Chemical Safety Management

The Stockroom maintains a detailed inventory of all chemical products at the Science Center, including both those received in original/virgin containers from manufacturers, and those directly dispensed from bulk containers (like 55-gallon drums) into smaller “lab use” sized containers by Mary Collis. Such chemical containers are bar-coded and inventoried through the Vertere database, and re-inventoried on a regular basis. Department personnel can access the Vertere database. However, please obtain a username and password to gain access to this database by the respective Departmental Chemical Hygiene Officer.

The Stockroom also maintains MSDS’s in both hard copy and in an electronic database for all chemical products in the Science Center through MSDSonline. Departmental personnel can access the MSDSonline database.

The best time to evaluate a chemical’s hazards and regulatory restrictions/requirements is BEFORE it’s ordered. To that end, prior to ordering a chemical, it is important to:

• Make sure the chemical is not already in stock, via the Vertere database or by contacting Mary Collis;
• Make sure that all potential hazards (Department of Homeland Security, EPA, DEC, OSHA) and pre-approval requirements are understood.

Mary Collis performs a routine “screen” on all received chemicals to identify hazard and regulatory issues. She can assist you in doing the same PRIOR TO ORDER. HAZCOM labels and hazard stickers, for “lab use” containers that are dispensed outside of the stockroom, are available from Mary Collis.

Lastly, it is important for students who are authorized to perform chemical “pickups” from the Stockroom to be both generally aware of the hazards associated with the chemical(s) they will be transporting to a lab, and have the necessary transportation equipment (such as a cart or container tote). Chemicals that are particularly hazardous (by type or volume) will either be delivered by Mary Collis directly, or only relinquished to an authorized lab employee.