Necessity and importance
Testing & tracking time sensitive chemicals is a monumental effort for EHS professionals, scientists, laboratory technicians across several industries. There are serious safety, compliance, and financial ramifications on their day-to-day operations if these time sensitive chemicals are not managed according to certain industry-based regulations set by regulatory bodies. These chemicals will need to undergo rigorous testing and regular inspections to prevent any plausible threat to the users. Organizations must invest in an efficient and robust chemical inventory management system, that encompasses critical functionalities which can track and record the crucial data points of time sensitive chemicals and thereby alleviate any potential hazards.
Safety Concerns – Explosive reactions & reduced efficacy
Time sensitive chemicals such as peroxide formers under ambient conditions and when not stored appropriately can auto oxidize and become highly explosive. There have been incidents in the past where a lab technician’s innocuous attempt to open an organic solvent bottle such as tetrahydrofuran or diethyl ether, have resulted in violent detonations in their labs caused mainly due to the accumulation of shock sensitive peroxides. Unsupervised and extended exposure to oxygen and light can cause certain compounds like chloroform to release toxic gases into the atmosphere as a byproduct leading to severe respiratory illness or death. Several institutions have begun to employ testing procedures to indicate potentially explosive chemicals in response to the distressing lab accidents. The testing methods and results enable the lab personnel to identify, analyze, mitigate risks and make well informed decisions regarding handling the hazardous chemicals.
Utilizing Inventory Management for Tracking
A centralized inventory tracking and management tool has developed an efficient testing process within their chemical management system to help track the entry, storage, expiration and testing results of the time sensitive chemicals.
- Time sensitive chemicals are categorized in the system under certain hazard classes that indicate their testing frequency.
- Important data points such as receipt date, date opened, expiration date, last tested date, next testing date get updated by the users as they open or test/inspect these containers.
- Test results are populated after inspection which triggers the next testing date.
- Scheduled reminders to the appropriate officials will alert them about the next testing date.
- Testing history helps track the previous test date, result and who performed the test.
CONCLUSION
Capturing the key details for time sensitive chemicals can help determine how these chemicals behave over time under various environmental exposure such as humidity, temperature etc. Whether utilizing RFID technology or simple inventory tracking the cumulative results gathered will benefit in making informed decisions by EHS professionals across the various industries.
AUTHOR BIO:-
Kavita Kanukolanu blends her technical expertise with a deep interest in safety and systems thinking. With a background in Computer Science and experience leading complex IT projects, she brings a structured yet thoughtful perspective to her writing.
She writes to bridge the gap between technology and safety—translating intricate concepts into clear, engaging content. Passionate about continuous learning and purposeful communication, Kavita explores how innovation, compliance, and smart workflows shape safer, more efficient environments across industries.
