Challenges Ahead." International Trade Forum. Issue 1/2007.
Redefining the Market
Most small and mid-sized businesses search for 3PL providers on the internet, where 3PL advertising coverage is abysmal. Upon performing an online search for "customs broker" "3PL" or "logistics," the results yielded are generally unrelated to the services businesses are seeking. Go Global plans to capitalize on this by establishing a strong online presence with user-friendly information geared towards businesses new to international trade.
By providing innovative features that are valuable to our customers like the Go Global Online Marketplace, we attract a wide range of businesses seeking to or already engaged in international trade. The Go Global Marketplace is redefining the market by creating a centralized online marketplace allowing importers and exporters across the globe to connect and trade in a secure and efficient platform.
By providing low cost, scalable, online services with the same level of visibility available from the largest 3PLs, Go Global is redefining the world of international trade and supply chain services and continues to empower small and mid-sized businesses to compete on the global stage.
Market Statistics
In 2006, imports to the United States exceeded $2.2 trillion (a 10.5% increase over 2005) and exports exceeded $1.4 trillion (an increase of 12.8%). Each of these goods required a number of shipping and warehousing services and must receive US Customs clearance… this is where Go Global takes over.
In 2006, the total revenue for the 3PL industry was $110.6 billion, representing a total industry growth rate of 11.9%. Datamonitor projects that by 2010, the total 3PL market will exceed $140 billion.
Global trade management is also part of the focus at Go Global Logistics. In 2005, the global trade management segment expanded to $222 million, and is expected to swell to $405 million by 2010, a cumulative annual growth rate of 12.8%.
The Go Global Marketplace is cornering this portion of the market, encouraging small and mid-sized businesses to participate in global trade, under the consultation of Go Global. By using the marketplace to manage our customer's transactions, Go Global is able to provide FREE transaction management, shipment tracking, trade negotiations, and our "bidding war" reverse auction function, adding value for our clients and strengthening our comparative advantage over the competition.
Many companies entered international markets precipitously and are only now beginning to address the lack of visibility across their supply chains. Only the largest 3PL (third party logistics) providers offer the newest technologies like online tracking, and 90% of enterprises report that their global supply chain technology is inadequate to provide the timely information necessary for budget and cash-flow planning as well as effective management. Go Global Logistics offers every tool your company needs to have an efficient and transparent supply chain to make your importing and exporting as easy and error free as possible.
One of the most counterintuitive aspects of the freight forwarding and third party logistics industry is the lack of a central location for international trade information and services. The industry is extremely
• Us Census. "Annual Trade Highlights."http://www.census.gov. January 2007.
• Hoffman, William. "3PLs Reach Record Revenue." Traffic World. 23 Apr. 2007.
• Datamonitor. "Global Air Freight & Logistics." http://www.datamonitor.com. Apr. 2007.
• Sowinski, Laura. "What Supply Chain Execs are Buying, Where They're Skimping." World Trade. Sep. 2006.
fragmented and operates behind the scenes. For this reason, many businesses with a desire to enter international markets have no idea where to begin.
Furthermore, those companies that do provide complete 3PL services are very large and have been focusing on maintaining a small number of larger accounts. Many small and mid-sized businesses who were fortunate enough to find a reliable 3PL provider find themselves being squeezed out and not having their contracts renewed. The smaller third party logistics providers do not offer the newer supply chain technologies, and are characterized by "old school" business practices.
Go Global is involved in many of the fastest growing markets in the world such as Asia and Western Europe where the market is expected to grow 33% over the next five years. It is projected that after five years, 3PLs (third party logistics providers) will handle more than 57% of the sector's supply chain requirements. This provides tremendous growth opportunities for Go Global.
Go Global is also slowly expanding into the African markets as the infrastructure and problems with governmental corruption improves. Foreign Direct Investment in Africa has been steadily rising, a sign that it will soon be a viable target market for Go Global Logistics. In 2006, FDI increased 26.5% to $38.8 billion. If this trend continues to develop, Africa may be the next China of international trade, and Go Global hopes to be there to ride the wave.
• Sowinski, Laura. "What Supply Chain Execs are Buying, Where They're Skimping." World Trade. Sep. 2006.
• Commercial Motor. "Significant Potential for Third-party Logistics." Reed Business Information. 15 Mar. 2007.
• Panitchpakdi, Supachai. "Investment in Africa: The Challenges Ahead." International Trade Forum. Issue 1/2007.
Redefining the Market
Most small and mid-sized businesses search for 3PL providers on the internet, where 3PL advertising coverage is abysmal. Upon performing an online search for "customs broker" "3PL" or "logistics," the results yielded are generally unrelated to the services businesses are seeking. Go Global plans to capitalize on this by establishing a strong online presence with user-friendly information geared towards businesses new to international trade.
By providing innovative features that are valuable to our customers like the Go Global Online Marketplace, we attract a wide range of businesses seeking to or already engaged in international trade. The Go Global Marketplace is redefining the market by creating a centralized online marketplace allowing importers and exporters across the globe to connect and trade in a secure and efficient platform.
By providing low cost, scalable, online services with the same level of visibility available from the largest 3PLs, Go Global is redefining the world of international trade and supply chain services and continues to empower small and mid-sized businesses to compete on the global stage.
Labels:
Small Business
Buy a Small Business in the UK
Looking for a serious investment opportunity? You may want to consider buying a small business in the United Kingdom. There are several ways to turn a good profit in small business, but there are some important things to keep in mind if you are looking for an investment opportunity, especially if you are an investor from the United States, Canada, and elsewhere.
Any investment opportunity naturally comes with some risk. Foreign investors will need to calculate an additional variable when figuring up the possible amount of profit margin, loss ,and potential for both, as well as the exchange rate. How well is your currency doing against the British Pound? Be sure to include some "wiggle room" in your budgeting for fluctuations in the exchange rate.
For those already living in the UK, concerns such as taxation and local regulation are familiar topics. To those in overseas locations, it's important to look up the laws of the land pertaining to your type of business, the taxes for which you will be liable, and how to properly account for them. This may seem elementary to those with experience in putting money into an overseas investment opportunity, but for the first-time investor in a UK small business, there are many laws and policies that might surprise you. The key is to do your homework, get the advice of a good UK legal expert, and be prepared for a new and different way of doing business.
If you want to buy a small business in the UK, it's good to do a bit of research into the type of business you want to use as an investment opportunity. Are there ways that you can expand the business onto the Internet? Can the Internet be a help to you in increasing sales, market visibility, or media awareness? All of these factors are important to keep in mind. The most successful small businesses are the ones whose owners know how to take advantage of the Internet, while still meeting local needs and demands with speed and precision. It's not so different than doing business anywhere else in the Western world. It's important to understand how the buyers in your area of the UK respond to and utilize the Internet when it comes to commerce.
You'll also want to give your competing businesses a good hard look to see how they are using the Internet. Are you thinking of investing in an already crowded market? If so, you'll need some fresh ideas to give your version of the business a new approach so that you can set it apart from the competition.
A UK investment opportunity in small business may bring some unexpected surprises if you are considering investing in a "rising star" business. For example, twenty years ago, nobody had ever heard of a "cyber café". Today, cities are full of places that offer Internet services, games, coffee, and more for a price. This concept has become a very important part of many communities. Those who took the initial risk a few years ago, putting money in what they saw as a good investment opportunity, are reaping their rewards today.
Those who buy a small business in the UK often find that the investment opportunity is well worth the risks. With some research, a bit of financial planning, and the expert advice of a UK legal advisor, you can turn a potential opportunity into a major success. If you are living in America, Canada, or elsewhere, you owe it to yourself to pay a visit to the United Kingdom to see for yourself just what kinds of investment opportunities await you there.
http://www.bizseller4u.com
Any investment opportunity naturally comes with some risk. Foreign investors will need to calculate an additional variable when figuring up the possible amount of profit margin, loss ,and potential for both, as well as the exchange rate. How well is your currency doing against the British Pound? Be sure to include some "wiggle room" in your budgeting for fluctuations in the exchange rate.
For those already living in the UK, concerns such as taxation and local regulation are familiar topics. To those in overseas locations, it's important to look up the laws of the land pertaining to your type of business, the taxes for which you will be liable, and how to properly account for them. This may seem elementary to those with experience in putting money into an overseas investment opportunity, but for the first-time investor in a UK small business, there are many laws and policies that might surprise you. The key is to do your homework, get the advice of a good UK legal expert, and be prepared for a new and different way of doing business.
If you want to buy a small business in the UK, it's good to do a bit of research into the type of business you want to use as an investment opportunity. Are there ways that you can expand the business onto the Internet? Can the Internet be a help to you in increasing sales, market visibility, or media awareness? All of these factors are important to keep in mind. The most successful small businesses are the ones whose owners know how to take advantage of the Internet, while still meeting local needs and demands with speed and precision. It's not so different than doing business anywhere else in the Western world. It's important to understand how the buyers in your area of the UK respond to and utilize the Internet when it comes to commerce.
You'll also want to give your competing businesses a good hard look to see how they are using the Internet. Are you thinking of investing in an already crowded market? If so, you'll need some fresh ideas to give your version of the business a new approach so that you can set it apart from the competition.
A UK investment opportunity in small business may bring some unexpected surprises if you are considering investing in a "rising star" business. For example, twenty years ago, nobody had ever heard of a "cyber café". Today, cities are full of places that offer Internet services, games, coffee, and more for a price. This concept has become a very important part of many communities. Those who took the initial risk a few years ago, putting money in what they saw as a good investment opportunity, are reaping their rewards today.
Those who buy a small business in the UK often find that the investment opportunity is well worth the risks. With some research, a bit of financial planning, and the expert advice of a UK legal advisor, you can turn a potential opportunity into a major success. If you are living in America, Canada, or elsewhere, you owe it to yourself to pay a visit to the United Kingdom to see for yourself just what kinds of investment opportunities await you there.
http://www.bizseller4u.com
Labels:
Small Business
Best Small Business Idea -- Get Focused And Get Going
I used to give a talk titled, "10 Ways to Overcome Overwhelm in Business and In Life". It was an excellent resource for getting into action and taking charge of your business. If you'd like a copy, just email me and I'll send it to you. After I'd given this talk for awhile, I realized that getting out of overwhelm was even simpler. You don't need 10 ideas. That's overwhelming in itself. You just need one essential key. If you can master this one key, you can pretty much get whatever you want out of your business and your life. Here it is. Don't blink or you'll miss it. Focus.
That's right, focus. When you are entirely focused on what you are doing in the moment, you don't have any attention left for being in overwhelm. Focus and overwhelm are opposites. Think about it. You are overwhelmed because you are thinking about all the things you've got to get done today, tomorrow, and the day after. You aren't solidly focused in the present moment doing what's in front of you. But when you are stuck in overwhelm, it's really hard to get focused. So what can you do?<
It's actually very simple. Get back to basics. Go back to your core values, your mission statement, your vision. Stop right now and think about the vision you had for your business when you first started it. What did you want to accomplish? Why did you want to do it? Were you looking for freedom? Did you have a better way of helping people? Completely let yourself be absorbed in the dream you had. Feel how it was when you started. Now you are focused. Take this vision and write it down again. Go into detail about what you really want to do with your business.
Now from this focused state, get into action. It should be much more clear to you now what the most important tasks are. Focus your energy on those and get going. Any time you start feeling overwhelmed, stop and go back to your dream, your vision. Ask yourself why you are doing what you are doing. Really feel it and then start again. I guarantee you this will get you focused and get you out of overwhelm. Now you can get what you really wanted out of your business.
That's right, focus. When you are entirely focused on what you are doing in the moment, you don't have any attention left for being in overwhelm. Focus and overwhelm are opposites. Think about it. You are overwhelmed because you are thinking about all the things you've got to get done today, tomorrow, and the day after. You aren't solidly focused in the present moment doing what's in front of you. But when you are stuck in overwhelm, it's really hard to get focused. So what can you do?<
It's actually very simple. Get back to basics. Go back to your core values, your mission statement, your vision. Stop right now and think about the vision you had for your business when you first started it. What did you want to accomplish? Why did you want to do it? Were you looking for freedom? Did you have a better way of helping people? Completely let yourself be absorbed in the dream you had. Feel how it was when you started. Now you are focused. Take this vision and write it down again. Go into detail about what you really want to do with your business.
Now from this focused state, get into action. It should be much more clear to you now what the most important tasks are. Focus your energy on those and get going. Any time you start feeling overwhelmed, stop and go back to your dream, your vision. Ask yourself why you are doing what you are doing. Really feel it and then start again. I guarantee you this will get you focused and get you out of overwhelm. Now you can get what you really wanted out of your business.
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