Environmental Health & Safety
Laboratory Safety
Chematix: Inventory
The Laboratory Safety Unit (LSU) has been working with lab staff throughout the University to inventory all chemicals in research, clinical and teaching labs. LSU teams currently inventory on Monday and Thursday afternoons.
Chematix allows lab personnel to build and name Chemical Storage Units in the laboratory, i.e. Flammable Cabinet 1, Histology Fridge 3, etc. This function is particularly useful for labs with many chemicals and several rooms. Instruction on creation of Chemical Storage Units is available -
If no Storage Units are created before LSU inventories, all chemicals found will be placed in an "Undefined" storage unit.
If you do not have access to the correct rooms in Chematix please contact the Lab Safety Specialist for your department. PIs and Lab Supervisors may assign lab members to their spaces by using the User Registration Form (New User Registration Form).
Adding containers to your Inventory plus related video
- Once the LSU team has completed the initial inventory, it is the responsibility of the Principal Investigator to maintain the inventory. Adding containers to the inventory as they are brought into the lab will ensure that the inventory is correct and will reduce the amount of effort required for annual reconciliation
- This task can be assigned to any lab user with access to Chematix. If a user looking to edit their inventory does not have access to the correct areas, please click New User Registration Form
- Not all containers in a lab will need to be inventoried. EH&S has carefully selected certain chemicals that are "Exempt from Inventory". Included in these exempt chemicals are antibodies, growth media, kits, pH buffers, common salts and sugars. Environmental Health & Safety recognizes that there may be hazards inherent with the materials designated as exempt; however, these hazards are easily mitigated with good laboratory practices. These chemicals may also be covered by the hazardous waste rules and may need to be disposed of through the Environmental Compliance Unit. An exemption from the inventory requirements does not mean an exemption from the chemical disposal rules. Always verify with the Environmental Compliance Unit at 275-2056.
- List of Chemicals Exempt from Inventory
Removing containers from inventory
- Containers will need to be removed from the inventory when they have been consumed or disposed of as waste. Removing containers as they are taken out of the lab will simplify the reconciliation process and will reduce confusion.
- EH&S recommends removing barcode stickers from empty containers and placing them on a sheet of paper, saving them until the paper is full or until a more convenient time, and then removing all of the containers at once. This will save significant time and effort.
- Remove Containers from Inventory as Hazardous Waste (link to where??)
- Remove Consumed Container from Inventory
- Once a year, labs are required to reconcile their inventory within Chematix. This entails uploading a list of all of the container barcodes currently in the laboratory which Chematix then compares to what it has stored as the inventory. Chematix will then provide a list of any discrepancies between the two lists and it is the responsibility of lab personnel to resolve these differences.
- Reconciliation is the reason that actively maintaining an accurate chemical inventory throughout the year is so important. The more vigilant lab personnel are about adding and removing chemicals from the inventory the simpler the reconciliation process will be.
- Reconciling Single Labs
- Reconciling Multiple Labs
- Even labs with zero chemicals must be reconciled annually. Reconciling labs with no chemicals
Transfer
- If chemicals are passed from one PI to another, a transfer request must be submitted by the receiving PI and be approved by the sending PI. If chemicals are moved from one room belonging to a PI to another room owned by the same PI, the container must be transferred within Chematix so the location is accurately reflected in the system.
QUESTIONS or COMMENTS?
Contact EH&S at (585) 275-3241 or e-mail EH&S Questions.
This page last updated 7/12/2021. Disclaimer.
