To properly ensure effective control of hazardous chemicals at the workplace, it is important that organizations know the types of chemicals at the workplace, the quantities, the hazard information of the chemicals, the class of chemicals in order to identify the risk they pose, and the measures adequate to prevent personal exposure and mitigate any adverse effect from personal exposure. This process begins with a hazardous chemical register.

What is a Hazardous Chemical Register?

A hazardous chemical register is a list of hazardous chemicals stored and used at a workplace together with their SDS to provide a summarized overview of information on hazards and risks associated with the chemicals for effective safety controls and hazard communication.

What needs to be included in a Hazardous Chemical Register?

In completing a hazardous chemical register, certain key information is required. As a minimum, a chemical register will include the name of the chemical, name of the manufacturer, the quantity of the chemical, the availability of the SDS, the class of the chemical, the risk it poses, and the location of the chemical. The key to completing an effective hazardous chemical register is the Safety Data Sheet. 

What is the use of Safety Data Sheets in a Hazardous Chemical Register?

A Safety Data Sheet is a document that contains detailed information about a chemical such as the physical properties, health hazards, environmental hazards; protective measures; and safety precautions for safe handling, storage, transport, and disposal of the chemical. An up-to-date SDS is important for completing a hazardous chemical register since it provides all the information needed to stay safe. It has 16 important sections, refer to OSHA Brief – Hazard Communication Standard: Safety Data Sheets 

Why is an up-to-date SDS important in Maintaining a Hazardous Chemical Register?

For effective COSHH controls, an up-to-date SDS must be used to complete a hazardous chemical register.

As per best practices, duty holders must ensure that they secure the most current SDS from the manufacturer. A current SDS is one that has been reviewed for the last 5 years. The currency and review of an SDS based on new information have been explained in the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals.  Thus, according to section 1.4.7.2.1-2 of the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS), suppliers must respond to new and significant information they receive about a chemical hazard by updating and reviewing the labels and SDS. Also, suppliers must periodically review the information on which the label and SDS of a chemical are based even though there’s no new and significant information provided to them in respect of the chemical. This is to ensure the information on chemicals is regularly researched and adapted to technical progress.

In section 1.4.7.2.3 of GHS, competent authorities may set a timeline between 3 to 5 years for the review of SDS to ensure it remains current with new information for effective hazardous communication and to enhance the safe use of the chemicals.  The overall goal is to ensure that the most updated hazard, risk, and safety information are provided by manufacturers and suppliers down the chemical supply chain to ensure that duty holders make use of current information of chemicals to complete their chemical register to better control the risk of adverse effect from chemicals. 

What is the Best Practice for Use of Hazardous Chemical Register?

Building an up-to-date chemical register is the first step in COSHH control. 

Organizations must continuously record their workplace chemicals on a chemical register and update the register with the hazard information from their Safety Data Sheets (SDS). This is to ensure that there is an overview of all chemicals, where they are located, whether SDS is up to date (or not available hence flagged) and copies have been kept at the central location and the storage location, and if the right hazard and safety controls are being communicated through the SDS, proper labeling and use of placards.

In determining the effective safety precautions to use during handling of the chemicals, organizations must be able to estimate the risk level for each chemical. As part of best practice for use of chemicals, organizations should be able to perform risk assessment of the chemicals by reviewing the likelihood of personal exposure based not how the chemical has been packaged and the level of severity of any adverse. This is a simple 5×5 risk rating which is quite different from a more in-depth COSHH assessment, which may further be required based on the level of risk from the initial risk assessment. The goal of initial risk assessment is to quickly understand risks being dealt with for the needed for safe work practice. That can include a full COSHH assessment.

What is the Importance of Hazardous Chemical Register?

Based on the summary of information on the chemical register kept a central location by area responsible, upon which an up to date SDS is made available at the given location of use, the area responsible can better enforce good hazard communication through the labels, placards, safety signs based on the class of chemical and most importantly through induction of new workers and toolbox talk during use to safeguard the safety of workers.

Again, a chemical register can be used to demonstrate health and safety competence as it shows how an organization has control of their workplace chemicals. 

The register can easily be distributed to clients for the same reason to understand the types of chemicals and whether they are approved for their workplace. 

A chemical register must be therefore be kept in a format that is accessible. A spreadsheet register may be suitable at workplaces where workers have access to a computer and can obtain the SDS. 

Also, consider how this information can be accessed in an emergency situation if the power is isolated. For example, during an emergency where power may be isolated by the Emergency Services or a power cut occurs as a result of the emergency itself. Emergency Services response actions are greatly assisted when they have access to the SDS during a HAZMAT incident. Otherwise, hard copy registers must be kept.

How to Use the Best Hazardous Chemical Register on the Web

Watch this presentation to help you create your hazardous chemicals register.

SHEQXEL ChemTool is suitable for all organizations that store or handle chemicals at the workplace. This tool is designed to record up to 200 chemicals stored and used at the workplace in order to improve Hazard Communication Program and COSHH controls i.e. Control of Substances Hazardous to Health.

Firstly, you have to record your workplace chemicals on a chemical register and update the register with the hazard information from their Safety Dottiest (SDS). Secondly, you have to know the  risk level for each chemical and identify the needed COSHH control; i. e. the preventive barriers that prevent personal exposures and the reactive barriers that mitigate the consequence from personal exposures.

The ChemTool has a risk assessment feature based on a 5X5 risk matrix for estimating levels of risk and identifying the need for a full COSHH assessment by a competent person. The tool has a Dangerous Good Table to help users to determine the need for extra control such as placards, manifest and fire protection system based on the hazard information gathered from the SDS.

With this tool, Persons in Charge are able to, know all chemicals and their level of risk, conduct adequate inductions for workers and visitors, advise for the relevant chemical handling training and promote effective work planning before handling chemicals based on the information gathered. The Persons in Charge can be able to update the register with all future chemicals and ensure they come with their SDS as part of the hazard communication program and maintenance of COSHH controls.

Persons in Charge will be able to print a copy of the register together with hard copies of the chemical SDS in a binder at a central location (usually, the office, where work planning meeting is held, as well as the storage location of the chemical to keep all workers and visitors informed.

Conclusion

Effective COSHH Control and Hazard Communication begin with a comprehensive chemical register. You can’t control what you don’t know. Know it all and control it all. Check out our best hazardous chemical register templates ChemTool and ChemTool Plus to manage your workplace chemicals.

Grab your copy and thank me later 🙂

Sel 💫 at SHEQXEL. Connect with Sel 💫 on LinkedIn

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