accelrys.

com 1
WHITEPAPER
INTRODUCTION
This white paper seeks to clarify one of the key aspects of
laboratory and site safety by addressing best practices in
fre code reporting. A close look is provided at applicable
fre codes, how to identify inventory afected by fre codes,
and how to leverage industry best practices for fre code
reporting integrity. The most common points of failure in
fre code reporting systems, from the transition of permits
to ongoing management and reporting, are examined
as well as how to gain control of fre code reporting to
readily satisfy regulations.
BEST PRACTICES FOR
FIRE CODE REPORTING
Addressing chemical fre code requirements in the laboratory enables organizations to
provide safety and satisfy regulatory requirements
SCIENTIFIC INNOVATION
LIFECYCLE MANAGEMENT
Accelrys is a leading provider of scientifc
innovation lifecycle management
(SILM) software supporting industries
and organizations that rely on scientifc
innovation to diferentiate themselves.
SILM systems support science-driven
product development by automating
critical processes and helping scientists
to capture, access and share data across
all phases of product development, from
research to manufacturing.
The integration of the CISPro chemical
inventory management system into
the Accelrys SILM oferings enables
organizations to manage chemicals
from receipt to disposal along the entire
lab-to-plant value chain while ensuring
EH&S compliance and safe chemical
management across the enterprise.
Figure 1. One person was seriously injured and another was hurt on January
8, 2014 in a minor explosion at biotech frm Amgens South San Francisco lab
facility. The incident was the second to injure a worker in the facility in recent
months. In May 2013, a worker for a waste disposal company was seriously
burned while collecting waste at the facility. The frm and two other businesses --
Clean Harbors Environmental Service Inc. and Thermo Fisher Scientifc Inc.s Unity
Lab Services -- received serious citations for the 2013 incident. In addition, a most
serious citation issued for $77,400 to Clean Harbors Environmental Service Inc.
WHITEPAPER: BEST PRACTICES FOR FIRE CODE REPORTING
2 accelrys.com
ENSURING SAFETY
Ensuring safety on site is high on the list of priorities for any organization. No one wants to be the
cause of pain and sufering to any employee, visitor, the surrounding community, and certainly not the
environment we are all trying so hard to protect. But accidents happen every day, many of which are
caused by errors or oversights. Addressing fre code requirements pertaining to chemical management
on site, and reporting your organizations compliance eforts will help ensure that accidents dont
happen.
The history of regulatory oversight in this area is peppered with new regulations that arose in response
to changes in society. These changes have afected everything from laboratory building codes to the
use, type and amount of chemicals in inventory required for production or research and development
(R&D) activities. There are chemicals and storage containers in the lab that simply werent a part of
production or R&D even twenty years ago, such as Honeywells ATMI Nowpak containers that are
commonly used now due to advances in chemical knowledge and handling technology. There is also
greater knowledge about the attributes of various chemicals once considered benign, such as mercury
and lead, which are now considered detrimental if used improperly.
Regulatory oversight can assist organizations in ensuring that laboratories store, handle and dispose of
chemicals safely, while also ensuring that the buildings where chemicals are stored have safety built in.
It is crucial that the local fre department know where chemicals are stored to ensure that frefghters
deploy the proper response. These regulations which range through all levels of government from
federal to state to local jurisdictions are meant to assist the organizations Environment, Health &
WHITEPAPER: BEST PRACTICES FOR FIRE CODE REPORTING
3 accelrys.com
Safety (EHS) professionals in addressing safety issues, but many times the regulations confict, confuse
and confound those who are entrusted with the safety of people and the community.
Understanding the issues surrounding fre code reporting can go a long way towards maximizing both
laboratory and overall site safety.
THE IMPORTANCE OF FIRE CODE REPORTING
Laboratory scientists and chemists are quite knowledgeable about the various properties of the
chemicals and materials with which they work. However, this type of knowledge is not enough to
prevent accidents, neither does it address or include all the requirements of the various fre codes. For
example, on July 24, 2001, a UC Irvine chemistry lab exploded, injuring three people, gutting two large
research labs, destroying years of research and causing an estimated $10 million in damage. The fre
in the physical science building was on the second foor of a six-story building and occurred when a
graduate student purifed benzene in a solvent purifcation still. The residue of the purifcation process,
metallic sodium, caught fre and caused the explosion.
Figure 2. On January 15, 2001, a fre occurred in a chemistry laboratory at Texas Tech University. A 4-liter bottle of fammable liquid
broke inside a fume hood, emptying its contents into the hood and onto the foor. Several hot plates located inside the hood ignited
the fammable liquid. A researcher was unable to extinguish the fre with two portable fre extinguishers and called 911. Other bottles
of fammable materials soon broke, providing more fuel and allowing the fre to intensify. Soon after, a small explosion occurred when
fammable materials stored in the cabinet underneath the hood ignited. The Lubbock Fire Department extinguished the fre. Poor
chemical management was found to be a key reason for the spread of the fre.
WHITEPAPER: BEST PRACTICES FOR FIRE CODE REPORTING
4 accelrys.com
Many fres start on the lab bench. A study sponsored by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)
1

of one hundred signifcant laboratory fres produced the following statistics: 71% of the fres originated
in the labs; 56% of the laboratory fres originated between 6 PM and 6 AM; and 67% were caused by:
electrical equipment (wire and appliances), 21%
misuse of fammable liquids, 20%
explosions, 13%
gas, 7%
spontaneous ignition, 6%
Safety training alone does not prevent accidents. The
laboratory environment itself must be examined to
create as much built-in safety as possible in order to
minimize damage and injury in the event of human-
error. There have been several changes to building
and fre codes to improve safety, such as the modern
requirement for fre-related control areas. In addition,
modern construction materials are often designed
to make buildings more burn resistant. While these
are important changes, there is still more that can be
done. According to industry analyst Greg Jakubowski,
Depending on their contents, laboratory fres can present frefghters with many diferent hazards and
challenges. If departments come prepared, a fast and efcient response may ensure frefghter safety and
preserve the lab; however, an uninformed response can compromise not only frefghter safety, but also
the publics safety, and can result in the loss of critical research. Fire departments must be aware of the
working laboratories in their coverage area, their contents, their activities and how to respond safely and
efectively to incidents that may occur inside them.
2
Since lab fres are a very real possibility, it is critical to ensure that businesses do as much as possible
to ensure compliance with fre code regulations. This goes beyond ensuring that the correct permits
are obtained and involves ongoing management and reporting. The more accurate the knowledge is
concerning chemicals and other regulated materials in inventory, the better the lab can report accurate
information to various agencies that need correct and current information. Leveraging best practices
will drive greater laboratory and site safety.
Fire departments must
be aware of the working
laboratories in their coverage
area, their contents, their
activities and how to respond
safely and efectively to incidents
that may occur inside them.

WHITEPAPER: BEST PRACTICES FOR FIRE CODE REPORTING

5 accelrys.com
WHAT ARE BEST PRACTICES?
Best practices are best-in-class business policies, procedures and processes that have continuously
proven successful for many organizations. The challenge lies in keeping up with the changes in both
technology and industry as these continuously impact best practices.
Best practices, as applied to an organizations fre code reporting system, involve the following:
addressing the diferent regulations in a coherent manner, understanding and identifying inventory
afected by fre codes, and addressing the regulations with a single consistent comprehensive chemical
inventory system.
These best practices are directly afected by how the chemical inventory system is organized and
managed, and are signifcantly diferent today than they were even a decade ago. With the increased use
of commercial software and the outsourcing of Information Technology (IT) tasks, many organizations
have implemented an of-the-shelf inventory management solution to ensure that the processes used to
manage the chemical inventory efectively address a wide range of regulatory requirements, including
fre code reporting.
BEST PRACTICES FOR FIRE CODE AND REGULATORY REPORTING
Perhaps the frst question to ask is the simplest: what are fre codes? In a nutshell, these are codes
designed to ensure protection from fre hazards by requiring specifc storage, handling and disposal
activities designed to ensure site safety. Fire codes are just the beginning, as there is also an array of
associated regulations that the organizations EHS professionals must ensure are met, including but not
limited to:
National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Codes
International Fire Codes (IFC)
OSHA Substance Specifc Standards
OSHA Hazard Communication Standard (HCS)
29 CFR 1910.1450 Specifc Hazardous Substances
29 CFR 1910.119 Process Safety Management
Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
6 CFR Part 27
American National Standards Institute
(ANSI) Standards
Compressed Gas Association (CGA) Standards
Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) Regulations
DEA Regulated Substances
CDC Defned Select Agents
WHITEPAPER: BEST PRACTICES FOR FIRE CODE REPORTING
6 accelrys.com
Recently, enforcement eforts have intensifed, making report accuracy more important than ever. The
requirements are usually simple enough: report on-site hazardous chemicals and where they are located
in the building(s). If a fre does occur, the local fre department will know how to contain and extinguish
it. In the event that a fre occurs, and the local fre departments knowledge is only that the building
contains hazardous chemicals, they are at a dangerous disadvantage. This lack of knowledge could lead
to incorrect decision making when responding to fre or HazMat incidents. The problems that will result
including any fscal responsibility will be considered the result of inaction on the part of the lab
responsible for the reporting.
Essentially, these requirements have been promulgated to protect workers, equipment, facilities and the
environment from the hazards associated with chemicals. Because such requirements can number in
the thousands, simply identifying all of the applicable chemical safety-related requirements that govern
any particular work activity involving chemicals can be a monumental task. Thus, this identifcation is an
important component of any chemical inventory system (e.g., Safety Data Sheets), which can and should
be purchased from a software vendor that has thoroughly researched the requirements, particularly
since the cost of these programs is reasonably low.
In addition to the above-listed regulations that address fre safety issues, there are state codes that are
based on either NFPA or ICC codes. Almost every state has already adopted and is enforcing one or more
of these model codes. So, close adherence to NFPA and ICC requirements goes a long way toward safety
compliance and best practices.
Further, in addition to the fre codes, most states have revised their business codes to address fre safety
issues. For instance, most current state building codes address use and occupancy issues, building
heights and building egress issues that are tied closely to the state fre codes. These use and occupancy
issues now defne occupancy based on use and not on occupant load. In addition, occupancies are now
subdivided into fve types, one of which is hazardous occupancies which are in turn further defned by
use, such as whether the building is used for semiconductor fabrication, contains health hazards, etc.
Based on the category in which the site or building falls, there are maximum allowable quantities (MAQs)
of hazardous materials, such as fammable liquids, for designated control areas at the site (Figure 3).
Ensuring that these criteria are continuously addressed is a best practice.
WHITEPAPER: BEST PRACTICES FOR FIRE CODE REPORTING
7 accelrys.com
Identifying the proper response is becoming a serious challenge. It is easy to determine the appropriate
response when there is only one chemist in a building. But when there are multiple tenants in a
building, each with a diferent emergency response system, it is difcult for fre departments to stage the
appropriate response.
Not only is occupancy an issue, but additional building height and area limitations are now being
enforced, with the limits based on the type of construction and the occupancy. The reason for this
relates to societal changes that are driving business changes. For example, new construction in San
Francisco, California often involves multi-story buildings with multiple occupants. In one high-rise
project under consideration, there will be a University of California (UC) laboratory in an upper story
and other tenants below. Before the recent growth of multi-occupancy buildings, there used to be only
one tenant per building, making both building and fre codes easier to enforce. New building projects
involving multiple tenants are creating a code enforcement nightmare.
The good news is that solutions are being found. Seattle, Washington, for instance, is quite progressive
and has made numerous provisions for retroftting existing buildings that have become multiple-
occupancy structures. Seattle approached the challenge head-on to protect both building heritage
and building/tenant safety. Other states will need to determine alternate means to provide equivalent
protection.
There is much more to satisfying fre codes than ensuring safe chemical storage and handling in the lab.
Recent state codes have also signifcantly changed chemical management with separate chapters and
provisions on the storage and use of a wide range of items, including:
Material Classifcation Table 5003.1.1(1) Maximum Allowable Quantity of Hazardous Materials per Control Area
a
Physical Hazards Stored
b
Use-Closed
b
Use-Open
b
Material Class
High
Hazard
Protection
Level
Solid Liquid Gas Solid Liquid Gas Solid Liquid
Lbs.
(Cu.Ft.)
Gal.
(Lbs.)
Cu. Ft.
Lbs.
(Cu.Ft.)
Gal.
(Lbs.)
Cu. Ft.
Lbs.
(Cu.Ft.)
Gal.
(Lbs.)
Flammable
Liquid
c
I-A 2 or 3 30
e,f
30
e,f
10
e,f
I-B & I-C 2 or 3 120
e,f
120
e,f
30
e,f
Combination
(I-A, I-B, I-C)
2 or 3 120
e,f,l
120
e,f,l
30
f,l
Figure 3. This table highlights the maximum allowable quantities of hazardous materials per control area for a fammable liquid
according to the California Fire Code 2013.
CFC:
Has Separate
Line Items
CFC = 60 Gal. CFC = 60 Gal.
CFC = 15 Gal.
Hazardous Materials
Aerosols
Combustible Fibers
Compressed Gases
Corrosive Materials
Cryogenic Fluids
Explosives and
Fireworks
Flammable and
Combustible Liquids
Flammable Gases
Flammable Solids




Highly Toxic and Toxic
Materials
Liquifed Petroleum
Gases
Organic Peroxides
Oxidizers


Pyrophoric Materials
Pyroxylin (Cellulose
Nitrate) Plastics
Unstable (Reactive)
Materials
Water Reactive
Solids and Liquids
WHITEPAPER: BEST PRACTICES FOR FIRE CODE REPORTING
8 accelrys.com
If a buildings tenants have any of the hazardous materials that fall within the list above on site, the
building has to meet control area requirements. Previous code iterations dictated a simple requirement
of four control areas per building. Now, the code uses a more complex formula and prorates the
amounts of hazardous materials allowed per foor based on where they are kept, with the amounts
being reduced the higher up the materials are in the building. As a result, it is more critical than ever
to have an accurate list of inventories by hazard class. All the tenants in the building must submit
this information. In addition, there are multiple occupancy types that must be addressed; hence, the
difculties associated with reporting escalate exponentially.
Additional issues of concern include requirements for walls that incorporate fre barriers with designated
minimum burn rates (such as no less than three hours). Many labs will need to revisit what chemicals
they have on site, how all the diferent chemicals are stored and whether they meet the current
parameters. Retroftting is possible as witnessed by Seattles success, but many organizations will need to
implement new laboratory control areas.
ADDRESSING FIRE CODE SAFETY AND REPORTING DEFICIENCIES
One department alone cannot solve the challenge of addressing hazardous materials management
in a way that meets code requirements. For example, the lab may be involved in purchasing materials,
but is not the central authority. Typically only bits and pieces are known individually, without
complete knowledge of the full inventory picture anywhere in the organization. Achieving a complete
understanding of the inventory on site is a team efort involving laboratory management, facilities
management, inventory management and the EHS professionals.
When determining inventory information for a new site, EHS cant provide the reporting information
regarding chemicals without working with the lab to defne what chemicals are necessary for the work
planned. Facility managers need these reports to submit with their construction plans in the case of
new buildings or with ongoing reporting requirements for existing sites. Accurate inventory must be
performed and tables provided on the inventory data for every building.
One of the key areas where fre code safety and reporting defciencies occur is the transition from permits
to ongoing management and reporting. Starting a program is very diferent from maintaining one.
Many organizations still rely on paper-based inventory logs or static spreadsheet programs to manage
inventory. This is acceptable if the organization is static; however, few organizations ft that model.
Even so, these practices cannot keep up with the reporting demands in todays information-intensive
environment. Because reporting requirements are focused on confrming the accuracy of the data, best
practices involve access to real-time inventory information for accurate reporting.
WHITEPAPER: BEST PRACTICES FOR FIRE CODE REPORTING
9 accelrys.com
GAIN CONTROL OF FIRE CODE REPORTING
Three of the most important points to keep in mind when addressing fre code and regulatory reporting
are: the tasks associated with planning reporting tools and activities, the permits required to perform
associated chemical management tasks, and the ongoing management tasks and systems used to
support the reporting.
Typical fre code reports provide a copy of the site foor plan showing the location of the materials
including: by container, the CAS/DOT ID#, the type of container, the size of the container, the container
contents, the number of containers and the total amount of the material on site as well as its
common name. Many organizations have used spreadsheets to track this information. Unfortunately,
spreadsheets are only as current as the last update, and do not provide real-time inventory information.
The right reporting tool is critical to fre code reporting success, whether providing accurate inventory
reports for a new building or reporting inventory status for an existing one. A digital chemical inventory
system helps to satisfy fre code regulation obligations by maintaining up-to-date inventories of the
laboratory chemicals and providing reports for various agencies in a timely manner.
A Commercial Of-The-Shelf (COTS) chemical inventory system enables lab personnel to keep track of
where chemicals are and what quantities are available. A COTS solution also enables labs to generate
reports listing chemicals by location, vendor, name, CAS number, formula, etc., and quickly access hazard
information during an emergency.
Best practices chemical inventory systems provide a high-performance, relational database system for
tracking chemicals and other laboratory supplies. Accurate, real-time inventory information enables all
types of laboratories to operate more efectively, regardless of whether the facilities are regulated or non-
regulated or whether Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) are utilized. A truly efective best practices
solution, however, goes beyond inventory management and government compliance. Such a best
Best Practices Chemical Inventory Management
Defne hazard classifcations on site
Implement an electronic chemical inventory system
Identify and input applicable chemical and materials inventory into the system
Audit the system against existing fre code safety and reporting processes
Conduct a gap analysis
Develop end-to-end fre code safety and reporting SOPs that dovetail with the system
Train users in fre code safety and reporting requirements
WHITEPAPER: BEST PRACTICES FOR FIRE CODE REPORTING
10 accelrys.com
practices chemical inventory system will address each stage of the
chemical management lifecycle, which begins with procurement
and extends through use and disposal of chemicals. In addition to
making it easy to add items to inventory, it must be just as intuitive
to ensure that empty containers and out-of-date materials are
removed and disposed of correctly as well as to ensure that the
system can recover information.
Gaining control of inventory for fre code reporting purposes
starts with obtaining a best practices chemical inventory system.
Implementing the system begins with populating the database
with inventory information. All chemical inventory for a new
facility should be bar-coded which automatically adds items to the
database when the bar codes are scanned (Figure 4). The inventory
is then categorized (manually or automatically as specifed by the
organization) and maintaining the database is easy (Figure 5). For
existing facilities, populating the database with existing inventory
can be a signifcant challenge. But even for this task, tools exist.
For instance, Accelrys has a Rapid Loader software solution that
allows fast physical inventory to get a site up and running quickly.
Rapid Loader loads chemical and container information into the
electronic inventory system quickly and efciently.
After populating the chemical inventory system database with existing inventory, an internal audit must
be performed to check not only for accuracy and completeness, but to determine how well the system
conforms to fre code safety and reporting requirements. Most commercial chemical inventory systems
dont have this capability built in, and take considerable customization to meet fre code requirements.
Figure 4. Utilizing bar codes and a bar code
scanner enables organizations to quickly, easily and
automatically add items to the chemical inventory
database when the bar code is scanned.
Container
CAS/DOT ID# Type Size Material #of Total Qty Common
Name
1075 Cylinder 30lbs Steel 10 300 Propane
Figure 5. Bar code scanners typically display information concerning the CAS ID#, type and size of container, the container material and quantity as
well as the total quantity, and of course, the name of the material being received.
WHITEPAPER: BEST PRACTICES FOR FIRE CODE REPORTING
11 accelrys.com
For this reason, Integrated Engineering Services collaborated with Accelrys on the development of
two software modules to help users meet Hazardous Material Inventory Statement (HMIS) reporting
requirements. Accelrys CISPros Fire Code Reporting module and the HMIS Classifcations database
produce accurate documents formatted to meet both IFC and NFPA code requirements. The Accelrys
CISPro Fire Code Reporting module enables the easy transformation of that chemical inventory
information into the exact formats required for building and fre code compliance. It interacts with
the Accelrys CISPro chemical inventory system seamlessly and transparently to allow users to set up
reports for hazardous materials based on a variety of properties from physical and structural to quantity,
location, ingredients, etc., depending on the code requirement (Figure 6). The Fire Code Classifcations
database provides values for over 8,000 potentially hazardous chemicals, and works synergistically with
the reporting module. It is the most comprehensive such database available and helps users compile
the information for their reports. Access to this database and the formatted reporting signifcantly
streamlines the production of accurate reports.
Figure 6. Accelrys CISPros HMIS Classifcations database and Fire Code Reporting module streamline compliance for organizations such
as biotech and pharmaceutical companies that are producing more chemicals as a result of automation, and thus generating more
regulatory oversight.
WHITEPAPER: BEST PRACTICES FOR FIRE CODE REPORTING
12 accelrys.com
Because code specifcations throughout the country are being consolidated, and enforcement eforts
have intensifed, it was critical to ensure that these solutions could keep pace with those changes. Thus,
fexibility is built in, and the modules are updated frequently as reporting requirements evolve.
After the inventory system has been audited, conduct a gap analysis to determine whats missing with
regard to fre code safety and reporting, and develop and implement the necessary SOPs to address the
regulations and dovetail the system with the SOPs.
Once the system satisfes both the organizations internal operational requirements as well as relevant
external code requirements, train the users in how to use the inventory system and in fre code safety
and reporting requirements.
Training is the biggest hurdle for most organizations and involves not only getting everyone to use the
system but assigning a gatekeeper for it. Most organizations do not have a single person who acts as an
inventory gatekeeper. Operating without a gatekeeper is comparable to jumping without a parachute;
if the distance is short, youll be OK, and if it isnt then all sorts of problems can arise. The gatekeeper is
responsible for ensuring that nothing comes on site without being added to the inventory system and
that no orders are placed for inventory items outside of the system. To do this successfully and eliminate
any covert ordering activities, an educational process must underscore how advantageous it is to use the
new system. Focusing on code compliance is not terribly interesting to the average user. Instead, focus
on easy access to materials and the assurance that users wont run out of the chemicals they need. One
Life Sciences company, for example, solved this challenge with an innovative in-house chemical delivery
program modeled after a popular pizza delivery scheme. In this companys case, users receive materials
within 30 minutes of ordering or its free and their department is not charged. This something-for-
nothing concept ensured rapid adoption of the new inventory system; once users found out how easy it
was to order materials, they continued to use the system. The gatekeeper for the inventory system must
be aware of inventory usage trends in order to be responsive to the organizations needs and ensure the
systems success.
Thus, the more robust and comprehensive the chemical inventory system, the better the gatekeeper is
able to perform not only ongoing inventory management tasks, but act proactively in a Just-in-Time (JIT)
fashion that better enables the organization to control costs. JIT inventory delivery can be performed
with inventory storage on-site as shown in the example above. JIT purchasing from suppliers on an as-
needed basis also lowers costs. But the organizations stockrooms can also be kept of-site or centralized
at a single site, thus mitigating many building and fre code reporting requirements. Alternatively,
on-site stockrooms can be owned by the supplier and not the user organization similar to the in-store
pharmacies found in drugstores. Choosing the most appropriate JIT approach depends on a number of
factors, ranging from the size of the lab, to the number of chemicals required on site, rate of chemical
usage, building type, etc.
WHITEPAPER: BEST PRACTICES FOR FIRE CODE REPORTING
13 accelrys.com
It is critically important for the organization to accurately manage and report hazardous materials.
Failure to report hazardous materials is a violation of the fre code and a class one misdemeanor,
punishable by a fne of $2,500 or by up to six months imprisonment or both. Each day that a violation
continues unabated it is considered to be a separate ofense, so the misdemeanor can magnify
exponentially.
Finally, from a risk analysis standpoint, compliance is the only way to go. If an accident occurs and
the site was discovered to be out of compliance, the organization will not be covered for the loss.
Implementing a best practices chemical inventory system that helps the laboratory and the organization
address fre code reporting requirements not only helps ensure compliance, but also makes good
corporate and fscal sense.
SUMMARY
In summary, a best practices chemical inventory system must be extremely adaptive to the needs of
all types of users, whether it is the chemist ordering supplies or the gatekeeper managing the system.
Inventory purchasing must be streamlined to make this work, with automatic email triggers that notify
the gatekeeper when inventory reaches a specifed amount, and a method for removing an item from
the system when the container is empty.
Leveraging the best practices described above provides the assurance that the chemical inventory
system your organization implements is efective, thereby driving inventory integrity. Regardless of what
chemicals or supplies are kept on site, upon receipt all material is categorized, entered into inventory
and labeled appropriately, ensuring that the inventory data you report is accurate.
Compliance with EHS regulatory requirements is a key component of inventory integrity. An accurate
inventory makes it easier to ensure regulatory compliance. In short, inventory integrity can drive three
key benefts for your organization:
Regular inventory maintenance will purge hazardous material from your site in a timely manner.
A best practices chemical inventory system reduces inventory on site, and thus reduces risk.
Reduced risk reduces liability.
An efcient, real-time chemical inventory system helps your organization with emergency preparedness
goals in many more ways than just streamlining inventory management activities, containing inventory
costs and complying with regulations. It will help maximize laboratory and overall site safety for
everyone involved.
WHITEPAPER: BEST PRACTICES FOR FIRE CODE REPORTING
14 accelrys.com
REFERENCES
1. Rose, Susan; Flamberg, Stephanie; Leverenz, Fred, Guidance Document for Incorporating Risk
Concepts in NFPA Codes and Standards, The Fire Protection Research Foundation, March 2007.
2. Jakubowski, Greg, Fire Attack: Jeckyll & Hyde Fires, FireRescue Magazine, November 2006, Vol 24,
Issue 11.
ACCELRYS CHEMICAL INVENTORY MANAGEMENT WEBINARS
For more about fre code reporting and compliance, watch this webinar from Accelrys:
What Every EHS Manager Needs to Know About Fire Code Compliance
ACCELRYS CHEMICAL INVENTORY MANAGEMENT WHITE PAPERS
For more about chemical inventory management best practices, please request these other white
papers from Accelrys:
Best Practices for Managing Chemical Inventory
Best Practices: Quantifying the Financial Benefts of Chemical Inventory Management
Best Practices: How to Survive a Chemical Management Audit
Best Practices: How to Successfully Contract Chemical Tracking to Managed Service Providers
Best Practices: Integrating Safety Data Sheets with your Chemical Inventory System
Best Practices: How to Gain Complete Control of Your Chemical Inventory
Best Practices: How to Drive Down Lab Operating Costs with Web-Delivered SaaS Solutions
Best Practices: How to Ensure Chemical Inventory Safety and Compliance with Regulations
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jef Tarter is a principal with Integrated Engineering Services in Santa Clara, CA. He has a B.S. in Chemical
Engineering and is a Certifed Hazardous Materials Manager with extensive experience in regulatory
and environmental issues. He is an expert on the International building, fre and mechanical codes,
and NFPA requirements relating to the storage, handling and use of hazardous materials, as well as air
quality and wastewater pretreatment standards, and emergency response requirements. As a former
regulatory agent, Jef has developed numerous regulatory guidelines, served on several hazardous
material subcommittees and actively participated on various code rewrite committees. As an Integrated
Engineering Services consultant, Jef has primarily been involved in the design of hazardous material
transport systems, solvent dispense and waste collection systems, toxic gas installations, wastewater
treatment and exhaust abatement systems. Jef can be reached at JefT@Intengr.com.
WHITEPAPER: BEST PRACTICES FOR FIRE CODE REPORTING
15 accelrys.com
ABOUT ACCELRYS
Accelrys is a leading provider of scientifc innovation lifecycle management (SILM) software supporting
industries and organizations that rely on scientifc innovation to diferentiate themselves. Accelrys
software applications for Scientifc Data Management, Modeling and Simulation, Research Informatics,
Laboratory Informatics, Enterprise Quality Management, Environmental Health & Safety and Operations
Intelligence enable innovators to access, organize, analyze and share data in unprecedented ways
ultimately enhancing innovation, improving productivity, reducing compliance risk, lowering costs,
enhancing sustainability and accelerating products from research to manufacturing. For more
information about Accelrys, visit accelrys.com.
The Accelrys CISPro chemical inventory management system supports Accelrys SILM oferings by
enabling organizations to manage chemicals from receipt to disposal along the entire lab-to-plant value
chain while ensuring EHS compliance and safe chemical management across the enterprise. For more
information, visit accelrys.com/cispro.
WHITEPAPER: BEST PRACTICES FOR FIRE CODE REPORTING
16 accelrys.com
APPENDIX A
COMPONENTS OF A BEST PRACTICES CHEMICAL INVENTORY SYSTEM
A chemical inventory system should accommodate all basic inventory management tasks. It should
manage all the steps associated with registering a material, including receipt (data entry and barcodes),
sample collection, results entry, verifcation, approval, lot release, re-labeling, requisitioning, dispensing,
storage and container deletion.
Any well-designed inventory system should enable the organization to avoid duplicate ordering and
high disposal costs. Features like barcode labeling and tracking, remote inventory control and automatic
e-mail notifcations enable the organization to know exactly, real-time, where materials are and what
they are, as well as when those materials are set to expire, regardless of how many users and material
classes the system must accommodate.
The system should provide a wide range of functionality, including listing expired materials for a user
(owner) and for a site; a mechanism for deleting individual containers or a series of scanned containers;
create, edit and delete permissions for various operations in the system; the ability to accommodate
parent/child or split container relationships; and, duplicate materials clean-up. In addition, because
raw material lots are typically only approved for certain periods, the system should also be able to
automatically initiate re-sampling and re-testing prior to materials going out of date.
The organization will need to be able to search the chemical inventory system for material that has been
approved for use. All material usage should be logged into the system, so that the system is always
current and can refect exact amounts of any specifc material in inventory.
It is important to consider who will be using the system. A large production line will utilize a dedicated
production system with a dedicated team of users. A lab, however, typically does not have the luxury of
staf that perform only one function. The optimal chemical inventory system for a lab would thus be a
versatile solution with which anyone in the lab or Environmental Health & Safety (EHS) department can
interact at various defned permission levels. For instance, the system should be able to defne a general
user who will be able to view all screens and write/edit requisition screens; an analytical user who will
view all screens and have permission to perform write/edit requisition, result and verifcation screens;
container owners who can manipulate containers they own; and higher level groups (e.g. raw material
groups) who have the ability to manipulate containers under their group control.
WHITEPAPER: BEST PRACTICES FOR FIRE CODE REPORTING
17 accelrys.com
Obviously a web-based solution that utilizes familiar web browser screens and resembles typical work
processes would entail the least amount of training and easiest adoption. The downfall of many custom-
designed chemical inventory management systems is that they are too difcult to use. The result is that
only a few people in the company have the knowledge and patience to use the system. Accuracy and
timeliness of the chemical inventory data sufer. Valuable time may be lost when experiments must be
stopped because the necessary chemicals are not on hand. In a research organization, EHS and lab
personnel should both be able to interact directly and intuitively with the system.
With regard to regulatory issues, the frequency with which federal, state and local safety regulations are
being updated is not only occurring more often, but those regulations are also increasing in number
and complexity, making it confusing and difcult to ensure compliance. When those regulations
concern chemicals, it is vital therefore that the system enable the organization to easily comply with
the regulations, ensure safe chemical management and produce accurate chemical inventory reports.
Most laboratories today must be operated in accordance with a variety of government regulations; thus
it is important to avoid noncompliance situations caused when chemical inventory management is
inconsistent or inefective.
Any time chemicals are in use, safety is an issue. In the event of an accident, the correct information
needs to be available on the spot. A chemical inventory system should provide details about exactly
what chemicals are available and where they are. Safety information about those chemicals should be
readily available, whether as an SDS or as customized handling instructions.
The features described above list the minimum functionality an efective real-time chemical inventory
system should provide. However, a robust comprehensive solution should also manage material
lifecycle from cradle-to-grave.
The material lifecycle starts with receipt and tracks material quantities, analysis, and disposition, as
well as controlled use (where used and when). This capability is important because it allows the
organization to have better accountability and visibility for their chemical inventory. By knowing and
being able to track this aspect of operations, the organization is better able to estimate the material
demands by department.
Going beyond the minimal requirements for a chemical inventory system frees the organization to
focus time and energy on better managing their products and processes rather than on managing
their inventory. A lifecycle-oriented system thus provides numerous additional benefts, not the least
of which are a higher level of material data lifecycle and approval processes, automatic retesting,
permission controls levels and complete archiving and versioning.
18 accelrys.com Accelrys Software Inc. All brands or product names may be trademarks of their respective holders.
WP-7520-0414
WHITEPAPER: BEST PRACTICES FOR FIRE CODE REPORTING
After ease of use, perhaps the most important capability of all is regulatory compliance. Most labs
must be operated in accordance with a variety of government regulations; the lab should not be
noncompliant because a system isnt efective or used properly.
Systems fail because they arent easy to use. This touches on two issues: internal compliance and
regulatory compliance. Internal compliance is driven by usability. If users fnd it difcult to use the
system, they may use it incorrectly or only occasionally, so that material could be exceeding limits or be
so far out of compliance it impedes workfows. And the organization might not discover this until an
external audit takes place a poor time to fnd out.
With regard to regulatory compliance, a difcult-to-use system can generate numerous problems.
Not only should it be easy to receive material into the system, it should be easy to remove material
and empty containers. If material and/or hazardous waste dont get disposed of properly, the facility is
out of compliance.
Finally, not only is it important to ensure that the system gets used properly and efectively, the
organization needs to determine whether the system can perform auditing and what types of audit
control it has. The chemical inventory system should support inspections by the fre department,
EPA, FDA and OSHA by providing tools for compliance. The system should accurately track chemical
inventory and allow the design and generation of reports that document compliance at any time. The
system should assist in preparation for OSHA audits or SARA and Tier II reports by producing accurate,
thorough reports quickly and easily.
A best practices chemical inventory system will provide end-to-end assurance that your organization
manages chemicals safely, in compliance with regulations, and takes advantage of opportunities to
control chemical costs and streamline chemical workfows.