Labs contain a wide variety of materials and substances to conduct their scientific activities. It is in everyone’s best interest to have a robust system in place to track where they are, how much is available, how to store them safely, when they expire, and how to dispose of them. Modern inventory software applications are effective ways to track materials in the lab and to make their safety documentation readily available to anyone using those materials. Here are five key considerations to keep in mind when planning for materials and substance tracking in the lab.
What needs to be tracked?
Tracking materials with an inventory program enables scientists to work more efficiently and safely. The primary reason for tracking materials is to mitigate the risks they pose to staff. This will include materials that present hazards to staff, such as toxicity, infection, flammability, explosion, and radioactivity. Jonathan Klane, professional lab safety specialist, said it best: “If you’re not sure if you should track something, odds are you should. Follow my mantra—track everything.”
Risk reduction
One of the key reasons to track materials is to reduce the risk presented to staff. Here are some key risks that can be reduced by effective tracking:
- Legacy chemicals: Keeping track of old materials and their hazards to ensure they are not forgotten, allowed to decompose, and create a crisis in the future
- Chemical waste: Ensuring that staff know how and when to dispose of hazardous materials safely
- Storage: Ensuring that incompatible materials are not stored together
Emergency preparedness
Effective tracking systems provide safety information to staff and emergency responders quickly and easily in the event of a crisis. Ensuring that people have accurate information enables them to make better decisions in the heat of the moment.
Some examples include:
- Exceeding fire code limits: Ensure the lab does not exceed the maximum allowable quantities (MAQ) of hazardous materials; these limits help protect emergency responders during a crisis
- Chemical inventory access: Maintain an up-to-date chemical inventory that is available to firefighters, so they know what materials are stored in different parts of the lab and the hazards they present
- Safety data sheets (SDS): Keep SDS readily available to educate staff on the safe handling, use, and storage of materials during normal operations and emergencies, such as spills or releases
Cost reduction
Having accurate data about the materials in the lab helps reduce the lab’s costs. A key problem for many labs is the repeat purchase of materials because staff are unaware that the lab already owns them, or because they cannot be located when needed. Tracking materials reduces waste and duplication, supporting lean lab operations.
Fewer materials in the lab also means less waste is generated and exits the lab. Having fewer materials and amounts better related to what is needed for the experiments will also reduce the costs of disposing of these materials.
Important features of tracking software
There are many kinds of material tracking programs available. Some components of an effective system include:
- Real-time inventory visibility
- Location management through documentation, barcoding, or RFID
- Expiry and shelf-life tracking
- Role-based access and usage logs
- SDS management integration
- Alerts and safety flags for hazard classes
- Storage guidance including MAQ calculations
- Regulatory compliance guidance
Having an effective materials and substances tracking system will make the lab safer, more compliant, and more productive. Lab managers should meet with staff and stakeholders to understand the key elements they need from their system and ensure that it can scale with the lab’s growth, is easy to train and use, is well aligned with their regulatory environment, and can integrate with other digital systems supporting the lab.
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