3E Company, a leading provider of environmental health and safety (EH&S) compliance and information management services, today announced the launch and availability of 3E Mobile – MSDS, the first mobile site of its kind to offer instant access to hazardous material inventories and associated material safety data sheets (MSDSs) via smartphone. 3E Company’s database of 4.5 million MSDSs is now available for portable viewing, saving valuable time and helping bolster EH&S regulatory compliance efforts by ensuring reliable access to critical product safety data and information.

In addition to having access to their inventory and MSDSs, customers that have Universal Product Codes (UPCs) associated with their products can also scan barcodes and automatically retrieve the relevant MSDS and related information on their smartphone. This unique feature dramatically simplifies MSDS management by enabling users to seamlessly access their inventory and database of MSDSs from their smartphone.

3E Mobile – MSDS offers customers the advantage of being able to access MSDSs anytime and anywhere. Companies with employees who work remotely or in rugged environments, in particular those in the utility, construction, transportation, and manufacturing industries, will benefit from improved access to MSDSs and related information via smartphone. Access to this type of information is invaluable in the event of a spill or emergency, which often occurs in locations where computers are not easily accessible. With 3E Mobile – MSDS, responders can instantly access product information at the scene of the incident, regardless of its location, and react in a timely manner to mitigate its impact, prevent injuries, and reduce damage to the facility.

“MSDS access can be difficult and often painfully time-consuming,” said Tamie Webber, director of product management, 3E Company. “With the introduction of 3E Mobile – MSDS, we’ve simplified the MSDS management process by allowing our users to access their MSDSs from their smartphone — whether they are in the field, on the factory floor, or traveling.”

3E Mobile – MSDS is available free of charge to all 3E Online – MSDS customers who use iPhone®, Blackberry®, Android™, and other devices. Customers simply need to visit the mobile site at www.3eonline.com/m from their phone and login. 3E Mobile – MSDS is backed by 3E Company’s world-renowned 24/7/365 3E EH&S Mission Control Center for round-the-clock support.

About 3E Company
3E Company, a subsidiary of Verisk Analytics, offers a comprehensive suite of services for environmental health and safety (EH&S) compliance management. This suite of services addresses the entire chemical life cycle and includes regulatory research; MSDS authoring, distribution, and management; transportation; emergency response; training; regulatory reporting; and hazardous waste management. 3E provides an industry-leading combination of a 24/7/365 EH&S mission control call center and the world’s premier hazardous substance database of global regulatory and compliance information. More than 5,000 customers work with 3E, including Costco Wholesale Corporation, US Airways, Eastman Chemical, Shell, Temple-Inland, and Menasha. 3E Company’s products and services received two 2010 Occupational Health & Safety product of the year awards for best in MSDS management and best in EH&S software. The company was founded in 1988 and is headquartered in Carlsbad, California, with additional operations in Canton, Ohio; Bethesda, Maryland; Kingsport, Tennessee; Montreal, Quebec; and Copenhagen, Denmark. For more information on 3E Company, visit www.3ecompany.com. Thursday, April 14, 2011 —

Industrial revolutions have overcome human’s most daring challenges, leading to technological development and great advances that have contributed to improving welfare and living standards. At the same time, industrial activities have increased dramatically the need for energy and raw materials. The different processes involved often need a large variety of chemicals; among these, solvents are widespread used and have slowly become part of our daily lives, not just being used in factories, but also in our homes. There is little known about them, and we are unaware that solvents with potential health effects are utilized daily in order to produce a number of commonly used products.

Some solvents are known to be flammable and can cause explosions. But solvents have also been associated with different health problems, and many are potential carcinogens. Exposure to solvents can occur via ingestion, breathing vapors, direct eye contact or even absorption into the body through the skin. Manipulation of most solvents must strictly follow Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) instructions and appropriate measures must be taken in case of accident. Solvents compounds are usually very resistant to degradation, and, therefore, they are persistent and tend to accumulate in the environment. They are often volatile and can easily reach the air, water and soils, depending on the solvent’s physico-chemical properties.

Chlorinated solvents are of particular awareness due to their notorious health effects on humans. They are used in industrial degreasing processes, dry cleaning, auto manufacturing and repairing, auto paint, paints in general, glues, building materials, aerosol sprays, and in various household products such as shoe polish or typewriter connection fluid. Exposure to chlorinated solvents can cause skin irritation, headache, weakness, dizziness, facial numbness, unconsciousness, difficulty in walking and speaking, confusion, euphoria, nausea, vomiting, liver and kidney damage, immunological and endocrine problems, menstrual problems and spontaneous abortions (in women). Long-term exposure to some chlorinated solvents can cause cancer, mainly lung, colon-rectum, esophageal, and bladder cancers.

Some chlorinated solvents often used today are Perchloroethylene (PCE), Trichloroethylene (TCE), and 1,1,1-TCA (Trichloroethane). PCE is mainly used in dry cleaning, which consists of processes that use solvents instead of water for cleaning clothes and textiles. MSDS identifies this compound as non-flammable, stable, and as a dangerous health hazard (value 2), thus requiring protective measures and breathing apparatus when manipulating the product. PCE can cause from short-term health problems to cancer after long-term exposure. TCE is widely used as a metal degreaser and solvent for cleaning metal parts in industry. TCE is a proven animal carcinogen, and has been lately classified as a probable human carcinogen. Similarly to PCE, MSDS classifies this product as non-flammable, stable, with dangerous health effects and chronic carcinogenic effects for animals (classified A3) and probable for humans (2A). 1,1,1-TCA is less toxic compared to other chlorinated solvents such as PCE or TCE. However, it has been proven to deplete the ozone layer, and, therefore, its production has declined dramatically in the last years. On the other hand, it is not classified as human carcinogen.

-MSDSCompliance.com Team

Tuesday, December 7, 2010 —
JERSEY CITY, N.J. (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Verisk Analytics, Inc. (Nasdaq:VRSK), a leading source of information about risk, announced today it has signed an agreement to acquire 3E Company, a premier provider of services that help companies comply with government-mandated environmental health and safety (EH&S) requirements relating to workplace safety and product stewardship.

Disparate workflows and inconsistent sources of EH&S data in company operations can generate severe and systemic risks. 3E’s comprehensive approach to environmental health and safety compliance management can significantly reduce regulatory, product stewardship, safety, and financial risks in the supply chain.

3E is a global source for a comprehensive suite of EH&S compliance solutions that span the entire product life cycle and supply chain — from R&D through manufacture, transport, use, and disposal. 3E has a dynamic and growing database of approximately 3.7 million material safety data sheets and a global regulatory database of more than 300,000 potentially hazardous substances. The company has more than 5,000 customers worldwide, including many Fortune 500 companies, eight of the top ten retailers, and six of the top ten chemical manufacturers.

“We are excited to bring 3E into the Verisk family,” said Scott Stephenson, chief operating officer of Verisk. “With a high client retention rate, 3E has proven itself a valuable environmental health and safety risk mitigation resource for business continuity, product life cycle management, and other business needs. 3E provides an excellent platform consistent with Verisk’s historical expertise in regulatory and compliance matters and with our focus on supply chain solutions.”

“Supply chain is a 21st century risk, and its complexities are enormous. By adding environmental health and safety aspects as well as a global footprint to our supply chain toolkit — which already includes transportation and retail risk solutions — we are taking a significant step toward internalizing the data and skill sets relevant to our current and future customers,” added Stephenson.

“We are delighted to join Verisk and eager to continue the growth of our business with the support of Verisk’s analytical capabilities and relationships,” said Bob Christie, chief executive officer of 3E.

The purchase price will be $110 million, and the transaction is expected to close in December, subject to the completion of customary closing conditions, including receipt of 3E shareholder and regulatory approvals. Verisk will use cash on hand and available capacity under its revolving credit facility to fund the purchase. The transaction is expected to be neutral to Adjusted EPS in 2011. Bob Christie, who has headed 3E since 2004, will continue to lead the company. Christie has had a distinguished 25-year career, including senior-level positions at Thomson and McGraw-Hill.

About 3E Company
3E Company offers a comprehensive suite of services for environmental health and safety (EH&S) compliance management. This suite of services addresses the entire chemical life cycle and includes regulatory research; MSDS authoring, distribution, and management; transportation; emergency response; training; regulatory reporting; and hazardous waste management. 3E boasts an industry-leading combination of a 24/7/365 EH&S mission control call center and the world’s premier hazardous substance database of global regulatory and compliance information. More than 5,000 customers partner with 3E, including Costco Wholesale Corporation, US Airways, Eastman Chemical, Shell, Temple-Inland, and Menasha. The privately held company was founded in 1988 and is headquartered in Carlsbad, California, with additional operations in Canton, Ohio; Bethesda, Maryland; Kingsport, Tennessee; Montreal, Quebec; and Copenhagen, Denmark. For more information on 3E Company, visit www.3ecompany.com.

About Verisk Analytics
Verisk Analytics (Nasdaq:VRSK) is a leading provider of information about risk to professionals in insurance, healthcare, mortgage, government, and risk management. Using advanced technologies to collect and analyze billions of records, Verisk Analytics draws on vast industry expertise and unique proprietary data sets to provide predictive analytics and decision-support solutions in fraud prevention, actuarial science, insurance coverages, fire protection, catastrophe and weather risk, data management, and many other fields. In the United States and around the world, Verisk Analytics helps customers protect people, property, and financial assets. For more information, visit www.verisk.com.

Media
Rich Tauberman
MWW Group (for Verisk Analytics)
202-585-2282
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Investor Relations
Eva Huston
Head of Investor Relations
Verisk Analytics, Inc.
201-469-2142
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Transactions Further Solidify IHS Leadership in the Global EHS and Sustainability Management Solutions Market

ENGLEWOOD, Colo., September 22, 2010 – IHS Inc. (NYSE: IHS), a leading global source of critical information and insight, today announced the acquisition of two leading environmental health and safety information companies, Atrion International Inc., and Syntex Management Systems Inc., for a combined purchase price of approximately $80 million.

The acquisitions significantly enhance existing IHS capabilities in the environmental health and safety (EHS) and sustainability arena by complementing and expanding the company’s existing health and safety compliance, product stewardship and incident/crisis management solutions.

“Atrion and Syntex products and services are proven market leaders in their own right, providing distinctive capabilities and proven value to customers,” said IHS Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jerre Stead. “Customers will now have access to even more robust solutions from a single provider, IHS, with the broadest and deepest EHS and sustainability information content, software and expertise in the marketplace.”

Atrion International Inc., founded in 1989, combines regulatory expertise and industry-leading technology to streamline the generation, management and distribution of hazardous materials communication documents and reports. By seamlessly integrating its solutions with customers existing work processes and systems, Atrion improves efficiency while delivering accurate and compliant output. At the heart of Atrion’s product compliance solutions is industry-leading regulatory content covering more than 50 countries in 44 languages with more than 300,000 chemicals, 15,000 regulatory phrases, 5,000-plus proprietary algorithms and more than 100 regulatory forms. Atrion International is headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, Canada with offices in the United States and Europe, significantly enhancing the IHS EHS and Sustainability European customer base with localized subject matter expertise and support.

“Combining existing IHS capabilities for managing safety data sheets and chemical inventories with Atrion’s solutions for product compliance and regulatory document authoring will enable IHS to more fully support customers’ health and safety compliance and product stewardship needs,” said Atrion International President and Chief Executive Officer Patrick J. Lavoie. “We are excited to join IHS in solidifying a leading position in the EHS and sustainability marketplace and provide additional value for customers in this rapidly evolving regulatory landscape.”

Syntex Management Solutions Inc., founded in 1995 in Houston, Texas, is a leading provider of operational risk management software and services that help companies ensure the health and safety of their workers, avoid devastating accidents, protect the environment and cut costs. Syntex solutions turn continuous improvement strategies into repeatable processes for assessing risks and implementing corrective measures. In addition, Syntex offers benchmarking services that utilize detailed operational data gathered from top safety practitioners in order to help companies institute the latest industry best practices. Syntex enterprise-level solutions are deployed in more than 100 countries and translated into more than 20 languages.

“As a pioneer in the field of risk management, Syntex strengthens existing IHS health and safety compliance and incident/crisis management capabilities, supporting the company’s commitment to deliver complete EHS and sustainability solutions,” said Syntex President and Chief Executive Officer Trent Derr. “In a field where many firms are newcomers with limited experience and expertise, IHS continues to build an unparalleled stable of industry, domain and technical expertise, and we are proud to be a part of that evolution.”

Stead added: “IHS is committed to meeting the growing customer demand for environmental health and safety compliance, product stewardship, incident/crisis management, greenhouse gas and energy management, environmental compliance and corporate responsibility solutions. The acquisition of Atrion and Syntex represents a major step in our strategy to turn EHS and Sustainability information management into a powerful driver for business success.”

Additional information about these transactions will be provided on the previously announced IHS third quarter earnings conference call today at 5:00 p.m. EDT.

About IHS (www.ihs.com)

IHS (NYSE: IHS) is a leading source of information and insight in pivotal areas that shape today’s business landscape: energy, economics, geopolitical risk, sustainability and supply chain management. Businesses and governments around the globe rely on the comprehensive content, expert independent analysis and flexible delivery methods of IHS to make high-impact decisions and develop strategies with speed and confidence. IHS has been in business since 1959 and became a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange in 2005. Headquartered in Englewood, Colorado, USA, IHS employs more than 4,400 people in more than 30 countries around the world.

IHS is a registered trademark of IHS Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners. Copyright © 2010 IHS Inc. All rights reserved.

MSDS Compliance has added several new software and services vendors it’s directory. These vendors are top SDS or MSDS Authoring companies who offer software, services, or both. With the advent of GHS adoption on the horizon in the USA, the companies listed on MSDS Compliance are well positioned to receive top exposure from companies seeking GHS material safety data sheet authoring and GHS label authoring. Companies that ship globally with a large product line may also choose to evaluate the various msds authoring software options on MSDScompliance.com.

Please contact us directly if you have any feedback, suggestions, or comments to Support@MSDScompliance.com

Have a good day!

The MSDS Compliance Team.

MSDS Authoring experts know that authoring a msds 10 years ago is much different than authoring a document today. New additional sections, more complicated content, new formats for each country, languages, risk phrases…the list goes on. What does it cost to have experts in house to do MSDS Authoring versus outsourcing msds authoring? Some companies have decided that a BPO play could alleviate the steep costs of keeping product compliance duties in house. BPO or business process outsourcing for product compliance is a relatively new concept but growing in popularity. Many companies opt in to do some level of business process outsourcing for product compliance whether it is to outsource MSDS Authoring or even database management. You may be outsourcing some portion of your product compliance already without even realizing. The burden of product compliance is a heavy one and MSDS or SDS Authoring (safety data sheet), is only a piece of all of the challenges facing companies like yours.

For more information of the types of product compliance business process outsourcing companies, please take a tour on MSDScompliance.com. You can fill out a request for quote, demo, or free consultation with the click of your mouse!

The MSDS Compliance Team.

The Global Harmonized System (GHS) MSDS and the GHS MSDS authoring software was developed solely for the purpose of the protection of human life and the preservation against toxic materials that could cause irreplaceable damage to the flora and fauna. It is very specialized in that the system catalogues and labels all types of chemical substances thus providing pertinent data to the countries that presently do not have their own MSDS system. The development of simple labels did away with confusing ones that caused more misinterpretation and mistakes in the handling of hazardous chemicals. With the GHS MSDS, there is no need for further testing and retesting of the various chemicals that are under its domain, thus shipment is easy and speedily shipped to those countries which have a need for them, traceable and easily identifiable.
What should one look for in a GHS MSDS authoring software?
The development of GHS MSDS authoring software was highly anticipated by the target users. The use of GHS MSDS authoring software is relevant to today’s needs simply because doing it on your own is not recommended. It would be best to browse online and find what the best options on GHS MSDS authoring software are available in the market today.
In writing a GHS Safety Data Sheet (SDS) one must bear in mind that the key to its logic is ‘simplicity’. ‘Not applicable’ or ‘not relevant’ catch phrases can be easily confused or misinterpreted by some readers. DANGER or WARNING signal words should be used instead. Leaving out of information as blank spaces where the health section is located is not allowed. It has to be clearly specified as ‘no information available’. This problem should be eliminated by the GHS MSDS authoring software that should have all the information necessary to make life easier for the user. It is also recommended that all the data is in accordance to the standards of the GHS. It is not advisable, as well as dangerous, that outdated and non-conforming data be allowed to slip by. Precautions should be legible and easy to understand and is to be used with vigilance so as not to mislead or confuse the user or reader of the GHS SDS authoring software and should include the following:
• Precautionary Measures
• Preventive Measures
• Response Time Allowable
• Storage and Disposal
Information provided in the GHS MSDS authoring software should contain the least SDS is but should still conform to Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Hazard regulations:
• Identification of chemical
• Identification of hazardous substance (i.e. explosives, flammable liquids and solids, corrosive metals, etc.)
• Information and composition of ingredients used
• Protocols on first aid
• Methods to use in case of fire
• Accidental release protocols
• Handling and storage
• Pre- and post exposure protection and first aid
• Physical and chemical properties of substances
• Stability and reactivity
• Toxicology
• Ecological impact
• Waste disposal
• Transport
• Regulation
• Others
The GHS MSDS authoring software should offer services that will enable the company to create, manage, deliver and track MSDS for products. It should have an option to translate the data into the language of choice of both the user and the clients. It should include regulations that are recognized by and applicable to the formats of the European Union, Canada, North America, and Mexico. Look for GHS MSDS authoring software that is user-friendly.