Safe, efficient and cost-effective management of chemical inventories at the lab or other places where chemicals are stored and used is essential to every organization’s daily operation. I say daily, because chemicals are ordered, received, transferred, mixed, used, stored and disposed on a daily basis and limiting chemical inventory to static or periodic checks can…

At a high level, inspections are a “do” and audits are a “check”. An inspection is typically something that a site is required to do to ensure that safety and compliance requirements are being met. Audit is the process of checking that these requirements are being met and that corrective actions are initiated, monitored and…

EH&S software is not a new concept, in fact, it’s being around for almost 30 years. There are numerous software applications for SDS record keeping and management, chemical inventory tracking, container transactions, waste management, workplace safety, OSHA reporting, audits, and inspections.   Most of these applications contain features that software vendors have designed to automate…

This is a question that is often posed by companies that want to move away from SDS binders with paper-based Safety Data Sheets (SDS) that are hard to find, store, manage and update. The short answer to the question is a resounding yes; however, there are conditions that must be met.   The first and…

EPA will strongly encourage the use of electronic manifests as these manifests will be the easiest and least expensive way to manage the disposal of waste. Once e-Manifest becomes effective, States will have access to the manifest data in the e-Manifest system.   Benefits of the e-Manifest Benefits of the e-Manifest system include: Cost savings…

Federal regulations require large quantity generators to submit a report every two years regarding the nature, quantities, and disposition of hazardous waste generated at their facility. EPA refers to this as the National Biennial RCRA Hazardous Waste Report or Biennial Report.   The Biennial Report form (EPA form 8700-13A/B), must be submitted to the authorized…

Today, I counted 20 years as an EH&S professional and looking back over these years I have to admit, without a doubt, that technology has transformed the way we approach EH&S.   Everything now has an e in front of what it used to be. We have SDS e-Binder, we have e-Manifest, we have everything…

The EPA Waste Biennial Report (BR) must be submitted to the authorized state agency or EPA regional office by March 1, 2018, and must include hazardous waste generation activities from the calendar year 2017.   It is important to take the time to carefully review your facility to determine the quantity of waste generated during…

Chemical Safety Software just released version 6.3 of its Environmental Management Systems (EMS). The new version offers significant enhancements to the software following requests and recommendations from our customers, as well as keeping abreast with the changes and requirements imposed by numerous federal agencies. EMS 6.3 also includes many new features and tools, including an…

Significant Changes to 2018 CERS Reporting for California: Are You Ready?   Effective December 28, 2017, CalEPA will replace the existing five (5) federal hazard categories available in CERS used for the completion of chemical inventories as part of the annual hazardous materials business plan submittal with twenty-four (24) new federal hazard categories adopted by…

EHS, ESH, HSE?  You say potayto… In our peculiar and sometimes perplexing world, coming to a consensus on as simple a task as unifying an acronym seems to be much harder than it should.   The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OHS) was America’s initial attempt to address workplace safety. An estimated 14,000 workers…

Purpose of Tier II Reports Tier II reports must be submitted by March 1st to your State Emergency Response Commission (SERC), Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) and local fire department(s). Each violation of EPCRA Section 312 may result in civil penalties of up to $25,000. The purpose of this form is to provide State, local…

The United Nations GHS Purple Book is updated every two years. The 7th revised edition of the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling (GHS Rev 7) was published in July 2017. This revision is of particular significance as OSHA already stated that it intends to update the HazCom 2012 standard to incorporate the changes…

Self-service IT Eliminates Risk and Reduces Cost as Well as Implementation Time Cloud computing (also known as “The Cloud”) for business applications has gained momentum over the past several years for organizations of all sizes. It has taken the world by storm…if you will. This is neither a fad nor a temporary phenomenon. There are…

My friend and mentor Peter Diamandis, who sounds like a relative but isn’t, and whose wisdom I hope to share with you occasionally, writes an amazing weekly blog that I encourage everyone to sign up for. Peter often talks about a world of accelerating returns, and has come up with a set of tools that…

Is a Free SDS and GHS Label database a useful tool for your organization? Chemical Safety has spent the better part of this year building, maintaining and updating a database of Safety Data Sheets by the largest manufacturers and suppliers of life science and specialty chemicals. From those SDSs, we have extracted GHS information that…

Effectively managing noncompliance and corrective/preventive actions (CAPA) related to chemicals spills and incidents in the lab or workplace is an integral part of an organization’s continual improvement plan. Non-compliance and corrective/preventive action management software for iOS and Android enables organizations to capture, track and maintain accurate information. Through the use of EH&S mobile applications (see…

The Regulation of Hazardous Waste In the United States: 1634 to the Present By: Victor Johnson, PE, Engineering Pathways   The sophistication today of computerized Hazardous Waste Management systems like Chemical Safety’s EMS software is amazing. These systems allow environmental professionals a wide range of tools to help assure environmental protection and personnel safety when…

Effectively managing chemical inventories can prevent many of the headaches that plague health, safety and environmental professionals who oversee HSE (EHS) management systems.   Examples include, but not limited to: • Non labeled containers on site • Inadequate storage and ventilation for hazardous chemicals • Storage of incompatible chemicals • Excessive hazardous chemical inventory  …

Effectively managing chemical safety is good not only for protecting workers from hazards, it is also responsible business. Womb to Tomb, an alternative industry term for cradle to grave. From creation or entry of chemicals into the workplace, to disposal this term is used to reference personal safety, health and environmental impact associated with all…