“Bring out your dead!”Implementing a campus-wide

chemical inventory system

Presented by:Barb Beagles, EHSS Director

Katie Thomas, Occ. Health & Hazardous Waste OfficerSuzy Arnette, Lab Safety Officer & RSO

How did we get here?• 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:– 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• Vendor provided

instruction manuals

• Developing Camtasia training (coming soon)

• Conducting most training individually– As requests made– Lab group meetings

Inventory System• CAD based– CAS numbers– “Z” numbers for mixtures

• Hazard info

• SDSs• Hazard summaries– SARA lists– PECs

Hazardous Waste System• 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?• Finish inventory• Update CAD• Begin reconciliation• Implement receiving

process• SDSs• Build training

• Share with emergency responders

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?