Hazardous Chemical Register

MSDSs, Storage, Handling, Transport, Labeling, computer management systems, and anything else to do with safety.
linotas
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Hazardous Chemical Register

Post by linotas »

A few questions about your school wide register:

What platform do you use? (e.g. excell, chemwatch, filemaker)
Who is responsible for the overall upkeep?
Does it just have hazardous chemicals? all chemicals?
If just hazardous chemicals, do you have a separate school wide chemical inventory?
If you have a chemical inventory, where do you draw the line? as in do you include the special hand soup admin use and the dishwasher tablets in the staff room or only bulk chemicals?

I have a new role in my school...Chemical safety manager. The thing is no one actually knows what I am meant to do and trying to get decisions made is a nightmare. So I need some info to take back to the WHS committee to build my case.
Merilyn1
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Re: Hazardous Chemical Register

Post by Merilyn1 »

What I do...
I use an excel spreadsheet. I keep a separate one in each relevant area with the chemicals they have in their area and the SDSs. A combined list (and SDSs) is kept in the front office.
I'm responsible for co-ordinating the regular updating. I plan on this happening each year. I will not do the stock take for other areas, only those for whom I'm an assistant (so science and TAS). I will obtain updated SDSs for all areas.
The register must have hazardous chemicals on it. However, for science, I include all chemicals and household products. For the rest of the school, I am only concerned with their hazardous chemicals. If they include other things, I keep them on the list. Also consider the other areas - I think dishwasher tablets can be quite "nasty" so should be included.
Hope this helps.
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melsid
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Re: Hazardous Chemical Register

Post by melsid »

I use an excel spreadsheet, as it is easy to maintain and update. Science Assist has this answer posted on the website, hope it helps!

A chemical register is required for hazardous chemicals only. This does not include consumer products, which are used in a manner consistent with normal household use. Safe Work Australia have developed a useful fact sheet on this topic, see http://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/sit ... ns/Documen...

As your consumer products are being used in experiments, which is different to normal household use, you will need to first find out if the items are classified as hazardous. If this is the case, then you will need to add them to your chemical register and obtain a SDS for them. If they are not classified as hazardous, you will not be required to include them in your register.

Science ASSIST recommends for school science areas that the chemical register contains a complete list of all the chemicals that are stored and used. This is a good source of information for science staff and is helpful for the management of the chemicals.
mnguyen
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chemical register

Post by mnguyen »

Good morning all,

So its our turn to have an audit. yay! :-(

my question is, do we need to include the New safety labels (GHS)?

has anyone done this on an Excel and could you please pm.

Any help is much appreciated! :D

have a nice day
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Labbie
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Re: chemical register

Post by Labbie »

Are you private or DoE school? An audit is a chemical stock take, he may ask to see some bottles that have the new labels on GHS, but that does not need to go on the chemical register.
Regards Labbie

Lab Manager/Lab Tech, mind reading etc etc
Now retired :wub:
mnguyen
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Re: chemical register

Post by mnguyen »

Thanks for your reply Labbie,
I am in a DoE school and they need to see a chemical register. I have put in a colour coded for each chemical we have in stock, is this supposed sufficient?
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Lyn
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Re: chemical register

Post by Lyn »

My chemical register is set out on excel spreadsheet. Each class of chemical is set out on different spreadsheets. So Class 3 chemicals have a separate spreadsheet to Class 8 and so on. There is also a separate spreadsheet for the no class (nc) chemicals and separate spreadsheet for indicators. I don't colour code the chemicals however I do leave references to banned chemicals on the spreadsheets highlighted in red so that anyone looking at the register will know that these chemicals are no longer stocked or are accessible to science staff. An audit will look at the register and then at how your chemical store is set up and whether your chemicals are segregated correctly and if your oxidisers and flammables etc, are distanced enough from other chemicals and if they are stored in appropriate storage cupboards. The whole process hasn't been easy but after thirty odd years I think I finally have a workable system. I have taken information from education systems in all states as to how things should be set up and used that to make my system work. I am still learning how to do my job.
Columns on the spreadsheet are set out in the following manner:
Chemical Name; DG Class; UN No.; Packing Group I, II, III; HazChem Code/Cat.; GHS Classification; Poison Schedule; SDS Issue Date; Quantity; Supplier; Date Rec.; Comments; Stock Removal.
If you have access to RiskAssess then you can print off labels which will be GHS compliant. That program takes away the stress of wondering if you are doing the right thing.
Also make sure your safety data sheets are up to date and that this is shown on your Chemical Register spreadsheets.
Last edited by Lyn on 15 May 2020, 13:00, edited 1 time in total.
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Labbie
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Re: chemical register

Post by Labbie »

Well done Lyn Mnguyen you must have the Dangerous class of each chemical, also the packing group,
Regards Labbie

Lab Manager/Lab Tech, mind reading etc etc
Now retired :wub:
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Labbie
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Re: chemical register

Post by Labbie »

Name of Chemical Class Amount old stock new stock Place Stored Pking Group
Acetic Acid Glacial 8 1.400 F.C. 11
Acetone 3 2.000 F.C. 11
Agar +Nutrient agar 100g N-C 0.700
Alizarin Red N-C
Aluminium Chloride Hexahydrate 8 1.000 11
Aluminium Oxide N-C 0.750
Aluminium Potassium sulfate N-C
Aluminium Powder 4.3 0.500 11
Aluminium Sulfate N-C 0.800
Ammonia 10% 8 7.000 On the floor 111
Ammonia 18% 8 3.000 On the floor 111
Ammonium Acetate N-c
Ammonium Carbonate N-C 1.000
Ammonium Chloride N-C 1.000
Ammonium Dihydrogen Phosphate or Amm Phosphate Monobasic N-C 1.500
Ammonium Molybdate Tetrahydrate N-C
Sorry the layout did not come across as it should
Regards Labbie

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Labbie
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Re: Hazardous Chemical Register

Post by Labbie »

Mnguyen, the Chemical Safety in Schools thats the CSIS states, you must have the the chemcial NAME, class of chemcial, amount, Dangerous code, and Packing group, all is online in the CSIS, some schools are private and do it different, or different states require different items. Its NOT want you have open in the prep room, do you have a chemical store??
Regards Labbie

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Now retired :wub:
Merilyn1
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Re: Hazardous Chemical Register

Post by Merilyn1 »

Thanks for pointing that out, Labbie. Independent schools will usually be following legislation and Safework guidelines. In NSW, for small quantities of chemicals we are only required to keep a register - which is a list of hazardous chemicals along with the relevant safety data sheet. Of course, you can have more information if you like. Larger quantities require a manifest which has the type of information that CSIS is describing. The quantities can be found in the WHS Regulations 2017 but most schools will not come near those limits.
mnguyen
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Re: Hazardous Chemical Register

Post by mnguyen »

Good morning,
Thank you all for your input. I sort of have some idea whats required.

cheers m
mnguyen
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Re: Hazardous Chemical Register

Post by mnguyen »

Hey Ladies,
Just another silly question to you all on this fine cool morning.
To fulfil the requirement for the Chemical Register, is there a need to print out all the stock and dilution solution e.g sodium chloride 0.1M,0.5M...(seem a bit silly for me and waste of paper in my opnion) Or just the solid chemicals will do etc, from Chemwatch?.
plus what Companies do u choose from when printing these SDS, if the supplier cant send u one.?There seem to be hundreds on them on Chemwatch.
Looking forward to your input on this
cheers
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melsid
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Re: Hazardous Chemical Register

Post by melsid »

Hi,
I only count the solids/concentrates in my chemical register - anything I have made up to whatever concentration came from one of them.
I use the manufacturer's SDS from their website if I can possibly find it, otherwise I get the gold one from Chemwatch.
Happy hump day!
Merilyn1
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Re: Hazardous Chemical Register

Post by Merilyn1 »

Definitely only need to include the parent chemical. If you have made solutions, they do not get included on the SDS. The only exception is if you hold the parent chemical in Science, but the solution is stored somewhere else. If you buy in the solution, it needs to be included.
The SDS must be from the Australian manufacturer or supplier. Safework says you can obtain one from another source but it won't meet your obligations under the Regulation. Safework NSW produce a Code of Practice on Managing Risks of Hazardous Chemicals in the Workplace. This, among other things, has information on Chemical Registers.
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Lyn
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Re: Hazardous Chemical Register

Post by Lyn »

I get most of my SDS from the ChemSupply website. It is quick and easy and most of my chemicals are sourced from there by the supplier that I use. Other easy sources for SDS are ThermoFisher Scientific and Sigma-Aldrich. Also Scharlau (lots of background writing on the printouts) and ScienceLab.com (haven't used that one for a while). Seriously there have been times when anything generic with a current issue date or revision date has filled a void. Some chemical companies are not easy to get SDS information from and some companies no longer exist.
Merilyn1
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Re: Hazardous Chemical Register

Post by Merilyn1 »

With chemicals, that are pure substances, you may get away with a different company's SDS if the original company doesn't exist. I'm not saying that is the best or the right thing to do, but it may be okay. Consideration should still be given to disposing of it and replacing it with a new chemical that has a SDS available.
It wouldn't be possible to do this with a chemical that is a blend of ingredients. There is no way of knowing exactly what is in the product.
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Labbie
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Re: Hazardous Chemical Register

Post by Labbie »

When we started out doing this the DoE stated as some company's no longer exist, to use chemwatch, as long as you have a SDS for that chemical.
Regards Labbie

Lab Manager/Lab Tech, mind reading etc etc
Now retired :wub:
mnguyen
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Re: Hazardous Chemical Register

Post by mnguyen »

Thanks Ladies!
you save my day!
Have a good one
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Labbie
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Re: Hazardous Chemical Register

Post by Labbie »

bump for new members its that time of year again.
Regards Labbie

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Now retired :wub:
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