Clarion History and Standards Involvement

Founding

Clarion Safety Systems was founded in 1990 in Alpena, MI by Geoffrey Peckham. First named Hazard Communication Systems, Inc.*, the company's chosen niche was the design and manufacture of safety labels for product manufacturers that would meet the then yet-to-be published ANSI Z535.4 Standard for Product Safety Signs and Labels. Mr. Peckham correctly recognized that the new standard would provide manufacturers with a viable framework on which to base decisions regarding the content and the format of their products' safety labels. The new standard was both a breakthrough and a necessity. Manufacturers were facing an ever increasing threat of products liability litigation, especially in the area of on-product warnings. Before ANSI Z535.4, there was no recognized state-of-the art for product safety labels and any decision a manufacturer made with regards to their warnings could be challenged. In 1991, Clarion began to change that picture. The standard was published and Clarion was using it to effectively improve the on-product warnings appearing on a wide variety of commercial and industrial equipment; from packaging machinery to slaughterhouse equipment.

Clarion and the ANSI Z535 Committee

In 1992, Clarion joined the ANSI Z535 committee and in 1994, Mr. Peckham was named Chairman of the ANSI Z535.1 Standard for Safety Colors. Since Clarion's core business was the application of the ANSI Z535 standards and its staff had the opportunity to work with a wide variety of industrial customers to apply the standards' principles, Clarion's experience has served as the basis for many of the change proposals accepted by the Z535 Committee over the next 18 years, continuing on to today. In 2009, Mr. Peckham was named Chairman of the ANSI Z535.2 Standard for Environmental and Facility Safety Signs, the primary standard for safety signs in the United States.

Clarion and SEMI (Semiconductor Equipment Manufacturers Institute)

The semiconductor manufacturing business is a complex industry and the processes used to create silicon chips are as complicated as they are lethal. In 1997 work began in the industry to revise their safety label guideline, SEMI S1. Having headed efforts for the bakery, textile, woodworking and furniture-making industries, and because of his ANSI and ISO standards leadership positions, Clarion's president, Geoffrey Peckham, was chosen to lead the SEMI S1 Taskforce, a position he continues to lead in tandem with Applied Materials. Under his leadership, the SEMI S1 Guideline has served as a model of standards harmonization, meeting the needs of this global industry.

Clarion and ISO

In 1995 work began in the International Organization of Standards (ISO) to re-write the principle global standard pertaining to safety signs and colors, ISO 3864. At the same time, the European Community was implementing compliance directives that all manufacturers needed to meet in order to sell products into the EC. Driven by its customers' needs to fully comply with international requirements, Clarion worked closely with ANSI to set up a TAG (technical advisory group) to represent the United States on the ISO committee responsible for ISO 3864. Clarion's president, Geoffrey Peckham, was named TAG Chairman in 1996, a post he continues to hold to this day.

ISO safety sign standards are important to U.S. manufacturers for two reasons. First, is because we are a global community with an ever increasingly mobile workforce. Communicating safety across language barriers is essential if people are to remain safe when visiting or working in foreign countries. Second, if your products ship to global markets, you need to fully develop a safety markings strategy that satisfies the laws, regulations, directives and policies of the countries in which your products are to be sold. Using international (ISO and IEC) standards is key to compliance. At Clarion, we understand the international safety markings standards very well. We were the principle author behind the ISO standard for product safety labeling, ISO 3864-2. And we are closely involved in the on-going process of standards revision and safety symbol registration that is continually taking place within ISO. This is knowledge we bring to the picture when you need to make the right choices with regards to your facility and product safety signage.

Clarion's Frank Lloyd Wright Inspired Headquarters

Visitors to Clarion often remark on the beauty of our building and it's interior. Though we are a manufacturer at root, we are also a company with a high level of design competency, a competency used to tailor safety signs and labels to meet a myriad of communication needs. With an ever-growing staff, the company's president, Geoffrey Peckham, wanted to expand the Clarion's facilities. But our new headquarters needed to be more than just a building; it needed to be an inspiration in itself, a building that reflected the high quality of our work, of our unique design capabilities, and gave our employees a wonderful place to spend their time serving our customers.

So in 2001 we began the design and subsequent construction of a new headquarters building located in Milford, Pennsylvania. A word about Milford; it's a small town situated in the corner where the states of Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey meet. It's a beautiful location, adjacent to the clear waters of the Delaware River, amidst some of the most pristine State and National wilderness on the East coast. It's also 90 minutes from NYC's international airports, making it strategically well suited to the tremendous amount of domestic and international travel Clarion staff regularly take in the service of standards development and industry safety initiatives.

Completed in 2004, the building, designed by Kyle Kinsman of Kinsman Lewis Architects in Wilkes-Barre, PA, was conceived with an eye towards Frank Lloyd Wright's usonian period. Using native bluestone, glass, stainless steel, custom-milled cedar siding and a custom-made dark-aggregate concrete block, the building's materials blend nicely with its tree-filled natural setting. The windows, both high-located and mid-level, were purposefully planned to flood the interior with natural light - giving employees a wonderful work environment even in the depths of winter.

On the inside, the offices and cubicles are anything but standard. Solid natural wood surfaces, made from recycled timbers (oak, walnut and pine) were used for all desk surfaces and shelving. Purple Steelcase Leap chairs and classic black Herman Miller Aeron chairs are used by Clarion's staff, giving them the best in ergonomic seating - something which really helps to make their day's work go by in comfort.

All things considered, we love our headquarters building. Our large manufacturing facilities, located on the hill just above the headquarters, are a stone's throw away. If you're ever in the area and want to stop by, just give us a call. We'd love to show you around!

*Hazard Communication Systems (HCS) changed its name to Clarion Safety Systems in 2007.