Australia's Science Forum

What are sodium sticks please?
Rosalie (another one)

the question is for Coxy. I found the item in your beautiful stock list. The colours are a great idea
Rosalie (another one)

Thank you for your prompt response and letting us access what is a lot of work.....still daunting though, going to be a busy week

Hi Rosalie,
The sodium sticks are just the way the sodium was here when I arrived: kind of long thick stilvery sticks under paraffin in a large, long tin with sealable lid. I always just called them sodium sticks because to me, sodium is salt that you put on your chips!!

Glad people are finding the list useful; I am a list person, so I have similar lists for my equipment stock, stationery, textbooks, glassware, etc.

I have just dug this thread out, as over the 'water cooler' this morning the principal said to me that she has to talk to me about the chemical register.
I do it at the end of term1 every year, and re-reading this has resassured me that I have done it well. My set out even looks similar to "Coxy"'s so i am on the right track...

Here is part of one that Ive done, its mostly to let the teacher know where the chemicals are

Hi all,

Just wondering if any of you have been asked to do a chemical stocktake for the entire school? Or do you just record science?
I've been trying to find some information on this but can't find anything other than forums but I have read somewhere that you don't need to record the chemical if it is being used for its manufactured purpose? Eg, in Visual Arts - aerosol paint cans used for art, so I shouldn't need to record this (or any paint)
However I have been.
Can anyone shed some light onto this and if you have any documentation on what is required to be included in the register, please let me know.

Thanks, and Happy Friday!

Are you a private or DoE school. DoE schools, the labbie is asked to, Only do the paper work for other depts, The head teacher of each dept, make a record of there chemcials, and we only record it on spread sheet or chemwatch, we do not need to go and have a look, its up to the head teacher only. Gosh I hope this makes sense to you Emma.Hunt?

DoE school.
Yes that makes sense, thank you.
I'm only here 2 days a week to help the full time labbie. And I've been told everyone is too busy to get it done and I'm here to go collect the details.
Before I was here I the labbie told me she would email them and ask for their stocktake but they'd be so lazy and not get back to her.
Oh well...
Thanks again for your reply

Have a word with the Principal, he is aduit once a year, and most years they require the chemical stock for the whole school. He can have a word with the Heads of Dept, a word from him/her goes a lonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnng way. We would print out last years stock take for each dept, and give it too the Principal, and he would give it out at there weekly meeting. Work very well indeed.

Hi Emma
To help you out a bit more, you only need to include hazardous chemicals on the register, it is okay to include non-hazardous, which I actually do for Science so I know what I have available. I don't get stressed too much about finding SDSs for other faculties for things like student paints, glue etc.
Also, you do not need to include "consumer products" - these are hazardous chemicals that are purchased in small amounts from a local shop and will be used in accordance with the directions on the label. eg if you bought one bottle of hand sanitiser from the supermarket it does not need to be included but if your school bought it in bulk, such as a carton of 12 or whatever, it is not a consumer product. You also need to be confident that it will be used in accordance with the directions, so something that gets used by students may need to be included on the label as we can't predict what they will do with it!
Also, the register only needs to include a list of hazardous chemicals held, where they are stored and a copy of the relevant SDS. That's the minimum, although you may choose to record more information.
These are all legal requirements for NSW, other states may be different.
Happy for you to message me if you need clarification.