Accurate Chemical Inventory is NOT a Suggestion

Continuing our journey toward responsible chemical management, the foundation lies in maintaining an accurate chemical inventory for the science and STEM department. While legal obligations mandate a current inventory in every school within the district, the prevailing practice often involves a ‘mental listing’ residing in the minds of chemistry teachers and department heads. Establishing a dependable chemical inventory is pivotal for three primary reasons that significantly contribute to heightened awareness and effective management.  There are other aspects associated with responsible management and different dimensions to these three main pillars, which are summarized here for you.  These are not suggestions or recommendations but actual requirements.  If you do not have a current, accurate chemical inventory for the chemicals in your school, this will be invaluable to you.  

Firstly, you must know the chemicals have you have on hand in order to make informed and responsible choices.  Having an accurate chemical inventory means knowing the chemicals in your safety cabinets and chemical shelving units, their respective volumes, and specific hazards and incompatibility concerns for the materials located within the chemical stockroom. This knowledge is a legal safety standard as well as an accepted better professional safety practice which is fundamental for both safety and efficiency, ensuring that educators can easily access the materials they need for experiments and lessons.  You should also make sure that each of these chemicals has an appropriate GHS label, corresponding Safety Data Sheet (SDS) and that the bottle is not damaged, and the lid is in good working order.  This is responsible chemical management 101.   

Secondly, in the event of emergencies such as fires, floods, or vandalism, having a readily available digital chemical listing becomes crucial. Emergency services on-site may need immediate access to information on potential chemical hazards, allowing them to navigate the situation safely and effectively. Ideally, this information should be accessible online and shared as a spreadsheet for quick distribution, be it in an emergency or at the request of district personnel or OSHA inspector of local fire marshal.  The science department chair, the school building administrator and the risk management department should have access to the most accurate chemical inventory online possible in case of emergency since these are the people most often contacted first when an unplanned event occurs.  This is chemical management 102.

Thirdly, maintaining an accurate chemical inventory helps prevent redundant purchases. Knowing exactly what chemicals are on hand reduces the likelihood of acquiring duplicates or triplicates of the same substance. Such duplicates not only contribute to the overall volume of the chemical inventory but also pose an increased risk of chemical interactions within the storage area.  These are preventable hazards in chemical management and also connects to the principles of ‘Greener Chemistry’ which serve to minimize the health and environmental impact from the use of less hazardous compounds and lower amounts of the ones you do use for your demo and hands-on student activities.  Naturally, this is chemical management 103. 

Now, let’s delve into the practical steps to create and manage an effective chemical inventory:

1. Selecting an Inventory System:

   Choose a suitable chemical inventory system, be it a commercial database or spreadsheet. Please do not rely on a clipboard with some pages and notes as your only chemical inventory!  Options range from systems provided by vendors and science suppliers to creating a simplified version tailored to your specific needs.  Regardless of the inventory system you choose to use, make sure that it is accessible to the people who need it 24/7 and contains the necessary information to be practical. Select an inventory system with user-friendly features that ensure ease of operation, data input, and clear display of key information and a link to the Safety Data Sheet and ideally the ability to print GHS compliant labels.

2.  Recording Essential Chemical Data:

   Form an inventory team comprising at least two individuals for safety and compliance purposes. One team member can assess the chemical bottle, label, quantity, storage, age, and usage, while the other records crucial information for each chemical. Key data includes:

   – Name of the chemical

   – Type of container

   – Concentration or molarity

   – Estimated quantity (mass or volume)

   – Purchase date

   – Disposal date (expiration date)

   – Notation on whether the chemical remains in the inventory or is earmarked for disposal

3. Entering Data into the Inventory System:

   Once the inventory is complete, diligently input the information into your chosen inventory program. This step allows for a comprehensive review of chemicals, considering health, physical/chemical hazards, and environmental impacts.  Please be sure to provide login credentials for those people who need access 24/7 and establish a regular cadence for updating the chemical inventory.  The initial data entering is a time capital intensive activity but a requirement for responsible chemical management.  

4. Ensuring Safety Data Sheets (SDS) for Each Chemical:    For each chemical in your inventory, make certain there is a corresponding Safety Data Sheet (SDS). As a best practice, maintain a hard copy of these SDS documents in a reference binder within the preparation area. This ensures accessibility when handling, dispensing, or storing chemicals, promoting a safer working environment.  You are required to review the Safety Data Sheet prior to using the chemical(s) in your planned activity.  You should have a printed SDS on your instructor desk when a demo or hands-on activity is being conducted in case of emergency since the pertinent information will be there in the 16 sections for reference.