Chemsafety.Gov 2000 Strives for Easier Searches and Faster Info Retrieval


		AcuSafe -> October 1999 Newsletter
		Chemsafety.Gov 2000 Strives for Easier Searches and Faster Info Retrieval

The Chemical Safety Board's website, chemsafety.gov, is heading into the millennium with style-and substance. On Oct. 6, 1999 the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) unveiled the website's new, cleaner, more efficient look, signaling the retirement of its debut model, that made its first appearance online in February 1998, soon after Congress authorized funding for the CSB.

CSB Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Paul L. Hill, Jr., says the sharing of information and lessons learned from incidents is a fundamental component of preventing future incidents. "And in today's world," he said, "there's no more important place for government to share than on the web."

The site upgrade comes in response to a rapid increase in the volume of information carried on the site during the last year. From simple coverage of CSB news, reports and background items, chemsafety.gov expanded to include CSB products (such as complete text of investigation reports), and a wide range of external resources and events related to chemical safety.

"The site needed capacity to handle a lot more growth," said Phil Cogan, director of external relations. "There is no shortage of useful information on chemical safety, and I only see us adding even more and different types of information down the road."

Some Productivity Highlights

Beyond the window dressing, it's what the visitor can do and find on the site that really makes the difference. Here are some highlights of the new features that the CSB hopes will keep folks coming back:

Tedious home page searches are a thing of the past. Visitors don't have to scan down a long series of articles anymore until they spot the news item they need. They're now greeted with a top-of-the-page index of headlines that gives a snapshot of front-page articles and reports, and links to each.
Looking inside the site takes less time than ever. Key sections of the site are just one click away with the new header and footer navigation bars bordering each page. Even better, the new Quick Search feature lets users quest for keywords inside the website right from the home page.
Icons, icons and more icons give the brain and the eyes a rest. Is it a report or a news release? The symbol next to the headline lets readers know right away. Plus, if the icon's red, the item is new. How to make a printout? Click on the printer icon and a "printer-friendly" version of the document lights up your screen.

Chemical Incident Reporting Updated Daily

Finally, there's the new pilot project that, once it goes official, should make tracking chemical incidents as easy as looking up stock prices. The Chemical Incidents Reports Center (CIRC), a searchable database of chemical incidents, is currently online in beta-test form. Updated daily, the center now contains over 4,000 incident reports, and is expected to make its formal debut in the near future. Be sure to check it out and offer up Beta testing comments.

"It's a database designed exclusively for use of the online public, and we want people to come to the site now and test it," commented Mr. Cogan. "As with most products, the users will probably come up with the best ideas on how to improve it."

Cogan also acknowledged that many of the changes found in the chemsafety.gov rework also came from site visitors. "The CSB always encourages suggestions for the site," he said. "Even now. It's a perennial work in progress."