FLOW GEMINI Information System-EIS, OHIS

Prepared by:
GRC International, Inc.

Prepared for:
Public purchase

Application:
Financial analysis:
Environmental impact analysis: ---
Waste management/P2:
Environmental cost listing/database: ---
Cost estimation: ---
Alternative product/process comparison: ---

Environmental, and occupational health and safety (EHS) management. The current system does not consider environmental cost information. However, GRC plans to expand the system to make this feature available. As yet, the system has no components for project management.

Elements of control:
Cost control ---
Resource control ---
Estimating control ---
Schedule control ---
Scope control ---
Risk control ---

Development date and updates:
Introduced ~ 1981, Updates twice a year.

Public availability:
Available

Purpose and current use:
GRC has targeted the product to chemical and pharmaceutical companies in the past. They also have clients in industries such as aerospace, construction, electronics, environmental, and manufacturing. They are breaking down the modules further to allow the system to be suitable to an even wider range of companies. They have not targeted Federal facilities as yet. The system has some 50 clients.

Cost information:
Prices are based on individual modules. A range of prices of all modules is $5000 to $15,000 (stand alone). Concurrent user pricing is available for networks, as well as site licensing. The site license (unlimited users)typically ranges from $15,000 to $90,000 (depending on modules purchased). Prices are based on information provided by GRC in June, 1995.

System requirements:
The system can be used by itself or on a network. Flow Gemini offersClient/Server versions for PC, LAN, UNIX, DEC, and IBM.

Software summary

Size and complexity of projects:
Not applicable; the system is not designed for project management. It is meant to manage and control areas in regular company activities. Current system is suited to large operations. GRC plans to scale down the system to suit smaller companies and operations as well.

Other compatible systems offered:
Modular format (can be purchased separately over the core modules or in an integrated form).

Nonquantifiable information:
Not applicable; the system is not primarily designed for project management. Users can write operation/company specific notes (in MS Word).

GRC offers two basic systems to users: Occupational Health and Safety(OHIS) and an Environmental Information System (EIS). The EIS covers areas such as chemical tracking, SARA reporting, monitoring, and waste management. The areas covered by all the modules include the following:

EIS has modules/areas for SARA compliance, monitoring, permit tracking, and waste management. Chemical tracking functions include mass balance capabilities, material tracking (e.g., receipts, storage, transfers, process consumption, product output, releases, shipments, waste generation and disposal)for intra-facility locations, and relationships between manufacturers, suppliers, product codes, materials, and inventories. The SARA compliance function allows users to maintain Federal and State chemical list information, information management for emergencies, and reporting (Tier I and II and Form R reports in EPA formats). Information about samples (collection conditions, preparation, chain of custody, laboratory information) from any type of environmental media and analysis results can be logged, including a complete description of any type of release source. Information concerning any type of permit can be managed in the system including basic descriptive information and parameter limits (maximum, minimum, and average values can be logged according to permit, regulatory, and/or corporate specifications). Flow Gemini catalogs all wastestreams and includes information on amounts, profiles, on-site minimization, treatment, containers, storage, and shipping records. It generates the Uniform Hazardous Waste Manifests and manages information for annual waste generator reports.

The OHIS has a medical module, an industrial hygiene and safety module, and a hazard communications module. The medical module helps comply with OSHA requirements and maintains information on employee health, training, work history, and exposure. It automates equipment and medical supply inventories. The industrial hygiene and safety module is designed to determine compliance with OSHA, generate and track requests for MSDSs (supports ANSI Z400.1 format),comply with community right-to-know requirements, document sampling results, track employee information, and audit laboratories. The hazard communications module generates and tracks requests for MSDSs, schedules employee training, and documents workplace inventories.

RAMS, the Remedial Action Management System, is an optional module or stand-alone system that automates the processes involved in monitoring chemically contaminated sites and RCRA facilities. A new MSDS system will be released in March 1995. This will support the ANSI Z400.1 format for recording and printing, unlimited query capabilities, multilevel security, a graphical user interface, expanded data dictionary, flexible customizable templates, multiple notes features, flexibility in searching and reviewing MSDSs, editing capabilities including global updates, and FAX and e-mail support.

Life-cycle stages

Raw material acquisition ---
Manufacturing stage ---
Use/reuse/maintenance
Recycle/waste management

Hazardous wastes can be tracked (through a transaction-based management system) from the point of generation in the facility to receipt of a certificate of disposal from a TSDF. The system can track wastes back to a process or project. All the modules would not cover these life-cycle stages nor would they do so for all materials and products. For example, if a chemical is not manufactured in the facility, only use and waste disposal stages (for that chemical) would be considered. It may not be possible to link the different life-cycle stages. That is, a no quantitative relationship can be made between the quantities and types of material used or type of production process and wastes generated. Thus, users cannot simulate changes in waste quantities and costs as a result of process changes or source reduction. The different life-cycle stages cannot be kept distinct in the system.

Type of costs considered

Conventional
Potentially hidden ---
Contingent ---
External ---

The current system does not handle environmental costing. Only some conventional costs such as worker's compensation and employee assistant program referrals can be entered. The next release will make environmental costing part of the standard system. The company plans to have features that allow integration of the system with a company inventory/accounting system. Users will be able to detail costs.

Method of cost estimation

The system is not designed for cost estimation.

Generation of financial indicators

Net present value (NPV) ---
Payback period ---
Internal rate of return (IRR) ---
Benefits cost ratio ---
Other ---

Ability to include environmental costs

User friendliness and flexibility

Flow Gemini is a client/server application that uses Oracle or other industry standard relational database management systems (RDBMS). Since the product has an open-relational database structure, it can export and import data to/from other relational database files, spreadsheets, and other files in ASCII format. It has a menu-driven/windows format. The system has a built-in image viewer. The default database currently contains information on areas such as materials tracking, mass balances, etc. They plan to include cost information in this as well. Flow Gemini comes with a suite of tools for customizing and reporting, which gives clients the ability to customize the system to incorporate their own terminology and business standards. The current MSDS module has query capabilities on any number of fields. Multilevel security can be provided. The system covers a very broad range of issues related to environmental management within a company. The RDBMS structure will allow companies to integrate other systems that may cover areas that Flow Gemini does not address.

User support

GRC customizes the database on specific requests from users. For example, the system database can be customized to add costing (not part of the standard system). The company provides customer support and training classes for all levels of users.

Limitations

The system does not currently handle cost information although GRC anticipates including this component in the next release. The present system only has fields for some conventional costs. It does not include a feature for maintaining historical cost records, as related to quantities and types of materials managed. The system is not designed for, and has no modules for, project management. Like most other environmental management software tools, the primary objective is to facilitate compliance, not to include cost elements and detailing. However, if this area were developed, pollution prevention and other environmental initiatives would be encouraged as a result of better cost information. The system is presently too expensive to be suitable for small to medium users, but the company plans to break down the modules further to make using the system feasible for small to medium companies.

Basis for evaluation:
Based on telephone communication with GRC representative, and information package received in March 1995. Additional information received from Rich(1995).

Contact information:
Commercially available

GRC International, Inc.
1900 Gallows Road
Vienna, VA 22182-3801

Karen Ward
800-934-5917
703-760-8747 (FAX)

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