4.0 Chemical Inventory
Revised February, 2021
An inventory of hazardous chemicals present must be maintained for each work area that utilizes and stores hazardous chemicals. The identities of the hazardous chemicals on the inventory must correspond with the identities of their corresponding SDSs.
4.1 Inventory Information
The chemical inventory must contain the following minimum information:
- Name of chemical
- Vendor
- Approximate quantity on hand
- Building and room where chemical is stored
4.2 Chemical Inventory Procedures
Chemical inventory management at the University is divided into the two broad programmatic areas of laboratory and non-laboratory areas. Laboratory areas are generally utilized for academic education and research and are typically science and engineering programs but also include arts and agriculture programs. Non-laboratory areas are generally facilities and maintenance operational areas, service shops, and medical clinics.
4.3 Chemical Inventory in Laboratory/Academic Teaching and Research Areas
The chemical inventory of laboratory areas is completely managed by the EH&S Department. EH&S staff inventory all incoming (newly purchased) chemical containers, apply a bar code sticker to each container to track their location on campus, and deliver the containers directly to the location where they will be used. As containers are emptied, laboratory personnel notify the EH&S department to remove empties from laboratory rooms for disposal. All chemical inventory data (adding, transferring, editing, deleting chemicals) is managed in an electronic database by EH&S staff. Laboratory personnel can contact EH&S to gain access to their chemical inventory either on-line or in spreadsheet format.
Non-University entities that use laboratory space may have different inventory management procedures as designated in their respective space usage agreements.
4.4 Chemical Inventory in Non-Laboratory Areas
The chemical inventory of non-laboratory areas is managed by each individual program or departmental area. Each program area is responsible for providing EH&S with a copy of their chemical inventory in pre-formatted Excel spreadsheets, which are provided by EH&S. At a minimum, each program area will update their inventory annually to EH&S, although quarterly or semi-annually updates are preferred. The best accuracy is obtained by managing the inventory on an ongoing basis as chemicals are purchased and disposed. EH&S will maintain an electronic archive of each program’s inventory in an electronic database. Non-laboratory personnel can contact their supervisor to gain access to their chemical inventory, supervisors can contact EH&S for access to their inventory either on-line or in spreadsheet format.