29th Mar, 2021 Read time 3 minutes

Key Elements to Best-in-Class Chemical Management

Chemical management is a priority for so many organizations – for good reason. Managing chemicals safely and efficiently is a critical component to protecting workers, maintaining compliance, and preventing brand reputation damage. Yet, running an effective chemical management program remains a challenge for many organizations due to the degree of complexity involved – from knowing which substances are on-site across global locations, to proper chemical handling and disposal – all while keeping up with changing regulatory requirements. Whether you’re just getting started with chemical management or are looking to take your current program to the next level – we’re here to help. 


Cority

A chemical management program is essential 

Considering today’s ever-evolving regulatory landscape and the need to keep your employees and the environment safe, your organization must run a best-in-class chemical program that spans approvals, inventories and SDS management, and provides a single source of truth for all your critical chemical and EHSQ data across the enterprise. Running a safe and efficient chemical management program remains challenging due to the degree of complexity involved – from knowing what’s on-site across locations to proper handling and disposal – all while keeping on top of regulatory changes. So, what are some effective strategies for mitigating chemical risk? 

  • The key is to plan, plan, plan (this can’t be stated enough) and then follow through with a robust process.
  • Research regulatory requirements and make sure you know which ones apply to your facilities.
  • Make sure you conduct hazard analyses to identify health and physical risks and understand where chemicals potentially pose a risk to your employees, the community, and the environment.
  • It’s critical that you know what’s on-site, manage inventories properly, and keep track of regulatory reporting deadlines.

Additionally, EHSQ software solutions can be invaluable tools in this respect as they help to keep everyone on top of deadlines with calendaring and automatic electronic notifications and reminders. 

Companies that fail to have a defined process in place for risk mitigation can introduce exposures, releases, or even theft. To guard against these ill fates, your organization must ensure it has a process by which it can Assess, Mitigate, Monitor, and Improve on the risk factors driving dangerous outcomes. To properly reduce risk, companies must have accurate knowledge and data on the locations, hazards, and quantities of chemicals so they can create robust control mechanisms to protect worker, location, and community safety. 

Some of the most frequently used controls are:

  • Elimination
  • Substitution
  • Engineering Controls
  • Administrative Controls
  • Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Having a trusted source of chemical property and safety data is key to mitigating and managing risk. Combining this in a centralized, easy to understand reporting structure will set your company up for success.

Cority recently teamed up with Verisk 3E to answer five of the most frequently asked questions from health and safety professionals about how to effectively mitigate chemical risk, get the most value out of your chemical data, and gain buy-in for a chemical management technology program. To learn more, check out our eBook: 5 Keys to Best-in-Class Chemical Management.  

Click here to download the eBook >>

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