Chemical Storage and Inventory Guidelines

• Separate and store chemicals according to compatibility group, not alphabetically.
  • Store each compatible group in separate cabinets, or separate them from other chemical groups with tubs (e.g., polypropylene "Nalgene") or secondary containers.
  • Read Chemical Compatibility Guidelines for more information.
• Label storage cabinets and tubs by compatibility group.
  
  • For example, label a tub containing hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, and phosphoric acid "Mineral (Inorganic) Acids."
• Never store flammable liquids in a standard or domestic refrigerator or freezer. They have numerous ignition sources that could ignite vapors.
  
  • Flammable liquids that must be chilled or frozen require special flammable storage refrigerators or freezers to minimize fire and explosion risk.
• Keep containers capped and closed when not in use.
• Place hazardous materials on lower shelves. Do not store them overhead.
• Use seismic restraints to prevent containers from "walking off" open shelves during earthquakes.
• Protect drains from chemical spills. Do not use sinks for chemical storage or secondary containment.

When transferring a chemical from the original container:

• Choose a sturdy, sealable storage container made of material compatible with the chemical it will hold.
• Contact the EH&S Chemical Hygiene Officer, (858) 822-1579, if you have questions about chemical and container compatibility.

Chemical container labels are required by law to contain specific information. High hazard materials require extra information.

Follow these steps for proper labeling:

• Accurately label chemicals transferred from their original containers with the following required information, written legibly:
  • Chemical name or abbreviation
  • Concentration
  • Hazard warning
• Include this additional information required for chemicals that degrade over time, peroxide formers, and air and water reactives:
  • Date received
  • Date opened
  • Date tested
• Prominently post a chemical abbreviation sheet in the lab when abbreviations are used on labels.
  • Print out this list (PDF) (Word) of common substances and abbreviations. Extend the list as necessary with your laboratory specific abbreviations.
• Label refrigerators used for chemical storage with a "No Food Storage" sticker. Label refrigerators that are not approved flammable storage units with a "No Flammable Storage" sticker.
  • Print out lab safety labels.
  • Read about Special Refrigerators for Flammable Liquids Storage.

Particularly high hazard materials and substances regulated by law are subject to special storage requirements.

• Follow these guidelines for any materials below used in your facility:
  • Chemical carcinogens
  • Compressed gas
  • Controlled substances
  • Flammable liquids
  • Peroxide forming materials
  • Piranha solution
  • Pyrophoric and other highly reactive materials
  • Select Agents
  • Radioactive materials
• Know the high hazard material restrictions for your building.
  
  • Some hazardous materials may not be used in buildings without sprinklers (e.g., pyrophoric material – alkyllithiums, alkylzincs, alkylmagnesiums, diborane, arsine, phospine, etc.).
• Maintain Class D fire extinguishers for work with flammable metals. These types of materials react violently with water!
  • Flammable metals such as lithium, sodium, potassium, magnesium, etc.
  • Flammable metal compounds such as butyllithium, diethylzinc, lithium aluminum hydride, etc.
• Questions? Contact the EH&S Chemical Hygiene Officer, (858) 822-1579.

Caution: Never use environmental rooms (also called cold/warm rooms) for storage of flammable or other hazardous materials.

• Many ignition sources exist in environmental rooms and little or no air circulates from outside.
• Small quantities of flammable or hazardous materials (500 ml) may be used in these spaces.

Read about how to:

• Identify Hazardous Chemical Waste
• Store and Dispose of Hazardous Chemical Waste

Make the most of your investment and prevent chemical degradation over time by accurately tracking what you buy, use, and store.

• Include the following in your inventory records:
  • Chemical name
  • Abbreviations your lab or shop uses for chemical agents
  • Quantity of chemical stored
  • Chemical Abstract Number (CAS #)
  • Compatibility group
• Important – Chemicals that degrade over time require additional record-keeping. These include peroxide formers, air and water reactives, and other time-sensitive materials.
  • Carefully track the date received, opened, and tested.
  • Read Organic Peroxide Formers for information on identifying, testing, and managing organic peroxide forming chemicals.
  Note: Chemical inventories are periodically verified by Environment, Health & Safety (EH&S) and during regular safety audits.

Principal investigators, authorized lab contacts, and Department Safety Officers (DSOs) may use the My Research Safety web portal to view and export inventory data for chemicals, radioisotopes, and controlled substances in areas under their responsibility.

Related links:

• Chemical Inventory brochure (PDF) - Quick overview
• My Research Safety web portal

Minimize inventory tasks, maintenance, and the risks associated with chemical supplies by restricting the amount of material you order and store:

• Avoid duplicative inventory orders.
• Order the minimum quantity of chemicals you need for the near future. Do not stockpile chemicals.
  • A 6-month throughput of material is a good ordering target.
• Conserve resource funds. Use Chemcycle, UCSD's chemical recycling program:  
  • Check the Chemcycle inventory of over 6,000 chemicals before you order from suppliers. Follow instructions on the Chemcycle Web page to search for and request free chemicals.
  • Donate usable surplus chemicals to Chemcycle:
    1. Use the Online Waste Tag Program (OTP) to have EH&S hazardous waste technicians collect your usable chemicals.
    2. On the OTP's "Create Tag" screen, for "Indicate type of content" select Chemcycle.
    3. Complete and print a tag for the chemical. Request pickup for the container.
    4. Tag and place the container in your hazardous waste collection area.
    5. EH&S technicians will pick up the container on the next scheduled hazardous waste collection for your building.
• Reduce your stored chemical supplies to keep your facility fire code compliant. Overstock and bulk orders negatively effect the entire facility by:
  • Violating fire codes if the exempt amount of hazardous materials is exceeded for your facility
  • Limiting storage space for colleagues sharing the facility
  • Increasing safety hazards and risks
• Promptly dispose of unwanted chemicals through the EH&S Hazardous Waste Program at no charge to the researcher.

Among the challenges facing UCSD is ensuring unhindered research while managing chemical inventories within allowable California fire code (CFC) limits.

Read about how the CFC affects chemical storage and inventories below.

• These variables determine chemical allowances for each building:
  • Building occupancy
  • Exempt amount (or maximum allowable quantity)
  • Control areas
  • Mitigating circumstances
• Fire code limits differ by building, building floor, or a defined storage area in some cases, and are subject to many variables.
• Pyrophoric materials are not allowed in unsprinkled buildings.
• Get more information about chemical storage limitations for your facility:
  • If you are a research employee, contact the EH&S Research Assistance Program specialist assigned to your building.
  • If you are a non-research employee, contact an EH&S General Safety specialist, (858) 534-7513.

EH&S performs a pre-scheduled annual inventory of every UCSD facility where hazardous chemicals are used or stored as part of the Hazardous Materials Business Plan required by San Diego County.

UC San Diego's Hazardous Materials Business Plan (HMBP):

• Provides valuable information for local fire and hazmat departments responding to emergencies on campus
• Helps UCSD achieve chemical inventories within allowable fire code limits (see the Fire code compliance section above)
• Encourages discovery and proper disposal of degraded or unwanted chemicals

Hazardous materials are inventoried for the HMBP if the substance is used, handled, or stored in quantities greater or equal to the following:

• Listed extremely hazardous materials (40 CFR Part 355, appendix A), including poisons, oxidizers, teratogens, etc.
• Any compressed gas
• 250 grams of solid substance
• 100 milliliters of liquid substance

Non-manufacturer containers, buffers, or small quantities of low hazard chemicals are not tracked for HMBP reporting.

What to expect:

• EH&S HMBP technicians perform scheduled annual chemical inventories that include:
  • Checking barcodes in the database
  • Visual confirmation of inventory
  • Consultation with the lab or shop contact to determine if there have been major changes
  • Checking for a 2-fold increase or decrease in any hazard class
• During inventory, EH&S technicians can assist with donation of surplus or legacy chemicals to ChemCycle.
• When completed, the lab or shop's principal investigator and Area Safety Coordinator receive an electronic copy of their inventory.
• When EH&S technicians find chemical inventories unsafe or out of compliance with fire codes, EH&S notifies:
  • The UCSD department with oversight of the facility
  • UCSD's Chemical Safety and Surveillance Committee
  • UCSD's fire marshal and the state fire marshal

• Disclosure of Hazardous Materials Information Bulletin (PDF), Section 68.1113, County of San Diego