AUTOMAN: AN INFORMATION SYSTEM

Hazardous materials regulations, domestic and international, are extensive, detailed, and subject to constant change. For any company, compliance with regulations is heavily dependent on the ability to acquire, compile, and disseminate accurate and timely information to all persons involved in hazardous materials-related functions. Digital Equipment Corporation has many U.S. and overseas manufacturing sites with chemical processes. Hazardous material specialists at Digital have developed AUTOMAN, an automated hazardous materials information system, to provide current regulatory information to all people involved--from purchasing to shipping and receiving personnel. AUTOMAN uses Digital's VAX/VTX (registered trademarks of Digital Equipment Corporation) Videotex software to provide on-line, real-time access to information about hazardous material transportation. Information for a particular product can be accessed through an easy-to-use menu. AUTOMAN will also provide generation of required package markings and shipping papers through a data base accessed by the Videotex software. The VAX/VTX software used in AUTOMAN allows easy and quick updating of large textual infobases and presents an economical, flexible, easy-to-maintain means of assembling and disseminating timely and accurate information vital to hazardous materials compliance.