Chemical Inventory

CHEMICAL INVENTORY

All labs, shops, studios and UF entities where hazardous chemicals are used and stored are required to maintain accurate chemical inventories within the LATCH module in Gator TRACS. A hazardous chemical, as defined by the Hazard Communication Standard (HCS), is any chemical which can cause a physical or a health hazard. The Gator TRACS chemical inventory is accessible to every person listed in the lab, shop or studio’s roster. The chemical inventory must be updated annually or as needed – whichever is first.

What to include in the Chemical Inventory

Chemicals that are required to be included in the inventory are all toxic, oxidizing, corrosive, reactive, carcinogenic, or flammable/combustible chemicals; as well as any liquids and gases under pressure (including liquid nitrogen tanks and compressed gas cylinders), lubricants, fuels, and oils (motor oil, gasoline, diesel, vacuum pump oil), aerosol lubricants, paints (including spray-paints), pesticides and fertilizers. Each chemical container must be added individually, no matter the volume, mass, or quantity.

What NOT to include in the Chemical Inventory

Items that should not be added to the chemical inventory (but not limited to) are:

Biological culture media, agar, serum proteins, albumin, toxins
Antibiotics, antibodies
Cell Culture items – such as Trypsin and Fetal Bovine Serum
Pre-packed test kits for medical labs (Kits – RNA kits, Luciferase assay kits, kits to make plasmids)
Enzyme preparations, specimen solution
Non-hazardous buffers
Commercially packaged drugs in solid, final form (tablets, pills) for direct administration
Commercial food, drugs, and cosmetics, covered by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration)
Materials to be used within 1-2 days (“working/stock solutions”)
Hazardous waste
Radioactive materials
Drugs compounds
Controlled substances (DEA listed)

Important factors for maintaining an accurate chemical inventory plan include:

Efficient ordering – an accurate inventory helps labs track materials that are present and prevents duplicate or excess orders.
Deliberate disposal – an accurate inventory helps to identify materials that are no longer in use as well as tracking materials that have a limited shelf-life, including those that may become dangerous over time.
Effective emergency response – chemical inventories provide valuable information to help first responders in the event of an emergency.
Compliance with hazardous material limits – fire codes limit the amount of hazardous material that may be stored within a building. Additionally, the Department of Homeland Security identifies chemicals of interest that may require additional security measures when stores above defined thresholds.