Institutional Expectations for Chemical Purchasing and Acquisition
LBNL expects staff to understand the risks of the chemicals they purchase or allow onsite and to minimize the risks those chemicals bring through elimination, substitution, reduction, use of administrative controls, and use of personal protective equipment where necessary. LBNL expects staff making the decision to allow a chemical onsite to do the following:
- Plan the work that requires the hazardous substance
- Have a plan for the disposal of hazardous wastes
- Prepare for the safe use and storage of the hazardous substance; Ensure
- Needed safety controls are implemented, and
- Workers are qualified
- Know if chemicals are on the restricted items list and obtain institutional approval for the use of those chemicals including chemicals brought by other institutions
- Borrow what you need when possible
- Use less hazardous substances when possible
- Purchase only what is needed for the project; plan for minimum waste and leftover unused hazardous substances
- Start using last of existing stock before buying new supplies (do not stockpile)
Hazardous Chemicals Purchasing Guide
Security & Emergency Services (SES) Division – Guidance Document on Hazardous Materials
Specific Chemicals Requiring Prior Approval (CHEMR)
Use of certain hazardous chemicals is restricted at LBNL. The Procurement Restricted Items List includes specific chemicals that require institutional review and approval before procurement is allowed. It is your responsibility to determine if a purchase requires EHS approval prior to arrival on-site. This includes procurement through LBNL purchasing (i.e., eBUY and ePRO) and acquisition of hazardous chemicals through all other means (i.e., chemicals transported from UCB or shipped from another institution). It is important to follow Lab processes, regardless of how hazardous chemicals are acquired to ensure necessary review and approvals are completed.
The review is primarily a check to ensure proper work planning elements are in place so the chemical may be safely brought on site, used and stored. The review may include dispersion modeling to assess the consequences of an airborne chemical release, which are compared against thresholds established by DOE or LBNL.
In most cases, approval is provided when basic work planning elements are confirmed. However, when dispersion modeling results exceed DOE or LBNL airborne concentration thresholds, approval is required by management representatives of both LBNL and DOE. These approvals can take time, so it is best to seek these approvals as soon as you know you need a restricted chemical. You can submit a chemical for review from here Request Review. For general questions and feedback, email chemsafety@lbl.gov.
Chemical Threshold Screening
In addition to the restricted items list chemicals, some chemicals require prior approval based on their hazards and quantity, regardless of whether or not they are included on CHEMR. This screening process is driven by Security and Emergency Services program requirements.
