OSH UPDATE + FIRE Electronic Service Overview

1. Introduction

This is the first edition of OSH UPDATE + FIRE Newsletter that is being sent to worldwide users of this electronic service. We hope you find the details in the newsletter will open up the contents in the collection even more and hopefully enable users to create a safe and healthy workplace wherever you are located.

2. Constantly expanding content

As the workplaces of the world are rapidly changing OSH UPDATE + FIRE has always aimed to quickly bring new publications containing guidance and advice to help you and your colleagues meet the challenges being presented. It is constantly updated covering a wide range of topics and interesting new subject areas, e.g. drones and robots in workplaces, use of cannabis in workplaces, wellbeing and mental health in all workplaces, new methods of construction of buildings – especially high-rise buildings and the use of cladding after the UK Grenfell Tower fire disaster and other similar fires around the world. If you wish to suggest any new information we are happy to include in the collection if it comes from an authoritative source.

Currently the total collection contains 1,145,243 records and includes 107,676 full text documents from worldwide validated and authoritative sources.

3. Search Tips

When you have logged in the first screen presents you with a heading Main Search Menu.

To search the OSH UPDATE + FIRE database, select from the following search options.

Simple Search

Simple to use, search all fields.

Advanced Search

More powerful, search by field and use combinations.

Advanced Search fields

Command Search

Maximum flexibility and search options.

Command Search fields

Background

In the very late 1970s the HSELINE database was created – a collection of bibliographic records of HSE publications plus bibliographic records of all the holdings of the 30 Health and Safety Executive Information Services points that made up the total service (whose Head of Information Services was Sheila Pantry).

The HSE Information Services and HSE Computer Services created HSELINE using the UK Harwell Laboratories STATUS programme. It was the first database created by any UK Government Department or Agency to be made publicity available – firstly on the European Space Agency (ESA) computer in Frascati, Italy.

At the same time – late 1970s – the US National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) was creating the bibliographic NIOSHTICS database, now known as NIOSHTICS 1.

A little later, the International Labour Office Health and Safety Centre (known as CIS) also created the CISDOC bibliographic database.

Fast developments were taking place in the use of technologies and the Compact Disc era enabled the company SilverPlatter in London to work with Sheila Pantry, HSE and then invited USA NIOSH Information Services Team in Cincinnati and the ILO CIS team in Geneva to help create OSH-ROM – “Occupational Safety and Health Read Only Memory” Compact Disc in 1986! OSH-ROM was soon enlarged to include other databases.

So some of the databases in OSH UPDATE+ FIRE go back many, many decades with HSELINE (now containing both bibliographic and full text documents) and both NIOSHTICS 1 (bibliographic) and NIOSHTICS 2 (full text) giving extremely useful contributions to the wealth of information in the current collection. And Sheila Pantry is still the driver of the collection and has created, with colleague Andrew Armitage, many databases covering all aspects of OSH and fire information sources.

4. Databases

Currently the following 26 full text and bibliographic databases are included in OSH UPDATE + FIRE

ANPI Archive – Biblio	Belgian Fire and Intrusion Prevention Association
BRE FLAIR FRS – Biblio	UK BRE Global Ltd
BSI Standards – Leads to full text	British Standards Institution (BSI) Note BSI Members prices
CCOHS Full Text OSH Answers	Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety
CISDOC Biblio	CIS Health & Safety Information Centre, International Labour Office, Geneva
EU Legislation Full Text	Office of the Official Publications of the European Communities
European OSH Agency Full Text	European Agency for Safety and Health at Work Publications
FRI Wildland Fire, USA Biblio	Fire Research Institute Wildland Fire, USA – documents are available from FRI see address in the service
FSEG Full Text	University of Greenwich, Fire Safety Engineering Group (FSEG) UK
HSELINE Full Text and Biblio	UK Health and Safety Executive Information Services
ILO Conventions, Protocols and Recommendations Full Text	International Labour Office, Geneva, Switzerland
International Fire Bibliographic	Produced by Sheila Pantry Associates Ltd
International OSH Bibliographic	Produced by Sheila Pantry Associates Ltd
International OSH FIRE Full Text Collection	Produced by Sheila Pantry Associates Ltd Full text documents from many worldwide authoritative sources
Irish Full Text Collection	Produced by Sheila Pantry Associates Ltd Full text documents from the HSA, other Irish government departments and selected Irish organisations
Irish Legislation Full Text	Produced by Sheila Pantry Associates Ltd Full text of Irish Acts and SIs relevant to safety, health and welfare
IRSST Full Text	Institut de recherche Robert-Sauvé en santé et en sécurité du travail
LPC Risk Sciences Fire Archive Biblio	LPC Centre for Risk Sciences Archive
Major Hazards Accidents and Incidents Database (MHAID) Full Text	Produced by Sheila Pantry Associates Ltd
NSAI Bibliographic	National Standards Association of Ireland References to all Irish Standards published by the NSAI
NSAI Full Text	Full text of Irish Standards on Health and Safety
NIOSHTIC Biblio	US National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
NIOSHTIC-2	US National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
RILOSH Biblio	Ryerson International Labour Occupational Safety and Health
RoSPA Biblio and Full Text	UK Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents Information Services
UK Legislation Full Text	Produced by Sheila Pantry Associates Ltd Full text of UK Acts and SIs relevant to safety, health and welfare.

When you make a search for information all these databases are used unless you specify a particular one(s).

OSH UPDATE + FIRE is arguably the most comprehensive and largest collection of Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) and Fire information in the World and especially at the subscription price. If you know of any individual or organisation who may benefit from using OSH UPDATE + FIRE, please pass on free 15 working days trial request see www.sheilapantry.com/interest.html