Safety App Of The Week

June 10, 2013 No Comments

Below is our “Safety App of the Week”.  These weekly features are published every Monday.  New apps are tested on Apple iPads and rated from ♥ to ♥♥♥♥♥ (♥♥♥♥♥ is the best).  Prior app of the week articles are archived here.

NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards

Official Description  

“The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Chemical Hazards Pocket Guide provides a concise source of general industrial hygiene information for workers, employers, and occupational health professionals.

The industrial hygiene information found in the Pocket Guide assists users to recognize and control occupational chemical hazards.

Offline Access:

No Internet connection required!

Quickly find chemicals:
Search for any chemical quickly and easily using any portion of the name or CAS/RTECs number.

Browse the list of chemicals by synonym, common or registered trade name using the available alphabetic index. Any viewed chemical will appear in the History tab to allow for quick look-up during the next use.

Features:

* Fully indexed and searchable chemical list by name, CAS# or RTECS#
* Full text of all referenced DOT Emergency Response Guides
* Viewable International Chemical Safety Cards
* All NIOSH appendices
* Saved History of previously view Chemicals
* No Internet connection required”¹

Thumbs Up

• no registration or sign in required
• well organized, logical to use without any instruction
• clear and easy to read
• fast and responsive
• it is the latest version (2010) of this data base
• thousands of chemicals are listed alphabetically
• good search capability
• for each chemical you will find: synonyms, exposure limits, incompatibilities, exposure routes, symptoms, target organs, PPE, respirator recommendations, and escape considerations
• there is a helpful reference section that covers: definitions, PPE, 1st aid, carcinogens, and respirator requirements
• can be used off-line
• $7.99 cost is well worth it for this must-have, comprehensive, chemical safety and health app

Thumbs Down

• there is a free on-line PDF version available, however we do not recommend using it because:  it is an older/outdated version (2007), you must be on-line to use it, it does not work well on a mobile device, and its’ navigation is very VERY slow
• you can also download a free “zipped” file of this pocket guide which will work great on your laptop/desktop computer, however we do not recommend it for your mobile device

Overall Rating

• iPad / iPhone  – ♥♥♥♥♥

¹ Descriptions courtesy of Apple Inc.

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