Articles

Within the food supply chain, material handling equipment is essential. The right equipment can allow for increased throughput, better utilization of storage space, and improved ergonomics for workers.

In 2019, Amazon ordered 100,000 electric vehicles (EVs). The next year, UPS bought 10,000 delivery EVs. And in 2021, FedEx announced a plan to switch its entire fleet to electric power by 2040.

The Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) is well known for assessing penalties to noncompliant workplaces — but occasionally, the Administration supports its mission in more benevolent ways.

In 2019, less than 3 percent of the cars in the world ran on electricity — but don’t let that low number mislead you. Sales of electric cars broke 2 million units that year, and grew by more than 40 percent annually over several previous years. In 2020, celebrated EV producer Tesla became the world’s most valued car company, with a market value of more than $200 billion. At least one analysis says that value will rise to over $1 trillion by 2025.

Material flow is a key challenge for industrial facilities, from distribution centers to manufacturing plants. How do you get materials, equipment, and finished products where they need to be, when they need to be there?

Electricians are the frontline troops of the electrical industry. They’re the ones who install power and communications systems, both for electrical power and telecommunications, from major feeder lines down to individual data set-ups. But without electrical wholesalers, electricians couldn’t do their jobs.

Between October 2020 and September 2021, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) charged nearly $2 million in fines to electrical contractors in the United States. These penalties were all the result of failure to comply with OSHA standards, but which standards in particular?

Where they mention eye wash stations, standards from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) are both remarkably clear and short on detail. That’s led to a lot of questions about how, when, and where OSHA requires eye wash stations, safety showers, and other emergency flushing systems.

Before you can store food products in the U.S., you have to meet a long list of rules enforced by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This regulatory agency oversees the nation’s food supply chain, from production to transportation to storage, all the way up to the consumer’s table. You can consider the food-grade warehouse a storage facility that complies with all the standards and regulations required by the FDA, state, and municipal health authorities — but while local rules may differ from one place to another, FDA regulations cover every facility.

A product’s Safety Data Sheet (SDS) provides information on chemical hazards in a user-friendly format. Whether you’re evaluating a potential purchase or performing a hazard assessment, the SDS is a necessary resource.