{"id":19423,"date":"2024-05-20T08:28:09","date_gmt":"2024-05-20T12:28:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/oehs\/?page_id=19423"},"modified":"2026-07-09T10:09:52","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T14:09:52","slug":"chemical-inventory-management","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/oehs\/laboratory-safety-home\/laboratory-safety-programs-services\/chemical\/chemical-inventory-management\/","title":{"rendered":"Chemical Inventory Management"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"page\" title=\"Page 1\">\n<div class=\"layoutArea\">\n<div class=\"column\">\n<p><span>Maintaining a comprehensive chemical inventory holds paramount importance in meeting <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/oehs\/laboratory-safety-home\/laboratory-safety-programs-services\/chemical\/chemical-inventories\/hazardous-materials-inventory-storage-in-research-building\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Maximum Allowable Quantities (MAQ) requirements<\/a>. Ensuring accurate documentation of all chemicals within a facility not only fosters regulatory compliance but also serves as a foundational element in mitigating risks associated with hazardous materials.\u00a0 A thorough chemical inventory not only aids in adhering to legal mandates but also promotes a culture of safety.\u00a0 To that end Boston University EHS utilizes t<\/span>he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/oehs\/laboratory-safety-home\/laboratory-safety-programs-services\/chemical\/chemical-inventories\/chemical-inventory-management\/bioraft-tutorial-updating-your-chemical-inventory-with-chemtracker\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">SciSure ChemTracker module<\/a> (formerly SciShield) to provide a method for tracking chemical inventory with connection to a central database that provides easily accessible links to hazard data.\u00a0 In order to ensure that your chemical inventory in SciSure ChemTracker module is accurate you have the ability to maintain your inventory as follows:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>Bulk Upload<\/em> of your existing inventory<\/li>\n<li><em>Bulk Edit<\/em> of your existing inventory directly in SciSure<\/li>\n<li><em>Chemical Reconciliation<\/em> in SciSure: This feature allows you to reconcile what you have in your inventory vs what is in ChemTracker.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4><span>What Must Be Tracked in the <\/span><span>SciSure <\/span><span>Inventory?<\/span><\/h4>\n<div class=\"page\" title=\"Page 1\">\n<div class=\"layoutArea\">\n<div class=\"column\">\n<h4><span>Hazardous Chemicals\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n<div class=\"page\" title=\"Page 1\">\n<div class=\"layoutArea\">\n<div class=\"column\">\n<p><span>You must track inventory of any research chemicals that are <\/span><span>physical, environmental, or health hazards. <\/span><span>This includes all solvents and other flammables, reactive substances, corrosives, irritants, toxics, etc. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><em>If a manufacturer has labeled a chemical container with one or more of these symbols, the chemical <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">must<\/span> be tracked in your inventory.\u00a0 For more information about what these pictograms mean, see the chemical&#8217;s SDS or view the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.osha.gov\/hazcom#Labeling_url\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">OSHA hazard communication webpage<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p><span>Examples of the GHS hazard pictograms and the older CHIP hazard pictograms are shown below.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"\/oehs\/files\/2024\/05\/AdobeStock_780748228.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/oehs\/files\/2024\/05\/AdobeStock_780748228-636x245.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"680\" height=\"262\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-19430 \" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/oehs\/files\/2024\/05\/AdobeStock_780748228-636x245.png 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/oehs\/files\/2024\/05\/AdobeStock_780748228-1024x395.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/oehs\/files\/2024\/05\/AdobeStock_780748228-768x296.png 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/oehs\/files\/2024\/05\/AdobeStock_780748228-1536x593.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/oehs\/files\/2024\/05\/AdobeStock_780748228-2048x790.png 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 680px) 100vw, 680px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"page\" title=\"Page 1\">\n<div class=\"section\">\n<div class=\"layoutArea\">\n<div class=\"column\">\n<p><span>Older chemical containers may not be labeled according to current standards. Some containers that do not have these hazard pictures are still hazardous and must be tracked in your inventory. If you\u2019re not sure, contact your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/oehs\/laboratory-safety-home\/laboratory-safety-programs-services\/lsc-toolkit\/lab-resources\/research-safety-departmental-safety-advisors-dsa\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">EHS Departmental Safety Advisor (DSA)<\/a> to ask<\/span><span>!<\/span><\/p>\n<h4>Tracking Gases in ChemTracker Inventory<\/h4>\n<div class=\"page\" title=\"Page 2\">\n<div class=\"section\">\n<div class=\"layoutArea\">\n<div class=\"column\">\n<p><span>All hazardous and non-hazardous gases (i.e. inert gases) must be tracked in your inventory.\u00a0 <\/span>Hazardous gases include any gas that is flammable, corrosive, toxic, or oxidizing.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"\/oehs\/files\/2024\/05\/AdobeStock_346244723-scaled.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/oehs\/files\/2024\/05\/AdobeStock_346244723-636x200.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"410\" height=\"129\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-19428\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/oehs\/files\/2024\/05\/AdobeStock_346244723-636x200.jpeg 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/oehs\/files\/2024\/05\/AdobeStock_346244723-1024x323.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/oehs\/files\/2024\/05\/AdobeStock_346244723-768x242.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/oehs\/files\/2024\/05\/AdobeStock_346244723-1536x484.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/oehs\/files\/2024\/05\/AdobeStock_346244723-2048x645.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 410px) 100vw, 410px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"bu_collapsible_container \" aria-live=\"polite\" data-customize-animation=\"false\"><h6 class=\"bu_collapsible\" aria-expanded=\"false\"tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\">Common Examples of Hazardous Gases<\/h6><div class=\"bu_collapsible_section\" style=\"display: none;\">Ammonia<br \/>\nBoron trichloride<br \/>\nCarbon monoxide<br \/>\nChlorine<br \/>\nDichlorosilane<br \/>\nFluorine<br \/>\nHydrogen (> 5%)<br \/>\nHydrogen fluoride<br \/>\nMethane<br \/>\nNitric oxide<br \/>\nOxygen (>23%)<br \/>\nPropane Silane<br \/>\nSulfur dioxide<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"bu_collapsible_container \" aria-live=\"polite\" data-customize-animation=\"false\"><h6 class=\"bu_collapsible\" aria-expanded=\"false\"tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\">Common Examples of Inert Gases<\/h6><div class=\"bu_collapsible_section\" style=\"display: none;\">Argon<br \/>\nCarbon dioxide<br \/>\nNitrogen<br \/>\nHelium<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<h4>Chemicals Exempt from Inventory Requirements<\/h4>\n<p>Not all chemicals need to be entered into the ChemTracker chemical inventory system.\u00a0 Below are examples of chemicals\/containers that do no need to be tracked in the inventory system:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Chemicals in small quantities that are sold as part of a kit<\/li>\n<li>Stock solutions and other mixtures of chemicals that were prepared in your lab and\/or transferred to a new container (i.e. wash bottles of solvents)<\/li>\n<li>Household products such as Clorox, Windex, baking soda, paint, etc. <em>(note: industrial strength versions of these products will need to be tracked)<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Products with no chemical hazard, such as:\n<ul>\n<li>Growth media<\/li>\n<li>Agar\/Agarose<\/li>\n<li>Amino Acids<\/li>\n<li>Sodium Chloride<\/li>\n<li>Glass beads, sand, etc.<\/li>\n<li>Glucose, sucrose, starch, etc.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>These are just a few examples. If you\u2019re not sure whether a material is hazardous, check if the container has a hazard warning on the label and SDS for the information. If you are still unsure, please reach out to your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/oehs\/laboratory-safety-home\/laboratory-safety-programs-services\/lsc-toolkit\/lab-resources\/research-safety-departmental-safety-advisors-dsa\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">EHS Departmental Safety Advisor<\/a> for assistance.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Please refer to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/oehs\/laboratory-safety-home\/laboratory-safety-programs-services\/chemical\/chemical-inventories\/chemical-inventory-management\/bioraft-tutorial-updating-your-chemical-inventory-with-chemtracker\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">SciSure ChemTracker tutorial<\/a> to learn more about adding, editing, and reconciling your chemical inventory.<\/p>\n<h4>Linked Vs. Unlinked Chemicals in SciShield Inventory<\/h4>\n<p><span>The SciSure (formerly SciShield) ChemTracker solution connects with a central database of chemical data, including hazards, regulations, and physical properties.\u00a0 When a chemical is added to your inventory if the chemical exists in the database it gets added as a &#8220;<em>linked chemical<\/em>&#8221; and if it is not in the database it gets added as a &#8220;<em>unlinked chemical<\/em>&#8220;<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Linked chemicals <\/strong>are chemicals on your organization&#8217;s instance of SciSure which are connected to the central database. These have hazard and regulatory data built in and are automatically included in regulatory reports.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Unlinked chemicals<\/strong> are local chemicals which have been created by users at your organization. These do not have hazard and regulatory data built in, and therefore do not show on regulatory reports by defaults.\u00a0 All efforts should be made to link any unlinked chemicals in the SciSure database so they are represented in the regulatory reports.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h5>Improving database linkage when importing chemical containers<\/h5>\n<p>When adding individual chemicals on the &#8220;Add Inventory&#8221; screen, users see a list of options from the ChemTracker database below the &#8220;Chemical&#8221; field.\u00a0 This allows the user to pick the intended chemical identity from the list.<\/p>\n<p>In the case of a chemical import (bulk upload), the database matching is automated, and there is no opportunity to select the best match from the database.\u00a0 This is why it is important to use good chemical identifier information when importing chemical containers.<\/p>\n<p>Here are some Do\u2019s and Don\u2019ts to ensuring the best possible association of your chemicals to the ChemTracker database:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong data-renderer-mark=\"true\">DO <\/strong>include concentration and solvent for chemical in a mixture or solution.\n<ul>\n<li>For example, use the name \u201cNitric acid, 2M\u201d not \u201cNitric acid\u201d<\/li>\n<li>For example, use the name \u201cn-butyllithium 1.6M solution in hexanes\u201d instead of \u201cn-butyllithium\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong data-renderer-mark=\"true\">DO <\/strong>include the CAS RN for pure, undiluted chemicals if available<\/li>\n<li><strong>DO NOT <\/strong>include product information, such as percent purity, in the chemical name.\n<ul>\n<li>For example, use the name \u201cHexanes\u201d not \u201cHexanes (HPLC)\u201d or \u201cHexanes, ACS Certified 99.9%\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong data-renderer-mark=\"true\">DO NOT <\/strong>include the CAS for chemicals that are mixtures or in solution\n<ul>\n<li>For example, if you provide the CAS \u201c50-00-0\u201d your record might match to the chemical record for formaldehyde (gas) in the ChemTracker database; however, it is much likely that your container is actually \u201cFormaldehyde, 37% solution with 10-15% methanol\u201d also known as \u201cFormalin.\u201d The pure\/gas chemical has different hazards, properties, and regulations associated to it.<\/li>\n<li>Linking to the pure chemical instead of the solution will impact the accuracy of ChemTracker reports.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h5>How to Increase Linking Percentage?<\/h5>\n<p><span>Multiple containers can be linked at once by using the bulk edit function within the system. Use the Linkage filter on the main containers page to locate chemicals with many containers of the same unlinked chemical. After a data import this is most likely to be certain mixtures, especially common acids (sulfuric acid, nitric acid, etc.), given the many names and concentrations available.\u00a0 See instructions below:<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Expand &#8220;ChemTracker&#8221; on the left-hand menu<\/li>\n<li>Click the &#8220;Bulk Edit&#8221; link<\/li>\n<li>Search by chemical name (such as finding chemicals entered with a typo) and filter by database linkage status.<\/li>\n<li>Click \u201cEdit selected containers\u201d button in the lower-right corner.<\/li>\n<li>Any changes indicated will be applied to all selected containers and overwrite existing data for those containers (such as replacing an existing note). Note: these changes cannot be bulk undone.<\/li>\n<li>Find the correct chemical in the database for the chemical section<\/li>\n<li>To complete the updates, click \u201cApply changes\u201d at the bottom of the page.<\/li>\n<li>If desired, use the SDS attachment functionality on the main containers page to add an SDS attachment as well<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Maintaining a comprehensive chemical inventory holds paramount importance in meeting Maximum Allowable Quantities (MAQ) requirements. Ensuring accurate documentation of all chemicals within a facility not only fosters regulatory compliance but also serves as a foundational element in mitigating risks associated with hazardous materials.\u00a0 A thorough chemical inventory not only aids in adhering to legal mandates [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3090,"featured_media":0,"parent":185,"menu_order":1,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/oehs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/19423"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/oehs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/oehs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/oehs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3090"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/oehs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19423"}],"version-history":[{"count":28,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/oehs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/19423\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20164,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/oehs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/19423\/revisions\/20164"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/oehs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/185"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/oehs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19423"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}