Chemical Management Center

The Chemical Management Center (CMC) is YSU's dedicated facility for receiving, storage and transport of laboratory chemicals. It is also home to the campus Hazardous Waste Central Accumulation Area. The CMC provides support and guidance in helping to safely conduct laboratory work in compliance with environmental, health and safety regulations, policies and procedures. CMC staff strive to provide laboratory safety training & resources for the campus community.

Chemical Management Operations and Services

The following is a general summary of CMC operations & services. Please visit the additional links provided for more information. 
  • Access and Hours
    • The CMC can be located from the second floor of Ward Beecher Hall (room #202). The office entrance is located between the PAGES (Physics, Astronomy, Geology & Environmental Sciences) department office and the Sandy Simon Greenhouse.
    • The CMC is open to the University community, shipping carriers & contractors on normal operating business days: Monday through Friday, 8:30AM - 4:00PM. This is a restricted area, so the office entrance door remains locked. CMC guests must schedule their visit in advance, by setting up an appointment with cmc@ysu.eduFor office visitors, please knock on the door. Call the phone number(s) provided on the outside of the door, or send an email to cmc@ysu.edu.
    • Deliveries, maintenance, contractors and transport of hazardous materials will occur at the first-floor ramp entrance, located at 124 Lincoln Ave. A video monitor and audiovisual doorbell are located at the door in the first floor garage entrance. Ring the doorbell and wait for a response; do NOT leave packages or other items outside the door. The garage area is not secure during the daytime, so items could be stolen or misplaced. If you are not greeted within one minute, please call the number(s) provided on the outside of the door.

    Only authorized personnel will have access to storage areas of the CMC. Visitors must be accompanied-by or receive permission from a full-time CMC staff member in order to access any area other than the general office/reception (room #202).

  • Shipping Procedures

    Requests to ship samples, etc. shall be submitted by sending an email to cmc@ysu.edu. 

    Normally, the CMC can process shipment requests within one business day. For urgent, same-day shipment requests, the request must be sent to the CMC by 10:00 AM.

    • If the requested shipment contains DOT-regulated hazardous materials, there may be additional documentation, labeling & packaging required before processing. Please contact CMC or EHS personnel with questions, or for more information regarding shipment of hazardous materials.
      • Please refer to section 14 of the material's SDS ("Transport Information" section) to learn if your material is regulated for transport.
    • In general, all requested shipments containing any inner containers/packages with more than 30 g or 30 mL (1 oz) of hazardous materials must first be reviewed, approved and processed by EHS.
      • All shipping requests for hazardous materials must be submitted at least 48 hours (or two business days) prior to desired shipment and may be sent to either cmc@ysu.edu or ehs@ysu.edu.
      • In addition, any shipment requests with quantities exceeding those stated above should be submitted at least 10 days (or at least 7 business days) prior to the desired delivery date.
  • Chemical Procurement & Ordering

    Please visit ysu.edu/ehs/cmc/chemical-orders for a detailed outline of chemical purchasing procedures.

    Before ordering chemicals for your laboratory, contact CMC staff for help in searching the Chemical Inventory System for surplus material, which may already be on-campus & in storage.

    • Lab groups & researchers must strive to utilize chemicals already held within their group, division, or department - and always seek greener alternatives. Chemicals must not be stockpiled and only the minium amounts necessary must be ordered. Performing a chemical inventory stock-check will help reduce the costs & time associated with placing unnecessary orders. It can reduce hazardous waste generated, disposal costs and lessen our overall environmental impact.

    Laboratory chemicals must be ordered using account code 701115: Instructional Chemical Supplies. This will ensure workflow routing for chemical hygiene review, inventory stock-check, CMC delivery, handling and chemical inventory/SDS entry. During this process, EHS will assist in determining applicable regulatory requirements (such as DOT, DHS, DEA, EPA), as well as any additional storage, handling or disposal considerations.

    • Chemicals may NOT be purchased via University P-Card. Per Procurement Services policy, approved buyers are exempt from this restriction; however, every effort must still be made by those approved personnel to order hazardous materials through the e-procurement system/requisition process, in order to ensure compliance with applicable environmental, health & safety policies.
  • Order Pickup & Delivery to Lab

    Orders may be picked up at the CMC during normal operating business hours. The order owner or end-user should schedule delivery or pickup of their order by calling or emailing the CMC. If pick up is not possible, the end user must make delivery arrangements for a time they will be present to receive the chemical.

    • All laboratory personnel picking up or delivering (transporting) chemicals must have completed Hazard Communication/GHS & SDS lab safety training modules, as well as be familiar with spill response & reporting procedures. The SDS must be reviewed so the personnel are informed of the material's associated hazards & precautions.

    Chemical containers must be placed in their original packaging/shipping container and re-sealed with packaging tape for transport. If this is not feasible, appropriate transport vessels and carts must be used. Stairs must be avoided when transporting chemicals; please use the Chemical Management Center elevator.

  • Chemical Inventory & Tracking

    All hazardous chemicals delivered to the CMC are barcoded and entered into a chemical inventory database. Each individual chemical container is assigned a unique barcode. This includes orders with multiple containers of the same chemical. Inventory information includes chemical name, quantity/unit of measurement, building and room number where the chemical will be stored. The corresponding safety data sheet will be linked to the chemical inventory container record.

    • An inventory of hazardous chemicals in YSU laboratories is maintained via EMS Chemical Safety Software, a web-based Chemical Inventory Management System. CMC personnel are responsible for maintaining this information and ensuring digital Safety Data Sheets are linked to the chemical container inventory.

    YSU's Chemical Safety & Inventory database can be accessed at ysu.chemicalsafety.com. Login information can be obtained by emailing ehs@ysu.edu or calling 330-941-3700. A Chemical Inventory walkthrough guide can be found here.

    • Before a chemical container is moved to another room, the CMC must first be notified in order to digitally transfer the container to its new location.
  • Chemical Safety Information
    Visit our Lab Safety page for more information.

    Along with providing digital SDS linked to the chemical inventory, the CMC also maintains an electronic SDS repository via SharePoint.

    • This public SharePoint page contains SDS inventory for chemicals delivered to campus beginning in Spring 2022 and can be easily accessed & searched by all members of the YSU community.

    Up-to-date SDS for chemicals not previously used or stored in the lab will be distributed to the responsible faculty/end-user via email attachment and physical copy, accompanying the chemical delivery.

    • Please email cmc@ysu.edu for additional digital/print SDS copies, or for help with logging into or utilizing ysu.chemicalsafety.com. Click here for a user guide of the chemical inventory system.

    Faculty lab managers (PI's, teaching lab coordinators) are responsible for maintaining their local chemical inventory of the labs for which they oversee. They must also ensure the current SDS are reviewed & readily accessible by all lab personnel, during and prior-to beginning work with the materials. Labs can maintain their local inventory through Quartzy, the lab management workflow/request system, or via spreadsheet, logbook, binder, etc.  Any changes to the lab inventory must be communicated to CMC personnel, in order to update the web-based master compliance & inventory database tracking system.

    Lab managers are also responsible for ensuring chemical container labels are maintained following CMC receiving or delivery. This includes tracking, documenting or denoting on the label: date received, opened and expiration date for any time-sensitive or peroxide-forming chemicals. They are also responsible for ensuring that all labels and barcodes remain affixed and in good, legible condition. All transfer vessels and secondary containers, such as jugs, amber glass jars, dropper & wash/squeeze bottles must also be labeled to identify the chemical or reagent as the contents of the container.

  • Lab Safety Equipment
    CMC personnel are responsible for ensuring that chemical spill response kits, first-aid kits and emergency eye wash stations are present, functional, accessible, in good condition and appropriate for the hazards in the laboratory. 
    • It is the responsibility of the faculty lab manager to notify CMC personnel if the equipment has been deployed, or may be in need of modification or relocation, due to any change in lab operations, activity or procedures.
    The CMC ensures that fume hoods representative of actively-used laboratories and exhaust systems are routinely checked & documented for average face velocity/exhaust flow on a minimum once-weekly basis.
  • Lab Waste Procedures

    Lab managers are responsible for all aspects of waste management in the lab. They must know what chemicals are present, as well as by-products and intermediates produced by the process that are needed to classify the type of waste. Waste streams must not be mixed with one another without EHS approval. Never pour hazardous chemicals or waste down the drain. Please consult EHS or CMC personnel for help in determining whether a waste is non-hazardous and safe for drain disposal.

    All containers holding waste must also be labeled to identify their components. The contents of each waste container must be listed on the label.

    This includes each chemical/compound full name (no abbreviations or formulas) and its approximate quantity (percent, volume or mass) and concentration, when applicable. The label must also display the waste accumulation start date, building, department, room number and PI/responsible faculty generating the waste. Physical copies of stick-on labels are available from the CMC, along with additional label templates, write-on, fillable and printable labels. A fillable pdf waste label can be accessed for print or download here.

    Hazardous waste Satellite Accumulation Areas (SAA's) are designated in labs generating chemical waste.

    These locations must remain unobstructed, with signage to indicate hazardous waste accumulation, as well as all waste containers stored within secondary containment. Waste stored in these locations must total less than 55 gallons. Chemical spill-response kits are also placed in an accessible location within the lab and must not be obstructed or used for any reason other than a chemical spill. If a container holding hazardous waste is not in good condition or begins to leak, the lab manager must make sure the material is transferred to a compatible container in good condition.

    A container holding hazardous waste must always be closed during storage, except when it is necessary to add or remove waste.

    Waste Containers may NOT be filled completely to the top. Containers must only be filled to ¾ full and stored in the satellite accumulation area for CMC pick up.

    CMC staff will determine & coordinate the regular collection of routine chemical waste and empty bottles from actively-generating labs. Collection schedule and frequency will be determined by CMC staff based on quantity/need and in coordination with the lab manager.  

    Under no circumstances can waste be dropped-off or left unattended outside any CMC entrance door, elevator access door, inside the CMC elevator, or on any floor of the CMC.

 

Waste Management

The chemical waste team at our university is dedicated to ensuring the safe and responsible management of hazardous materials. By delivering these vital services, the Chemical Waste Team plays a crucial role in maintaining a safe campus environment, protecting the health of our community, and fostering responsible stewardship of hazardous materials.

Hazardous Waste Management