“Bring out your dead!”
Implementing a campus-wide
chemical inventory system
Presented by:
Barb Beagles, EHSS Director
Katie Thomas, Occ. Health & Hazardous Waste Officer
Suzy Arnette, Lab Safety Officer & RSO
How did we get here?
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Historical methods
Catalysts
Selection process (slow & painful…)
Implementation and interns
Chematix system demo
Next steps
History
• No campus-wide inventory
– Chem dept. using CisPro Client version (not web)
– Attempted yearly inventory with Google Docs
• Last “complete” inventory for DHS top screen
• Waste managed by spreadsheet
– Lacked consistency, inefficient
– Research (waste) increasing
Should we? Shouldn’t we?
• Need $$$
• Need support
• Build internal vs. find a software
package
• Independent systems vs. dual
(inventory/waste)
• Started evaluation process for waste
system only
Pros vs. Cons
• Pros
– Regulatory compliance
– Emergency response
– Streamlined
– High hazards
– Cost savings (purchase
and disposal)
– Surplus
• Cons
– CHANGE
– Implementation
– Transitional period
– EHSS takes on even
more
And then what happened…?
• Chemistry reconciliation - dicyclopentadiene
• Crystals that were THIS BIG!
Uh oh.
• Agencies (BPD, BFD, DEQ, StateCom) involved
• Administration (VPFA, Provost, Deans, etc.)
• Handled without incident….now what?
Post Incident Action!
• “We MUST get rid of these
legacy chems!”
– Support of department chairs,
deans, VPs
– Admin support and increased $$
• Decide to bid (optional)
inventory system with
hazardous waste management
software
Bring out your dead!
• Solicited ALL legacy chemicals – toxics,
peroxide-formers, etc.
• Identified 42 containers, 19 required
stabilization
• CH stabilization
In the middle of the night….
Tiger Team!
• Solicited input from key personnel
– Start building excitement
– Feeling of ownership to encourage implementation
for those who fear change
• Departments represented:
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Chemistry (largest user, current inventory)
Biology (engaged lead, resistant faculty)
College of Engineering
EHSS (Director, Haz Waste, Lab Safety)
Purchasing
Purchasing - hurry up and wait
• Developed RFQ, contract, specs
– Surveyed other universities
– Web search for “options”
– Scoring – this became IMPORTANT
Bid Review & Selection
• Received 5 submittals
– One disqualified by purchasing
– Three selected for demo
• CisPro (Chemistry owns non-web currently)
• Chemical Safety Software (on-going discussion since
CUHWMC 2011)
• Chematix by Sivco (never heard of)
Challenge of State Purchasing
• Bound by rules and regulations
• Cost opened after demo
• Scoring became very important
– Top vendor after demo was “eliminated” when
costs opened, and scored
• And then there were two….
Making a Choice (our opinion)
• CISPro
– Chemistry using
– Robust
inventory
– Didn’t meet
needs for waste
• Chematix
– Unknown
system
– Moderately
powerful
inventory
– Very good for
waste
“Shibboleth” – the new 4 letter word
• Integration with
BroncoWeb
• Challenges - MANY
• Benefits – YES!
Implementation – calling all interns!
• Buy in from Dean of COAS and COEN
– EHSS drafted memos that both deans
distributed
– “Tiger team” met – added representation:
• Art
• Geosciences
• Coordinate directly with PIs (cc. TT member)
• EHSS and interns do ALL initial inventory
Hardware & Supplies
• Laptop, iPad
• Pre-printed barcodes on
chemically-resistant materials
• Barcode scanners
• Lots of gloves
• Patience, good music, and
good humor…
User Training
• Training individual labs • Developing Camtasia
training (coming soon)
• Vendor provided
instruction manuals
• Conducting most
training individually
– As requests made
– Lab group meetings
Inventory System
• CAD based
• SDSs
• Hazard summaries
– CAS numbers
– “Z” numbers for mixtures – SARA lists
• Hazard info
– PECs
Hazardous Waste System
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Hotlist (EPA codes)
Standard waste classes
Chemical by %
“Waste Card”
Online waste request
Chematix Demo (web)
• Inventory
– Add/view
– PECs and hazards
– Surplus
• Waste
– Waste cards
– Hotlist
– Pickup requests
– Shed storage/reporting
• Emerg responder
login
• Integration w/
university login
• Surplus
Really? There are more?!
• Finding more legacy chems during inventory
• Collecting data and will have another
event….
What does everyone think?
• Academic Chemistry
– Largest waste generator
– All labs entered as hotlist
– Speedy process!
• Waste disposal
– Some labs no longer
“hoarding”
– Improved communication
• Very positive!
• Expirations…
Meeting Our Expectations?
• Still ongoing (and learning)
– Regulatory compliance (ongoing)
– Streamlined (YES)
– High hazards (YES)
– Cost savings (purchase & disposal)
• Disposal – YES! 4 hrs. vs. 9 hrs.
– Surplus (coming soon)
Unexpected Benefit
• The Tiger Team lives!
– Members from colleges/departments interacting
– COAS/COEN & EHSS = repaired relationships
– Benefiting the overall safety culture at Boise State
– Created dissemination points for EHSS info and
initiatives
What’s next?
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Finish inventory
• Share with emergency
responders
Update CAD
Begin reconciliation
Implement receiving
process
• SDSs
• Build training
Receiving Process
• Fledgling chemical store
• EHS Tech
receive/barcode
• SDSs
• Ultimately, centralize
purchasing (we hope)
SDSs
• Link PDFs to chemicals as they’re input
• MSDS Online - $500/year to keep current
– Only one admin
– Managed by EHSS
– Call EHSS for updated
Lessons Learned
• Purchasing and RFQ process – scoring
• IT requirements – need more IT support
• What comes first? Training or
implementation?
• It. Takes. A. Long. Time.
• Some people will never change
• Learning curve for EHSS
Questions?