Section 6: Chemical Inventory
Each lab should have an up-to-date chemical inventory with UT Facilities Services (Facilities). The inventories are stored in a database and requests for updates are sent to labs annually. Please use the Chemical Inventory Template. (Excel spreadsheet).
Instructions for submitting a chemical inventory:
- Use the template provided above to inventory ALL hazardous chemicals and compressed gases, instructions are included on the first tab and an example is shown on the second tab.
*NOTE: Hazardous chemicals are substances that can be classified as one or more of the following: carcinogen, mutagen, teratogen, toxic, flammable, and reactive. Helpful resources for determining the hazardous properties of an unfamiliar chemical include, the MSDS, the NFPA diamond located on the label of the original container, or the UTIA Safety Office. We are always happy to assist in chemical hazard identification. - Email your inventory, in the correct format, to the UTIA Safety Coordinator at utiasafety@utk.edu.
Once the inventory has been imported to the secured database it can be viewed online. You must have permission to access the inventory. To gain permission contact the database administrator.
A copy of your inventory should be printed and put in Section Six of your CHP. This can be in the form of a printout of the inventory off the website or a copy of the Excel spreadsheet. The inventory should be examined annually and updated (both in the database system and the hard copies).
Why is maintaining your chemical inventory important?
These documents provide a good working tally of what is in the lab at any given time, and can be invaluable to first responders in emergency scenarios and environmental cleanup personnel after an event. Knowing what is in the lab, and accounting for what is most dangerous is extremely important when things go wrong. This will be an inspection item in future lab safety walkthroughs.