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Chemical inventory management program

Announcements

Migration of the ChemTracker database from Stanford servers to BioRAFT ChemTracker has been completed. Please read more about gaining access to your inventory since the ChemTracker migration.

Chemical inventory at a glance

Program contact

Luis Barthel-Rosa
Manager, Chemical Management Services
University of ÁùºÏ±¦µä, Reno
Mail stop 0328
Reno, NV 89557
(775) 327-2270

Chemical inventory and delivery overview

The EH&S department maintains a campus chemical inventory for regulatory, safety and informational reasons. The methods of data collection include chemical inventory at central receiving, delivery of received chemicals, chemical inventory in buildings, and frequent pick up of empty containers. All information is tracked in an on-line database called ChemTracker. The management process and flow of chemicals at the University of ÁùºÏ±¦µä, Reno is as follows:

  1. Chemical Purchases – EH&S has no involvement with chemical purchases. Laboratory personnel purchase chemicals from their choice of suppliers.
  2. Chemical Inventory at Central Receiving (daily) – EH&S personnel inventory all incoming chemicals each day at the central receiving facility. To permit tracking of containers a unique UNR barcode number sticker is applied to each container. Laboratory personnel should contact EH&S if they see un-barcoded containers.
  3. Chemical Delivery (daily) – EH&S personnel deliver barcoded chemicals directly to the building and room where the chemical will be stored. The storage location of each container is tracked as part of the chemical inventory.
  4. Empty (barcoded) container removal (regularly) – EH&S personnel collect empty chemical containers from laboratories for disposal and removal from the inventory database. Laboratory personnel are responsible for collecting their empty containers and informing EH&S staff of their location for removal. If you wish to reuse an empty barcoded container, contact EH&S for proper accounting.
  5. Chemical Inventory in Buildings (periodic) – EH&S personnel perform physical inventory of chemicals in laboratories and other storage areas. On a building-by-building and room-by-room basis, EH&S updates chemical inventory data. The frequency of these inventory checks depends on many factors and may be performed every 1-3 years.
  6. Safety Data Sheet (SDS) Archiving (daily) – EH&S personnel upload all received safety data sheets (SDS) provided by chemical suppliers. Any SDSs that are included in chemical shipments are copied by EH&S and sent to the purchaser.

Chemical Inventory at the University of ÁùºÏ±¦µä, Reno is maintained by Environmental Health and Safety staff. The inventory is maintained by the following methods:

  • EH&S staff regularly schedule visits to buildings and rooms where chemicals are used/stored to obtain a snap-shot of the chemicals present at that time. Most buildings are physically inventoried once per year.
  • EH&S staff identify chemical containing packages delivered to the University at Central Receiving on a daily basis and inventory them before they are delivered to the recipients.
  • Since 2004, chemicals inventoried by EH&S have had a unique seven digit bar code number sticker placed on the bottle to facilitate tracking and the physical inventory. Beginning in October 2018, all chemicals barcoded by EH&S will have a unique Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) flag-tag with an eight digit bar code number placed on the bottle to facilitate tracking and the physical inventory. Please see the RFID Barcodes page for more information. Note that some chemicals are inventoried, but not barcoded. For specifics please see the Items Inventoried section below.
  • All scientific research and teaching laboratories that use/store chemicals are included in the physical annual inventory.
  • Some non-lab areas, such as the Art and Theater departments, although their inventories may be updated less frequently.

The physical inventory program started in 2004 and expanded in 2006 to include daily operations at Central Receiving.

ChemTracker

The EH&S department uses ChemTracker software to manage and store chemical inventory data.

  • Use your UNR Net ID and password to access
    This is a link to 3rd party online content; if you experience any issues accessing this content, please contact EH&S
  • You will not be able to see your PI's chemical inventory until they grant you access. Please contact your faculty research advisor (Principal Investigator, PI) to grant you access in ChemTracker.
  • You will be granted access to view only the inventory of the areas where you work; you will not be able to search the entire university inventory or see inventory of other faculty or laboratories (except by special agreed upon pre-arrangements).
  • Experience has shown that better data quality is achieved when the number of data entry users is limited.
  • Chemical inventory data is managed and updated by EH&S staff daily by inventorying all incoming chemicals at central receiving and also conducts periodic updates in laboratory spaces
  • Use ChemTracker to search and display your PI's chemical inventory.
  • Perform search by chemical abstract serial (CAS) numbers, or by chemical name, or display your PI's entire inventory.
  • You can export your PI's entire inventory to MS excel spreadsheet for broader searches.
  • Perform searches by hazards (e.g. peroxide forming chemicals, flammable, toxics, etc.).
  • If you need a chemical that is not in your inventory and you would like to "borrow" small amounts, contact luisbr@unr.edu. EH&S can assist by possibly locating the chemical you need and someone willing to loan some to you.
  • The fees for the University to access ChemTracker are paid for by EH&S. Individual departments, labs and researchers are not charged fees to access ChemTracker.

Materials inventoried

The lists below show the items that are generally inventoried, and generally not inventoried, by EH&S during the physical inventory in buildings and also at Central Receiving. If something was excluded from your inventory, please contact luisbr@unr.edu.

Items inventoried

  • All chemicals and chemical products obtained from commercial sources (including mixtures) that are considered hazardous under OHSA’s Hazard Communication Standard (29 CFR 1910.1200)
  • Long term storage or permanent secondary containers containing hazardous materials (such as fire safety cans and plastic solvent jugs) when such items are marked with either a GHS, NFPA, or HMIS label and all compressed and liquefied gases (including propane tanks)
    NOTE: These items are inventoried in ChemTracker, however they are not always affixed with a barcode
  • Unregulated radioactive materials (Uranium, Thorium compounds)
  • Kits for biological or other uses if a component of the kit is hazardous under OHSA’s Hazard Communication Standard
    NOTE: Individual kit components are not barcoded.  These items are inventoried and barcoded as a kit.
  • Hazardous consumer-type products (bleach, pesticides, herbicides, paints, items with a FDA Drug Facts label) that are going to be used in a laboratory or studio environment

Items generally not inventoried

  • Materials to be expended within 1-2 days (e.g., working solutions, solutions prepared in the lab, unlabeled secondary containers)
  • Commercial products (e.g. cleansers, dish soap) that are going to be used in non-laboratory or studio locations.
    NOTE: Household or consumer-type hazardous product will be inventoried if they are going to be used in a lab or studio
  • Regulated Radioactive materials
  • Chemicals obtained directly from laboratory synthesis
  • Microorganisms or other biologically hazardous materials
  • Non-hazardous buffers or solutions
  • Non-hazardous microbiological growth media (Agar, broths, cell growth media)
  • Items stored at or below -20 degrees Celsius

If something is not in your inventory that you would like added, contact the inventory program manager at luisbr@unr.edu.

EH&S assistance

The chemical inventory program provides the services listed below to assist laboratories in safely managing their chemical inventory. Contact Luis Barthel-Rosa for information and assistance.

  • Complete chemical inventory data for each laboratory room formatted in an Excel spreadsheet.
  • Lists of chemicals by hazard category (flammable, toxic, carcinogens, peroxide formers, etc.).
  • Lists of chemicals by compatibility storage groups to assist laboratories with proper segregation and storage of chemicals.
  • For chemicals with University bar codes, assistance with disposal of large numbers of chemicals.

Regulatory requirements

The EH&S department is responsible for maintaining certain operational permits and other local, state and federal regulations. The information from the EH&S campus chemical inventory is used to meet regulatory compliance for the following ( contact EH&S for a copy of permits):

  • Sewer discharge permits, fume hood air emissions permit, and ÁùºÏ±¦µä State Fire Marshall Hazard Material Inventory Permit.
  • Federal level regulations include Department of Homeland Security Chemical Facility and Anti-Terrorism Standard, and Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) employee exposure records.