Chemical and Hazardous Materials Management
Proper chemical management is essential to student and staff safety. It is also important for compliance to federal and state regulations and may be part of funding entity contractual agreements or accreditation expectations.
In order to comply with overlapping requirements related to chemical management and to improve information available to emergency responders during chemical incidents, a centralized chemical inventory is required at KSU. This allows for the assessment of potential regulatory requirements that in some cases are based on aggregate threshold quantities on campus (e.g., CFATS, SARA Title III tier reporting). Please follow the instructions here to manage your chemical inventories. More information and a login is provided below.
The requirements from regulatory entities and related standards are diverse and include, but are not limited to:
- Department of Transportation (DOT) requirements for hazardous materials (including biological materials) management and transport
- Training requirements for shipping and receiving
- Requirements for packaging, documentation, and labeling of hazardous materials shipment
- International Air Transportation Association (IATA) requirements for air shipments (chemical and biological) may include specimens samples.
- Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
- Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) - Hazardous Waste Management
- Community Right to Know - Sara Title III
- Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) include requirements for development, use, labeling, disposal and import
- Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) including requirements for disposal, transport and import
- Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and related OSH Act
- Laboratory Standard (e.g., Chemical Hygiene Plan)
- Hazard Communication Standard (requires training, chemical inventory, use of Safety Data Sheets and adherence to Global Harmonization System for labeling)
- Kansas Department of Labor (KDOL) - adopts OSHA regulations
- Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
- Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS)
- Building and Fire codes (i.e., IBC and IFC as adopted by the Kansas State Fire Marshal Office)
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI - indirect enforcement) focus on chemical security [view Chemical Indicators: Laboratory Security Awareness video])
Contact EHS for guidance on potential chemical management and other safety and environmental regulatory requirements affecting program activities and research.
Areas potentially affected by regulatory requirements and institutional policy:
- Import/Export of materials (e.g., soil, chemical, biological, radioactive sources/materials, pesticides)
- Offering materials for commerce (e.g., sale, transport)
- Synthesis of R&D or other chemicals and distribution/sale of chemicals either produced or altered/combined/mixed at KSU for use or distribution off campus
- Transport of chemicals to or from campus
- Shipment of chemicals or other hazardous materials or biological materials/specimens
- Work, instruction or research with explosives or highly reactive materials
- Generation of hazardous waste or other chemical, biological, radioactive, or medical waste
KSU Environmental Health & Safety Assistant (EHS Assistant)
This program is an online tool to assist KSU personnel in managing their hazardous chemical and radiological materials. All laboratories must maintain an up to date chemical inventory within this system.