After nearly two years of effort, the campus-wide chemical inventory tagging project is wrapping up—and the results are remarkable. Since February 2024, our partners at Triumvirate Environmental have visited almost every lab and hazardous materials area on campus, placing barcode tags on chemical containers and logging them into the RSS Chemicals database. In total, the team has tagged more than 200,000 containers, creating one of the most comprehensive chemical inventories UC Berkeley has ever had.
Beyond tagging, the project brought several added benefits. Door...
The fall semester is under way, and Environment, Health & Safety (EH&S) would like to help get you started on the right foot with some key lab safety reminders:
Environment, Health & Safety (EH&S) will be performing audits of groups on campus with chemical inventories to check for chemical inventory accuracy. Maintaining chemical inventories to at least 90% accuracy is a prerequisite to UC Systemwide MAQ compliance
For disposal of unknowns, fill out template as completely as possible to communicate known hazards and relevant information to EH&S, or describe in comments as appropriate. Print and attach to each bottle for pickup.
Environment, Health and Safety (EH&S) is in the process of tagging all chemicals in all buildings on campus in response to new chemical inventory requirements issued by the UC Office of the President (also see MAQ project page).
Town Halls: Introduction to chemical tagging
EH&S is hotsting virtual town halls throughout the...
Maximum Allowable Quantities are maximum limits of storage and use of hazardous chemicals as established by the California Fire Code to ensure fire and life safety of occupants and first responders. MAQs will depend on the quantities, types and physical state of hazardous materials. It will also depend on building characteristics.
In the coming years, the university will conduct an analysis of MAQ levels in all buildings across campus, which will depend on complete and accurate chemical inventories.
Before tagging begins, take an hour or two to sort through your chemicals and separate unwanted waste. Centralize waste in a secure location with secondary containment. Our hazardous waste team will pick up the waste separately either the day of tagging or up to 3 business days after.
