Fragmented chemical management leads to significant health risks, environmental damage, and financial losses. Here are our 3 tips to avoid regulatory penalties, operational disruptions, and reputational damage.

Chemical management encompasses a broad swath of business activities, from chemicals used in manufacturing processes to cleaning products, paints, and solvents used in facilities maintenance. These chemicals are often purchased and received through regular procurement channels, which makes it difficult for EHS professionals to get a handle on the chemicals entering their workplace — much less ensure they are stored, used, and disposed of properly.
The pressure to keep up with regulatory demands and reporting requirements intensifies for EHS leaders.

Inadequate chemical management negatively impacts workplace safety, ecosystems and finances. Learn how to reduce risk, increase productivity and ensure compliance by following our best practices.

Why is proper Chemicals Management so important?

Compliance

Solid chemical management practices help prevent fines and legal issues by ensuring compliance with health and environmental standards. Proper handling and documentation avoid legal complications, reducing operational disruptions and risks

Workplace Safety

Proper chemical management minimizes risks like spills and exposure. It ensures safe storage, labeling, and employee training, reducing accidents. This creates a healthier work environment, improving employee safety and morale.

Efficiency

Effective chemical management reduces waste and optimizes inventory. It prevents over-purchasing and minimizes downtime due to accidents. This leads to cost savings and boosts overall productivity across your organization.

To help you meet your goals, here are three chemical management best practices for any organization.

Take control of your chemical inventory

Effective chemical management begins with maintaining an up-to-date inventory of all chemicals present in the workplace. This inventory is crucial for identifying potential safety and environmental hazards, ensuring compliance with regulations, and managing waste efficiently. Without it, you cannot guarantee that Safety Data Sheets (SDSs), GHS labels, or Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) are current and accurate.

Poor inventory management also leads to unnecessary waste, increased disposal costs, and hinders sustainability efforts. It also makes compliance reporting for regulations like Tier II in the U.S., SEVESO in the EU, UK REACH, and COSHH impossible. Additionally, voluntary initiatives such as ISO 14001 and EMAS require transparent chemical inventory management to demonstrate compliance with sustainability and safety standards.

One way best-practice companies get a handle on their chemical inventory is by tracking materials as they enter each facility. Implementing a process for receiving chemicals and recording the types, quantities, and locations can go a long way toward helping you succeed with chemical management.

Ensure Proper Internal Labeling with Secondary Containers

Proper internal labeling, especially on secondary containers, is a critical aspect of chemicals management that is often overlooked. OSHA confirms that mislabeled chemicals contribute to a significant percentage of hazardous material incidents. Secondary containers, which are often used for storing chemicals transferred from their original packaging, must be clearly labeled with the correct hazard information, handling instructions, and appropriate safety precautions. Inadequate or missing labels can lead to misidentification, accidental exposure, or improper handling, which can result in serious safety incidents and regulatory fines. A robust chemicals management system can automate the creation of compliant, accurate GHS labels for secondary containers, ensuring they meet regulatory standards and reducing the likelihood of human error. This not only supports a safer work environment but also helps businesses maintain compliance with global regulations like OSHA, REACH, and GHS, reducing risk and liability.

Communicate chemical information effectively

When it comes to chemical safety, knowledge is power. EHS leaders need to be able to share relevant chemical information with employees, management, customers, and regulators in a meaningful and timely way. .

Of course, that starts with having access to accurate, up-to-date information. This is another area where software systems can prove useful. Software allows you to store, manage, and distribute a vast range of information about chemicals, their related hazards, and more. And with the addition of mobile apps, access to this information is more convenient than ever.

Why Invest in a Chemical Management Software?

At most organizations, chemical information and EHS data is spread out in many different places. It’s hard to locate the information you need for compliance and reporting, such as chemical and regulatory data, SDSs, hazard information, permits, training records, and environmental data.

Today, best-practice companies are using technology to solve this problem. Chemical management and EHS software systems work by giving you one central place to organize all the data, documents, and information about the chemicals you use or manufacture. It’s an efficient way to manage chemicals and hazardous materials throughout their entire lifecycle, from cradle to grave.

With chemical management and EHS software in place, your team can gain visibility into all the chemicals and mixtures on hand, as well as where they are located in your company. You can oversee day-to-day activities such as procurement, delivery, storage, use, shipping, and disposal. And you can access regulatory compliance data and generate accurate reports using up-to-date information from your chemical inventory and environmental management system. In this way, centralized software saves you from having a disconnected chemical management process.

Want to know how Chemical Management software helps?
Download our case study.