Reading the inventory

Hazard and risk: two different questions

The 'Hazard & Risk' tab answers two questions per product that are often mixed up.

• Hazard · intrinsic: how hazardous is the product itself? Three columns, Health, Env. and Fire & Expl., from Very low to Very high. Chemspark calculates them from the H- and EUH-statements in the SDS.
• Risk · qualitative: how high is the risk of the work with this product? Three columns, Inhalation, Dermal and Fire & Expl. They come from the saved risk assessments; without an assessment the cell shows a dash (—).

Why hazard and risk can differ

A high hazard does not automatically mean a high risk. The risk depends on how the product is used: the amount, open or closed handling, how long, and whether vapour, mist or dust is released. So the same product can show a high hazard in the inventory and a low risk in the assessment, or the other way round.

When a product is assessed for several uses, the inventory shows the highest risk.

Follow-up and flags

The Follow-up column shows what still needs doing: whether the product has been screened, whether there is a quantitative assessment, and whether a measure is still 'Needed'. The results themselves are under Risk assessment.

A flag on a product asks for action:

• Needs review: not all data could be taken from the SDS with certainty.
• SDS expired: the SDS is older than the organisation's expiry period.
• Assessment out of date: a risk assessment no longer matches the current data, for example after a new SDS.
• Workplace card out of date: the card was made from an older SDS.
• Card: assessment changed: the risk assessment or the measures changed after the card was drafted.

What needs updating

Expand a row with the arrow. It lists each item that no longer matches, such as a risk assessment, the workplace card or the GHS label, with a direct link to update it. When nothing is out of date, it says 'Everything is up to date with the current SDS'.

Search, filters and locations

• Search by name, product ID or CAS number.
• 'Filters' include the department, 'Needs review' and whether a product has a workplace card.
• Sort on a column, such as a hazard or risk level, and choose with 'Columns' which columns are visible.
• An administrator can pick 'All locations' in the location switcher at the top; the inventory then shows the products of every location together.

Storage per department

The 'Storage' tab shows per product which departments hold it and how much, together with the transport data from the SDS. 'Manage storage' records departments, quantities and an optional maximum. When the quantity exceeds the maximum, the row shows 'Over limit'.

Quantities and maximums are entered by your organisation; they do not come from the SDS. An administrator sets up the departments for each location.

The product page

Click 'Open' for everything about one product: identification, hazards, composition with the limit values per substance, physical properties, transport, supplier, the SDS itself with its version history, SDS quality, and a summary of the risk assessment and the workplace card.