Chemical Inventory Instructions
Instructions for Stanford Chemical Information Management System (SCIMS)
Chemical Storage Maps/ Notification Sheets
Questions and Answers

Room Hazard Maps and Notification Sheets

1. General

Laboratories and departments are responsible for updating Chemical Storage Maps and Notification Sheets whenever significant changes occur, such as rearranging a laboratory or having a person move into or out of a laboratory.

Complete the top of the map with your building name, room number, and the date. Get a copy of a Room Hazard Map from the web, or from EH&S.

2. Equipment

  1. Draw an outline of the room and fixtures including:

  • doors
  • benches and cabinets
  • floor-standing equipment
  1. Indicate the location of safety equipment using the symbols shown on the right side of the map template.

  2. Label refrigerators, floor-standing cabinets, fume hoods, and gas cylinders using the symbols shown on the right side of the map template.

  3. Label natural gas outlets with the symbol shown on the map.

3. Chemical Hazards

  1. Remove the "Guide to Hazard Quantities" and the "Hazardous Materials Inventory" from the Life Safety Box.

  2. Compare the quantities of each Hazard Category given on the "Guide to Hazard Quantities" to the threshold in the "Hazards Key" on the map template.

  3. If the quantity stored exceeds a corresponding threshold, mark the main storage areas for the Hazard Category with the corresponding hazard number on the map. If necessary, check the detailed "Hazardous Materials Inventory" to identify the specific compounds that fall within the hazard category and then determine where those compounds are stored.

    (For example, your "Guide to Hazard Quantities" indicates that you have a total of 3 gallons of oxidizers and 1 pound of moderate poisons. The amount of oxidizer exceeds the threshold of 1 gallon given on the Hazards Key and since you store most of this material in two locations, you mark both of these locations on the map with a number 5. A container of dilute oxidizer solution is stored on the bench top and because this is a minimal amount, you do not mark this location on the map with the number 5. The amount of moderate poison does not exceed the threshold of 8 pounds and thus you do not mark the map with hazard number 3.)

  4. Stop after you reach Hazard Category 8.

4. Other Hazards

If applicable, use the number or letters annotated on the Hazards Key to indicate the location of the following hazards:

  • Level 3 Biohazards storage
  • Radiological materials storage
  • Radiation producing machines
  • High voltage power supplies (>600 V)

5. Emergency Notifications Sheets

Also fill out an Emergency Notification Sheet with the names and phone numbers of those individuals who should be contacted in the event of an emergency involving that room. Be sure to include the Supervisor or PI's name and home phone number. The Emergency Notication Sheets are available in several formats including the School of Medicine version.

6. Fill the Life Safety Box

Replace the "Guide to Hazard Quantities" and place the updated inventory map and notification sheet in the appropriate Life Safety Box.


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