Sustainability & Risk / Hazardous Materials / Background Data - Hazmat

Overview: Background Data - Hazmat

Before you can enter SDSs into the system, a safety officer or other person familiar with SDS management must first define the values from which you will choose when entering the SDS. Use the Sustainability & Risk / Hazardous Materials / Background Data - Hazmat process to develop this data.

Depending on how detailed your site's data entry is, you may not need to complete all of this data. For example, if you do not intend to enter the constituent chemicals for each hazardous product or material, you do not need to provide the Chemical List data. Be sure to carefully analyze your site's reporting needs and determine the exact tables that you need to complete. Otherwise, you may complete background data that you will not use in your standard operations.

As an absolute minimum, however, you will need to capture the manufacturer's contact information using the Define Companies task.

  1. Define Companies - Enter company contact information such as address, phone, emergency contact, and website URL. This data is then used in selections lists for the chemical's manufacturer, distributor, and preparer. You complete these selection lists when defining an SDS.
  2. Define Chemicals - Enter chemical identification information, including the chemical name, hazard classification, CAS number, and an assortment of other identifiers. The chemical data is needed so that when you create an SDS for a hazardous product, you can enter its constituent chemical elements by choosing from the list you define in this step.
  3. Define the hazard classification systems that you will use at your site. Archibus provides a flexible system for defining up to three levels of hazard classification, which can then be applied to an SDS. Define your levels using these tasks:
  4. Define Container Categories and Types. Container types are associated with an SDS When you specify the SDS's location, you associate it with a container type so that the system can determine the quantity of a substance within a particular area. Run these tasks to define the types of containers and how related types of containers are grouped into categories.
  5. Define Units - Define units of measurements so that you can enter the size of storage containers and the physical properties associated with the SDS.

SDS Data Provided by Archibus

As you work through the above tasks, you will notice that the HQ sample project contains SDS data that is based on accepted conventions, guidelines, and practices. Likewise, as you complete your own project database with background SDS data, you will note that your project database automatically contains these same records. For example, the Chemicals table contains a list of chemicals and their associated RTECS, UN, and ISCS numbers.

These records are provided as a courtesy to help you quickly get started with the SDS application, and save you from entering into your project database this standard information. Since you may be filing SDS paperwork that is based on this data, be sure to review it for accuracy and completeness.

You will notice that many of these records are US-based, such as US EPA Tier 2 Classifications. Non-US users can delete these records and enter their own data, based on the government regulations to which they must adhere.

The HQ sample project, as well as any new projects that you start, contain the following SDS records: