The NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards (NPG) celebrates its 40^th anniversary in 2018. The guide continues to be the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health’s (NIOSH) most popular document. It provides descriptive information such as recommendations for exposure limits, protective clothing, and first aid measures for 677 chemicals commonly found in the work environment. Workers, employers, and occupational health professionals use the NPG to control workplace exposures to chemical hazards and as a reference in emergencies. Fire fighters, for example, use the NPG to prepare themselves for chemical exposures they might face during responses to emergency scenarios such as an explosion, fire, or chemical spill.

To celebrate the NPG’s 40 years, we’re reprinting the hard copy and updating all versions (web and app), adding new information such as skin exposure information and additional chemicals. We are also evaluating the guide’s information for the print version layout. The current printed NPG is a 424-page, 5.25-inch by 7.5-inch, pocket-sized book. We’ve developed two new layouts and two new sizes for the print version, and we would like feedback about these new designs from those of you who use the NPG. We would also like to know how you use the guide, what industry you work in, and why the print version is important to you. Your feedback will help us redesign the new anniversary edition.

Based on our research, we’ve made some assumptions about what features might be important to NPG users. Let us know if you agree or disagree with the statements below. Feel free to suggest new ideas or recommendations.

1. The current size (3 x 7-inch) and layout of the NPG is important to keep.
2. An 8 × 10-inch version of the book would be just as useful as the current version.
3. The text size and placement of information in the current version is a good fit.
4. Adding more color is helpful in following the information.
5. Keeping the placement of information in a consistent format is important.
6. The addition of new information (skin notations, additional chemicals) makes the guide more valuable.
7. The printed version of the NPG is not my primary resource, but it is important for some uses.

Finally, we’d like your feedback on two new layouts for the guide. Below you will find images of a current NPG page layout along with two alternative layouts, Version 1 and Version 2. Please help us decide on the final design by telling us what you like and don’t like about each layout. Also, let us know what features or content you don’t see but would like us to add.

Current NPG layout

Alternative Version 1 NPG Page Layout 

Alternative Version 2 NPG Page Layout

Thanks for sharing your feedback. Watch for the NPG’s new look later this year!

Naomi Hudson, Dr.P.H., is a health scientist and coordinator of the NPG content update.

Donna Van Bogaert, Ph.D., is the Chief of the Information, Resources, and Dissemination Branch at NIOSH.