For all of these reasons, there are many rules and regulations pertaining to the management of hazardous wastes. Some of these simply define what materials and items are deemed to be hazardous and which are not. Others outline the methods required for physically handling hazardous materials. There are specifications for the types of clear and accurate documentation that must be maintained.

Much of this documentation is associated with the amounts of these materials. Generally, they must be weighed at all steps in the process. Clearly, it is important to know how much material is generated. That can be determined by using a good quality industrial scale. Depending on the amounts and type of hazardous waste, this could be a bench scale with resolution as high as 0.001 lb. If it is a liquid that is stored in a pail, tank or drum, then a drum scale would be considered. Cylinders of hazardous liquids and gasses are weighed on cylinder scales. Platform scales, floor scales and pallet scales are used to weigh larger containers, totes and larger tanks. The weight can be recorded by hand onto the proper form. Alternatively, Arlyn Scales offers computer interfaces for most of their electronic scales. Weights can now be automatically stored in a database file, or can be printed on labels and other types of forms. It is even possible to use a USB memory stick to log the weight information from these digital scales, along with the time and date of the weighing action. This is particularly useful for maintaining high quality records.

But often, the data must be used at some other location or at some other time. The weight of a package to be shipped may need to be automatically entered into a parcel manifest. Or a label may need to be printed. A record in a database may need to be kept of the number of packages filled by the parts counting scale. The contents in the drum on the drum scale may need to be monitored from a remote location. The doctor may need to keep records of the patients weight for each visit.

An Internet connection is an ideal means for performing all of these functions. Arlyn Scales offers this as an option for all of their industrial scales. This connection may be used specifically within an individual facility. Other computers on the local area network may be given access to any or all of the connected electronic scales. Or, with the proper software, these Arlyn Scales may be viewed, and controlled from any device that has Internet connectivity. This is particularly suitable for larger organizations that may need to collect data from a number of different facilities. It is also especially useful in those situation where there are mandated documentation requirements, as the data can be sent to the appropriate database files.