Instructions for Completing a Chemical Inventory on Paper


The chemical inventory Blank Data Entry Form displays the required fields that must be filled out and submitted. This form may be submitted for inventories of less than 25 items. Electronic submission is required for larger inventories. To fill out mixture component information, use the Blank Data Entry Form for Mixtures.  For each item in your inventory, the following information is required (see codes and lists on the back of this page under “Codes for Field Choice-Lists”):

FIELDS TO REPORT

Required Room Information:

• Room If no room number exists, make up a code to describe the location
• Building Formal name of building
• Floor Enter the number or letter designation for your floor
• Organization Formal name of department or organizational unit
• PI/Responsible Manager The principal investigator or responsible manager in charge of the room
• Inventory Contact The person who has taken down the inventory information
• Emergency Contact The person who will be available to answer questions in an emergency
• Room Use Pick the most descriptive choice from the list

Required Chemical Information:

• Prefix If applicable, this is the part of the scientific chemical name that precedes a hyphen (e.g. "1,1,1-" for 1,1,1-Trichloromethane)
• Item Name The name on the label of the item being inventoried (do not use abbreviations or formulas)
• State Solid, liquid, or gas
• Type Pure or mixture. For a mixture, you must list components
• Cat. Category or product type; choose from list
• On Hand The actual numerical amount of the item that is currently on hand
• Est. Max. The estimated maximum amount on hand at any one time
• Yr. Usage The estimated total amount used during the calendar year
• Unit The common unit of measure
• % The concentration of the chemical in percent (%)
• Cont. Type The type of container the item is stored in
• Loc. The storage location of the item within the room

For Mixtures:

You must list the hazardous components of mixtures and their percentages; attach this information separately on the Blank Data Entry Form for Mixtures.

Optional information:

• User Code You may make up a code (up to 5 characters) to further organize your inventory
• Manufacturer

This information is useful for MSDS retrieval
• Description A synonym, commonly used shorter name, or formula for the chemical


NOTES:

The Chemical Index in the Chemical Inventory database will fill in other information, such as CAS number and hazard class, for most chemicals (if there is a match). For chemicals not currently in the room but usually found there (or chemicals you plan to use in the next year), please list the expected amount under "estimated maximum" and put "0" for the amount "on hand." For all chemicals in your inventory, it is important to estimate the maximum amount at that location at any one time. This estimate provides more flexibility in the amount you use without requiring an update to EH&S. Estimated annual usage amounts are important values for EH&S calculations when reporting to regulatory agencies. For gases, report in cubic feet at standard temperature and pressure, whenever possible.

Codes for Field Choice-Lists


Room Use:

Animal Quarters Lab- Research Shop- Trades
Athletics/Recreation Lab- Service Storage- Coldroom
Boiler Room Lab- Teaching Storage- Custodial
Clinic Machine Room Storage- Laboratory
Cooling Tower Museum/Collections Storage- Other
Darkroom/Photoprocessing Shop- Crafts (zones) Storage- Tank, Aboveground
Elevator Room Shop- Departmental Storage- Tank, Underground
Food Facility Shop - Other Storehouse/Stockroom
Greenhouse Shop- Paint Waste- Haz./Accumulation
Lab- Other Shop - Research Waste - Rad./Accumulation

State, Type, and Category:

State   Code — Category Code — Category (cont.)
gas   cu - Custodial/Cleaning of - Office Supplies
liquid   dr - Drugs/Pharmaceuticals pa - Paints/Finishes
solid   fe - Fertilizers/Grounds pe - Pesticides
    fu - Fuels ph - Photographic Materials
    lc - Lab/Research Chemicals po - Pool Maintenance
Type   ms- Maintenance/Shop  
mixture      
pure      

Units of Measure:

Solids Liquids Liquids (cont.) Gases
cf- cubic feet   cc- cubic centimeter ml- milliliter   cf- cubic feet
gm - gram   gal- gallon oz - fluid ounce   gm - gram
kg - kilogram gm - gram pt- pint kg - kilogram
lb- pound   kg - kilogram qt - quart   l- liter
mg - milligram   l - liter   lb - pound
oz - solid ounce   lb - pound

Container Types:

("cont. type" field) Note: enter the largest container you use for that material
Code — Container   Code — Container (cont.)
ba - Bag   gl - Glass bottle or jug
bx - Box   ot - Other
cn - Can   pl - Plastic bottle or jug
cy - Cylinder   ta - Tank (above ground)
df - Drum (fiber)   tp - Tank (portable)
dm - Drum (metal)   tu - Tank (underground)
dp - Drum (plastic)    

Storage Locations:

Code — Location   Code — Location (cont.)
b - Bench Top   fh - Fume Hood
c - Cabinet   g - Ground/Floor level
cr - Cold Room   gc - Gas Cabinet
f - Freezer   r - Refrigerator
fc - Flammable Cabinet   s - Shelf