California Assembly Bill 2286 (AB2286) requires all regulated businesses and all regulated local government agencies (CUPAs) to use the internet to file Unified Program invormation now filed via paper copy. This includes facility data regarding hazardous material regulatory activities, chemical inventories, underground and above-ground storage tanks, and hazardous waste generation. It also includes CUPA data such as inspections and enforcement actions. All regulated businesses and Unified Program Agencies in the state of California must use the internet to file by January 1, 2013.

BEFORE YOU CAN REPORT YOUR REGULATED CHEMICALS YOU MUST KNOW WHAT YOU HAVE

With EMS-CERS businesses can easily record, update and report regulated chemical and related information in both paper and electronics formats using menus and one-click buttons with a program that is easy to learn and operate. Additionally, businesses can store and retrieve Material safety Data sheets (MSDS), search for safer chemical alternatives and manage facility operations.

The EMS-CERS Quick Start home page gives you one-click access to your most importatnt activities, all in one place.  It presents a big-picture view of how everything fits together, and helps guide you from one task to the next.

EMS-CERS allows you to easily import data that has been previously uploaded to the CAL-EPA Electronic Reporting System (CERS) to review, manage and update this data locally, using easy data entry screens and chemical reference tables.  Then, a file can be uploaded back to the CAL-EPA Electronics Reporting System.

With EMS-CERS, you can also upload your inventory for the first time, if one has not been previously uploaded.

Since many CUPA agencies do not yet support electronic reporting, you can use EMS-CERS to update and submit a printed version of the Hazardous Materials Business Plan (HMBP) with all the forms required for compliance.  For a list of agencies that accept electronic reporting, click here.

The Regulatory Dashboard of EMS-CERS allows you to access information about your business and update all the records and plans before submitting them to your reporting agency.

To learn more about the regulatory requirements and how the different forms need to be completed, please click here.

For a free test-drive of EMS-CERS, please click here.

“I am delighted to announce that our company has received this certification,” said Maggie O’Donnell, president of Chemical Safety. “We are eager to expand contract opportunities with the Federal Government as well prime government contractors in our sector. As a best-in-kind provider of environmental consulting and technology solutions, we have the tools and the experience to support projects of all types and sizes.”

While many 8(a) companies are relatively young, Chemical Safety has been in business for twenty years and has supported both government and private sector clients of all sizes. O’Donnell says that bringing the 8(a) certification to the table creates a significant “value-added” component not only to federal contracting, but private sector companies that do work with the federal government. Chemical Safety is the only environmental technology provider to have been awarded ISO 9001:2000 certification. (The ISO 9001:2000 quality management standard is part of the ISO 9000 and 14000 families, which are among the most widely known and successful standards ever. The ISO 9001:2000 standard has become an internationally recognized reference for ensuring the highest possible quality in business to business dealings.)

About SFS Chemical Safety, Inc.:
SFS Chemical Safety, Inc. is a US-based privately held company incorporated in the State of California. Chemical Safety is Woman-Owned and managed. Chemical Safety has offices in the US, Europe and China. Chemical Safety is a leading provider of software and related technologies, as well as environmental consulting services, for facilities management, chemical management, hazardous waste management, occupational safety management and regulatory reporting.

Chemical Safety’s Environmental Management Systems (EMS) software has been integrated with U.S. federal and state regulatory requirements, European Union mandates, compliance rules of China and Japan, and international regulations such as GHS and REACH. Chemical Safety’s clients include multi-national entities and institutions including Novartis, Johnson & Johnson, Hitachi, the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the US Department of Defense and Energy, and leading universities, including Stanford University, the University of California and the University of Chicago. Chemical Safety’s clients span many industries, including Energy, Manufacturing, Pharmaceutical, Public Utilities and Institutions, Universities, and many others.

Please visit chemicalsafety.com for more information.

Press Contact: Rob Dunn, Sales Manager rob.dunn@chemicalsafety.com +1 510 594-1000 ext. 27

This post is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:

Password:

1.)  Make electronic waste pick-up requests, manage waste items & samples

2.)  Manage on-site inventory, including lab-packs, drums, tanks and accumulation areas

3.)  Manage waste shipments; create manifests/LDRs/ERGs and manage TSDFs.

QS-Waste also includes the ability to generate custom reports and create a list of user-specific ‘favorites’, which can be accessed with a single click.

For a demo of the waste module, please call 510-594-1000 x 27, or send an e-mail to ‘ems@chemicalsafety.com’.

A number of EMS applications is available on a PDA/Bar-code Reader. This allows for mobile use of programs such as Inventory Management, MSDS, Waste Management and Audits & Inspections.

With the Audits & Inspections application, facility managers can use included inspection questionnaires (provided by the EPA) or create their own, to conduct physical inspections of their facilities’ Environmental Management Programs and Safety Equipment. Each suvery can include a number of questions with the option to answer with picks lists, yes/no buttons, free text - or a combination. The answer to one question can dictate a follow-on question. PDAs allow inspectors to physically move around the facility, visually checking equipment and answering related questions.

Once an inspection is complete, the data from the survery is uploaded to EMS with the PDA’s synching software. In EMS, an inspection report is generated and required Corrective Actions can be initiated and managed. Users can be notified follow-up or scheduled-frequency inspections are due.

Please call 510-594-1000 x 27 or e-mail ems@chemicalsafety.com for further information, or to schedule a demo.

Chemical Safety’s EMS software can and has been used as part of a company’s Supplemental Environmental Program (SEP), in response to an EPA Notice of Violation (NOV).  From the EPA website, the characteristics of an SEP are:

• There must be a relationship between the underlying violation and the human health or environmental benefits that will result from the SEP.
• An SEP must improve, protect or reduce risks to public health or the environment, although in some cases an SEP may, as a secondary matter, also provide the violator with certain benefits.
• The SEP must be undertaken in settlement of an enforcement action as a project that the violator is not otherwise legally required to perform.

Further information can be found here.  EMS can help correct a multitude of common violations, both directly and indirectly, including:

• Proper labeling of hazardous waste
• Maintaining adequate staff training records
• Maintaining inspection records
• Generating uniform manifests, LDRs and ERGs
• Generating accurate and timely regulatory reports
• Managing time limits (open waste containers, open manifests, permit due-dates, etc.)
• Flagging products/orderds based on regulatory restrictions (TSCA, FIFRA, REACH, etc.)

Having a system in place to avoid violations is preferred, but satisfying the enforcement settlement while improving processes is another intelligent option.  Please contact Chemical Safety for further information.

Chemical Safety’s Environmental Management Systems ( EMS) supports the needs of virtually every department and function within the organization.

Image -or text- based Material Safety Data Sheets can be viewed across the organization over the Internet, corporate Intranet, or by way of a local or wide area network. An easy-to-use search screen makes finding the correct and most up-to-date MSDS simple and fast. Enter the product name, manufacturer, MSDS # or any other data field, and the image- or text-based MSDS is returned for viewing or printing. Electronically provided MSDS’s now meet OSHA right-to-know requirements for instant hazard information access 24 hours a day.

MSDS Management Features

q     Electronic MSDS Documents

q     Hazard Labels

q     Storage Labels

q     Shipping Labels

q     NFPA Labels

q     HMIS LAbels

q     PPE Labels

q     DOT Labels

q     Canadian Labels

q     EU Labels

q     US Federal and State, Canadian and EU Regulations

q     EU R&S Phrases

q     MSDS Component (Ingredient) Management

q     Part Number Management

q     MSDS Facility/Location Limit Management

q     Chemical Approval

Additional MSDS Module Features

q     A quick reference tool for such information as hazardous chemical components, and their regulations.

q     Includes Chemical Reference database containing over 7,000 chemicals, with EPA’s List of Lists hazardous and extremely hazardous chemicals.

q     Provides information on hazardous chemical components and their regulations

q     Automatically links directly to Internet websites to find and capture new MSDS’s that are missing or out of date

q     Thousands of MSDSs.

q     Generates NFPA/HMIS labels, PPE Labels, EU labels and Canadian Labels

December 1, 2005

Chiron Corporation is one of the world’s leading biotech companies with businesses in biopharmaceuticals, vaccines and blood testing.  In addition to manufacturing facilities, Chiron has an extensive research and development organization, which works with chemicals and radioactive materials.

Under Federal, State and Local regulations, as well as corporate operating procedures, Chiron is required to implement programs that track and optimize the use of chemicals, biohazardous materials, radioactive materials and hazardous waste.  As with all R&D organizations that use radio isotopes, Chiron is required to have an extensive mechanism to track the acquisition, storage, use and disposal of isotopes that it is licensed to use at its facilities.  Chiron has a Broad Scope License issued by the State ofCalifornia.  Under this license, principal investigators and biochemists are authorized to use specific isotopes in defined quantities and locations for their research and operations.

In 1995, Chiron implemented RTS, The Chiron Radioisotope Tracking System (RTS), as a tool to manage radioactive materials in its facilities.  This tool, after ten years of use, has matured into a cost-effective tool that helps manage data efficiently.  In 2005, Chiron partnered with Chemical Safety Software, a technology company that already provided Chiron with chemical management and regulatory compliance systems, to integrate RTS into its enterprise software.

The Radioisotope Tracking System (RTS) program is designed to help manage the use of radioactive isotopes from purchasing through waste disposal in a multi-user and multi-facility environment.  RTS has been integrated into Chemical Safety’s Environmental Management Systems (EMS) as a unique component to manage Isotope purchase, use and disposal, all within the context of the regulatory framework under which Chiron is required to operate, and all in real-time.  It is designed to assist both the Radiation Safety Officer (RSO) and/or compliance officer within the Chiron organization, as well as Biochemists and Principal Investigators, meet industry and regulatory requirements for Radioisotope use.

Chiron’s RTS system incorporates the following 6 components:

1. People
   - Track, monitor and manage employees that use or come in contact with radioactive material.
   - Set-up processes and controls to authorize employee use and track their exposure.
   - Incident and accident tracking
   - Employee training 
    
2.  Facilities and Locations (Labs)
   - Track, monitor and locate isotopes within facilities, laboratories, company departments, and/or projects.
   - Maintain, display and print facility and lab diagrams with isotope inventory links for easy access and view.
   - Schedule and monitor vial transfer (including history)
   - Schedule and monitor disposition (including history)
3. Isotopes
   - Manage inventory, control and record use 
      o Barcode scanners – wireless and wired handheld devices
      o Through RFID
   -Searchable databases
         o Molecular Structure search fields
         o Chemical Formula search fields
   - Manage half-life and automated tracking from radioactive to biohazard
   - Schedule and monitor transfer (including history)
   - Schedule and monitor disposition (including history)
4.    Purchase Order and Receipt
   - Automated ordering and authorization with linkage to EMS Task Management Module
   - Automated and scheduled reordering 
   - Searchable databases of available isotopes
         o Molecular Structure search fields
         o Chemical Formula search fields
   - Receiving
         o Transportation label tracking
         o Contamination measurement statistic tracking
         o Shipping capabilities with linkage to EMS’ Bill of Lading module
5. Waste
   - Waste type – tracking and management barcode labels and RFID tags for wireless and wired handheld devices
         o  Dry
         o  Absorbed Liquid
         o  Liquid
   -       Current and historical record management
6. Reporting
   -  Standard and customizable reporting
   - Isotope possession Report by Facility, Lab, Department, Project, or User
   -  Purchase Order Report
   - Transfer Report
   -  Waste Drum Report
   -  Disposition Report

• Good safety practices as well as regulations require that radioisotope use be managed down to its smallest denomination. By dynamically decaying isotopes in real-time, the Radiation Safety Officer has a real-time view of isotope activity at each of Chiron’s facilities, buildings and Radioactive Use Authorizations (RUAs).  The system automatically alerts the RSO and Environmental Health and Safety staff via email when an event occurs that has or may cause an issue of compliance or safety.  This includes:
• Unauthorized purchases
• Potential Storage or Use Violations
• Warning of use by unauthorized individuals or at unauthorized locations
• Potential Employee training deficiencies

Other features of the Radioisotope Tracking System include capabilities that further insure precise inventory management and tracking which in turn simplifies safety regulations and reporting, such as:

• RTS Setup.  Manages Material Licenses, Isotopes, Isotope Decay, Labs, Personnel and Facilities
• Radioactive Use Authorization (RUA) Management.  Manages authorized use by Project, Location, Isotope(s) and Authorized Personnel.  Includes real-time Isotope decay capabilities, on-the-spot adjustments and usage reports.
• Isotope Purchasing and Receiving.  Manages all aspects of Isotope Purchasing and Receiving, including monitoring of potential license or RUA exceedence that a purchase or transfer to a particular RUA or location may cause.
• Isotope Waste.  Manages Isotope waste storage and disposal and generates manifests, labels and other appropriate paperwork.  Includes real-time Isotope decay capabilities, on-the-spot adjustments and Isotope disposal reports.
• RTS Human Resources.  Manages training requirements for Isotope users.
• Transaction History.  RTS maintains detailed history of every transaction, activity, event, modification or amendment made to any of the RTS tables.  This information can be queried and reported as required.
• Regulatory and Ad-hoc (Management) Reporting. RTS produces all required reports for Local, State and Federal Authorities, and has a powerful reporting tool that allows users to generate and export a variety of organization specific reports.
• Automatic Email Notification. RTS includes automatic email notifications of unauthorized purchase or RUA requests, potential Material License violations and re-training tickler notifications.

In addition to safety improvement and constant compliance monitoring, RTS, as part of Chemical Safety’s Environmental Management Systems, is a cost-effective tool that reduces isotope purchasing and disposal costs.  Chiron’s partnership with Chemical Safety has had long-term benefits for the company.  The model used by Chemical Safety for it’s technology has been adopted from the Chemical Management Services (CMS) model, which is a market-based approach to reducing chemical use and costs. Under the CMS model, formerly conflicting incentives are aligned.  To the further this understanding, one can look at the Chemical Lifecycle:

Total chemical lifecycle costs = chemical purchase costs + management costs

By improving chemical management Chiron has reduced “total” costs through maintaining smaller inventory as well as purchasing, managing and disposing of fewer chemicals.  Moreover, improved chemical management has served to enhance production quality and efficiency as well as improve safety and environmental protection.  Other benefits have included:

• Freed up floor space through inventory reduction
• Improved management of chemicals on-site
• Maintenance of quality product with zero-defects
• Improved data management and environmental reporting

What’s more, combined with Chemical Safety’s EMS (Environmental Management Systems), RTS completes the corporate mandate for total lifecycle management of chemicals and radioactive materials for Chiron. The EMS software is powerful and comprehensive system that includes components for Chemical Inventory, Tracking and Management, MSDS and Chemical Information Management, Hazardous Waste Management, and Compliance Management and Reporting.

The integrated chemical tracking and management has helped reduce chemical purchasing, management, compliance and disposal costs by streamlining chemical acquisition and on-site tracking and management.  Individuals within the company have access to accurate, up-to-date chemical information that allows users to maximize the use of the chemicals on-site.

EMS has managed compliance aspects of the facility and the entire company.  Data in all modules have been brought together to create user-defined management reports.  The Task Manager has monitored dates, limits, permits, audits, and follow-up actions simplifying Chiron’s day-to-day management requirements.  Regulatory reports and documentation have been generated to meet local and state regulations in addition to federal laws and regulations.

Recent world events and threats have reinforced the need for security, accountability, compliance and safety.  September 11, 2001, in particular raised fears and questions about where, when and how terrorists will and can attack.  There has been concern for chemicals and radioactive materials getting into the wrong hands.  With proper management and tracking of these materials that involves the most detailed tasks and safety regulation reporting, these fears and concerns can finally be addressed. 

Successful radiation safety and compliance program depends on the cooperation and support by all individuals and groups within the organization, including researchers, the Radiation Safety Committee, Environmental Health and Safety, Purchasing, Receiving and Executive management.  Using an integrated software tool in RTS, all stakeholders at every step of the way have the opportunity to update, monitor, validate and review procedures and activities related to safe and efficient radioactive use on site.  Regulators and the community at large also have the ability to monitor and inspect the company’s practices.

More information about these systems can be found at chemicalsafety.com.

Environmental information management isn’t what it used to be. It’s no longer about software programs that manage data and write reports, but whole programs that claim to “do everything.” As a wider array of companies offer environmental management information systems (EMIS), and as in-house and desktop software solutions have become more common, EMIS options have become wide indeed. EH&S managers are looking for - and getting - more than software.

While EMIS providers once thought certain combinations of software functions could satisfy the consumers’ need for ‘comprehensive service,’ they are now realizing that environmental information management doesn’t happen in a vacuum - it impacts every department in the enterprise. In the real world, consumer expectations for EMISs are constantly expanding to include more advanced functions like:

•  automatic database population;
•  links to purchasing and inventory systems; 
•  links to regulatory agencies; 
•  electronic transfer to customers, vendors, and regulators; 
•  online, real-time access to the information environmental managers need to keep their organizations running smoothly — from materials purchasing, to operations, to transportation and waste disposal;
•  a variety of other services that the consumer doesn’t have the desire, means, or expertise to administer in-house.

The emergence of the Internet as an information resource has brought an additional array of issues to environmental management. While the availability of information was once an overriding concern, there is now a vast, shapeless ocean of information. EMIS providers are beginning to see the opportunities this resource represents for developing more user-friendly products that offer creative ways to access, filter, and use data available online, and for leveraging the technology as an avenue of communication for their programs, partners, and customers.

Similarly, the globalization of trade and the demands of multi-national companies are encouraging EMIS providers to address previously underemphasized issues of cross-border environmental regulations and language differences.

Together, these demands are forcing EMIS providers to re-invent themselves. They are reaching into new territory, trying to figure out the right directions to move their departments, and ultimately, the industry. Partnerships are being forged and combinations of services are being developed and tested. Technology is being adopted to push the envelope of information management.

We’re seeing a shift in focus away from handling compliance information and towards maximizing the total efficiency of processes that protect employees and worldwide communities and make the best use of company and global resources. EMIS customers aren’t looking for software programs anymore - they’re paying for wide-ranging solutions to organizational needs that revolve around environmental management.

In an industry revolution parallel to that which spawned just-in-time supply chain engineering and Enterprise Resource Planning in the manufacturing sector, Environmental Management is coming to see itself as part of the greater whole, and striving to find the best way to integrate itself with everything from facility design to Federal policy-making.

Partnership Development
Forward-thinking EMIS companies are forming partnerships with materials suppliers, chemical handlers, test labs, waste managers, environmental consultants, regulatory agencies, internet application companies, and other software providers. As these partnership circles and consortiums grow, EH&S departments will begin to find truly comprehensive services from a “single-source.” One day, the industrial facility - of even multi-facility companies - will research and purchase materials, take delivery, maintain inventory, dispose waste, ship products and accompanying documentation, evaluate processes for efficiency, and submit required regulatory information - all with the support of one network of environmental service providers.

By developing data links between vendors and customers, manual intervention can be all but eliminated; and necessary information can be accurately maintained and accessible to the entire supply chain, as well as to regulators and the concerned community. Picture this scenario:

A plant engineer at The Manufacturer logs onto his Environmental Network’s web site. He searches one of the preferred Materials Vendors’ catalogs for a solvent needed for a new production cycle. Finding it, he enters the pre-approved order online.

The Materials Vendor ships the product, sending advance notice electronically to The Manufacturer’s EMIS (which is updated along with the purchasing and receiving system) and notifies its affiliated Transportation Company, giving it DOT hazard information, the manifest, and the MSDS. When the materials are received, inventory records are automatically updated using barcode scanner technology, and hazmat information is available at every PC in the plant via the networked EMIS. As the solvent is moved from inventory to the production line, it is tracked physically and for department costing, again through the EMIS and using the barcode.

When the solvent has been used and generates a regular waste stream, the manager logs onto his Network’s site again and notifies the affiliated Waste Disposal company that a pickup of the new waste is required. The Waste Disposal company sends out an associated Environmental Analysis Lab chemist to evaluate the new waste stream. He gathers information from sensor equipment and/or conducts tests, then creates and enters a new profile to the EMIS which transfers it to the Waste Disposal company for future pickups from this waste stream. This profile describes handling and disposal requirements based on the components of the waste. These requirements are automatically retrieved from the EMIS’s chemical reference database which reflects the most current regulatory requirements. Transportation documentation is automatically prepared based on the profile. The waste is picked up, again by a preferred Transportation Company, shipped to the Waste Disposal company’s incinerator, and confirmation is electronically returned to the Manufacturer’s EMIS. Waste management records are updated.

The product created on this new manufacturing line is shipped out to the Manufacturer’s customer, and the accompanying MSDS, as well as other required documentation, is automatically transferred electronically to the buyer and shipper.

Throughout the whole process, environmental information is maintained according to Federal, State, and Local requirements, which are updated in the EMIS regularly. Required reports can be submitted electronically to the Regulatory Agency in any format they demand.

At the end of the month, The Manufacturer receives a summary of its activity. An electronic invoice for Environmental Services is sent directly to The Manufacturer’s purchasing system.

You’ll notice The Manufacturer’s plant engineer entered the order at the beginning of the process. And the Lab Analyst entered the waste stream profile, but only once. The remainder of the process unfolded with virtually no other manual data entry required, thereby reducing the chance for error or omissions, automating important processes, and allowing environmental professionals at The Manufacturer to focus on value-added projects instead of exercising their typing skills.

Sections or pieces of this as-yet-imaginary, all-encompassing process can be found in many current programs. The results of these evolving systems are improved accuracy, efficiency, and cost-savings. The integration of environmental management into the business process not only saves time and money, but it helps both information and output flow more smoothly and it makes EH&S a competitive advantage for those exploiting the opportunities.

Industry-specific Services
EMIS providers are further exploring industry-specific service development. The ability to employ expertise and programs that pointedly address the needs of an industry where environmental management is important can offer significant advantages. In these applications, strategic partnerships with customers themselves can give an EMIS provider new insight into processes and ways to meet the needs of other similar companies.

For example, an EMIS provider that works closely with a research and development lab to create the “ultimate” system for managing lab processes, can leverage a significant advantage when selling its software or services to other R&D facilities. Rather than offering a generic system with a few customizations, this collaborative process can result in a truly dedicated product - one that says ‘Yes’ to an R&D lab’s every request, and then adds a list of benefits they didn’t even know they needed.

Smart EMIS providers are evaluating their own strengths and examining their customer lists for opportunities to develop relationships and to create products they can leverage across an industry.

Working with Regulators
Another potential partnership-building role for the EMIS developer is to strengthen the communication channels between regulatory agencies and the regulated community. By working with regulatory agencies, EMIS providers can help gather and manage data from organizations required to report, streamlining reporting processes for both the Agency and the regulated community.

EMIS developers need to create data management tools that make communication efficient in both directions, and give local reporting agencies more accurate, up-to-date and useful information. By improving the handling and distribution of information, and by establishing submission links or portals, EMIS providers coincidentally create a ready-made market for themselves.

In addition, relationships with regulators can give EMIS providers access to those involved in crafting the future direction of environmental regulation. This can ultimately lead to EMIS-provider input in the process, allowing the EMIS industry to become an important conduit between the regulated community and the government, and a key source of current and upcoming information for the EMIS customers.

As both the developed and developing worlds are becoming more environmentally aware and are placing new and stricter demands on all organizations, the possibilities for expanding environmental services are growing. The opportunities are only now beginning to be explored in depth. EMIS providers who want to survive and succeed are looking hard at the direction they are leading their companies and taking steps to develop services and relationships that will meet the growing demands of their customers - and their competitors’ customers.

About the Author
Tony Diamantidis is the Executive Vice President of Chemical Safety Software and has been in the software and Environmental Information Management industry for over 25 years. He can be reached at tonyd@chemicalsafety.com.

Copyright 1999 by Donley Technology - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

• Purchase only the chemicals and amounts required 
• Reduce inventories and store only what is almost immediately needed 
• Improve inter-facility and intra-facility delivery of chemicals 
• Reduce infrastructure costs 
• Increase environmental regulatory compliance and decrease legal liability 
• Facilitate data interchange to and from EHS systems and ERP/MRP systems 
• Increase operational safety for workers and the community 
• Streamline environmental compliance and reporting 
• Enhance a corporate image of responsibility and safety 
• Minimize hazardous waste disposal 
• Automate repetitive and low-value tasks 
• Conserve human resources for more value-added tasks 

More Best Practices…

Capture data available at critical junctures of the supply chain. Companies must integrate Environmental Health and Safety into their process. Data is collected, generated, and modified in purchasing/ERP systems or vendor systems. This data can and should be automatically captured and transferred to an EMIS (environmental management information system). There may be some effort needed to collect and manage the appropriate data, but the payoff by far outweighs this effort.

When EH&S information is managed by integrated systems, underlying other departments’ data and programs, it supports best practices in other processes - purchasing, delivery, receipt, inventory management. Improved data will increase compliance efficiency for audits, inspections, permits and reporting.

Having data readily available makes inspections and audits less intrusive, less threatening and less likely to result in a negative outcome. Using an EMIS to manage critical chemical information and Right-to-Know data ensures that information is available and accurate, and it complies with OSHA and ISO 14000 mandates.

With improved computer technology, data transfer and compatibility between systems is readily available. Chemical managers can select from a full range of user interfaces, from a simple web browser on the production floor, to sophisticated inter-system reporting tools, all accessing the same data. Although organizational needs vary, with some research and analysis, chemical managers can now find viable solutions within their budget to meet EH&S information management needs.

Beware, however: ERP/MRP systems such as those offered by SAP, Oracle, J.D. Edwards and Baan, among others, remain deficient in their environmental management offerings. This is primarily due to the complex, diverse and evolving nature of environmental regulations and the reporting requirements of local, state, federal and international jurisdictions. Organizations that have opted for environmental solutions that have been rolled into ERP/MRP implementations have regularly reported disappointing results. Dedicated environmental management information systems should be used in conjunction with ERP systems. Further, be sure to carefully evaluate the buy-vs-build question. A comprehensive system is complex to develop and difficult to maintain. Studies have shown that a company will break even within one year when using an off-the-shelf, automated solution versus a manual homegrown system.

Develop preferred vendor relationships. This is the surest way to standardize product, ensure delivery and negotiate best prices. Vendors will ensure product flow and preferred price in exchange for the increased efficiency of a “committed” business relationship. Advantages of preferred vendor relationships reach beyond cost savings, as finding and evaluating materials is simplified, electronic payments decrease administrative overhead and vendors become better resources for information. Significantly to chemical management, preferred vendors are often more willing accommodate information exchange in each direction in order to maintain good relationships with dedicated customers. Organizations that have created exclusive or preferred vendor relationships have often negotiated very favorable agreements with chemical suppliers.

Use online purchasing systems, exchanges, or vendor sites. On-line procurement decreases the time and cost of purchasing paperwork. On-line purchasing and management allows approval and monitoring of purchases by line managers, and provides purchasing guideline compliance and information interchange. More steps of the purchasing process can be automated, significantly reducing effort. A fortuitous by-product of automated purchasing is the availability of data. All on-line purchasing systems produce data that, sometimes with considerable effort can be downloaded, transferred, and used by a chemical inventory system or EMIS.

Track chemicals efficiently. Many plants find that using a supply chain management system to closely track incoming material shipments allows them to time and plan delivery more accurately, reducing inventory levels, ensuring smooth operations and supporting environmental compliance goals. Supply chain management can also help optimize shipment methods, routes and vendors for overall cost and time efficiencies.

Centralized receiving supports tracking and management of chemicals within the facility, keeping information on inventory levels accurate and up to date. It also simplifies the use of in-house barcoding of materials for tracking within the facility. Barcode labels are one of the best support tools for inventory control, waste minimization and environmental compliance and reporting. This data shared by an EMIS creates a powerful and efficient tool for EH&S operations.

Manage inventory well. The best way to accurately and efficiently maintain chemical inventory information is to use focused inventory management software or an online application. The best of these systems will interface with purchasing systems, vendors or online suppliers to maintain dynamic inventory data. Because chemical inventories have special requirements for information and availability, it is best to gather this information electronically from the originating source as often as possible. This requires the cooperation of several distinct groups: the vendor, the purchasing department, the IT system provider, the IT department and the EH&S department.

Good inventory management lowers inventory, which requires less space for storage, lower carrying costs and less capital tied up in stored materials. Understanding when, where and how materials are used gives an organization the tools to determine where in the process usage can be reduced, when alternative materials can be introduced and/or which processes/units are good candidates for sharing chemicals.

An effective inventory management system can improve the sharing or redistribution of chemicals. Often, line managers purchase a chemical because they simply had no way of knowing someone else in the facility had excess product available. This decreases inventory, storage, and potential for waste disposal because of “expired shelf life”.

Manage and reduce hazardous waste. The obvious first step to cost-savings in waste disposal is to minimize the waste. Chemical waste disposal is the most expensive cost associated with a chemical, and sometimes it is greater than the cost to purchase that chemical! Process evaluation with an understanding of the costs associated with disposal of hazardous waste or regulated materials will uncover savings opportunities in this area. Efficient inventory of hazardous materials necessarily decreases the amount of waste disposed.

When hazardous waste must be disposed, there are still ways to save money. Electronic transfer of data and documents streamlines the process and supports the verification process, ensuring all aspects of generating, storing, shipping and destroying hazardous waste receive proper attention and the company’s responsibilities are covered in the event of inspection, audit or emergency.

A good relationship with a TSDF or waste disposal company can improve operations as well. Many waste disposal companies now offer online approval of waste streams, automated scheduling for pick-up, and regulatory data transfer. There are not many players in this industry, and some are much better at this than others, so careful selection of a vendor is very important. Recycling, whenever possible, is another great way of saving money, limiting waste and contributing in a positive way to the environment and the community.

Calculate and re-engineer operations. Process engineering supported by ongoing information streams can further enhance efficiency of chemical use. Calculating the total costs associated with chemical management and evaluating the products themselves in lean-engineering or waste-minimization terms may suggest better processes or less hazardous substitutes. This can affect the efficiency of many areas of chemical management and environmental compliance by dealing with associated costs and issues before they arise.

An evolving market in chemical management is the outsourcing of this operation to ®Chemical Management Services’ (CMS’s). Chemical suppliers’ roles expand from simple sale and delivery of chemicals to full evaluation and management of their customers’ on-site products. Chemicals are stored in quantity at the vendor until the customer needs a chemical for a specific task. CMS’s completely take over responsibility for their clients’ chemical inventories, MSDS’s, safety, and hazardous waste, and generate required regulatory and management reports. These providers recognize the absolute necessity of a comprehensive information infrastructure supporting their materials management operations.

Invest in information management systems. Companies’ chemical managers and the EH&S community recognize that the most important investment in the next decade will be technology for information management. The good news for chemical managers is that technology innovation is offering data interfaces and reporting capabilities previously impossible. It has never been easier or efficient to exchange data with external sources such as vendors or with internal sources, such as ERP/MRP or purchasing systems. User-friendly reporting tools can access data from a number of sources and fulfill regulatory reporting and support business analysis. Web interfaces for line personnel offer easy access to critical real-time and accurate information.

One important consideration as you embark, or re-embark into information management solutions is determining who will be responsible for the integration and support of the information that needs to be managed. IN-house IT departments traditionally frowned upon outside vendors taking away responsibility from them; with the opportunities and pressures of new technologies, however, and especially with the emergence of the web, outsourcing EH&S implementation projects has become a preferred option. Select an EH&S vendor who has “domain experience”, or, in simpler terms, a clear understanding of the environmental needs and benefits that organizations have and who will be willing to partner with you as your requirements and expectations change.  

The Bottom Line

The costs of managing chemicals are far more than just the product price, but the life-cycle management of chemicals can be optimized to cut these peripheral costs. By adopting best practices, the chemical management process is more integrated into the business process, becoming a strategic advantage to the organization, raising efficiency on a number of fronts, decreasing legal liability and risk and improving plant/laboratory safety, as well as offering bottom line cost savings. Improved information management systems are becoming more functional and less costly, making these process improvements possible. Such systems are still an investment, and costs of re-engineering operations and changing current processes must be considered, but the savings of a concerted, focused effort to improve chemical management are significant, and the ROI quickly justifies the costs.