A simple change reduced our lab waste by a tenth. Find out how you can do it too
Universities face a challenge in managing the range of chemicals, gases and lab equipment used in scientific laboratories. These products vary widely in their nature and purpose, from hazardous chemicals and gases to the disposable items used in labs, such as pipettes, test tubes, gloves, swabs and vials.
Institutions should have comprehensive management strategies to handle products with different hazards, expiration dates, legal requirements and environmental impacts. This includes ensuring compliance with the regulatory requirements and strict adherence to storing guidelines until disposal, according to environmental regulations. Failure to do this can lead to safety hazards and health risks, regulatory non-compliance and legal consequences – not to mention operational and budget inefficiency.
To improve the management of this process, our university introduced a centralised unit – Centralised Chemical and Material Management (CCMM) – within our Laboratory Management Section, which is responsible for chemical, gas and consumables management. The unit’s responsibilities cover inventory management, cost-effective procurement strategy and ensuring full compliance of products in line with regulations.
The CCMM unit facilitates the delivery of all the requested products in laboratories based on operational usage requirements. Responsibility for proper handling, safe storage and disposal of these products within laboratories rests with the respective users, with the assistance of CCMM and Health, Safety and Environment units. This lean management has led to 10 per cent reduction in waste and procurement cost, 30 per cent improvement in storing and inventory management efficiency and 100 per cent regulatory compliance.
Here, we highlight the key points that have contributed to the success of this initiative as lessons for others facing similar challenges.
Statutory and legal compliance
Strict laws govern how chemicals and gases can be used, stored and disposed of. All these requirements must be followed and failure to do so can lead to major non-compliance and legal consequences. University labs must adhere to expiry dates, availability of safety data sheets, labelling and relabelling under CLASS regulations 2013 and scheduled waste disposal, to name a few.
By giving one centralised team responsibility for managing all these statutory considerations, institutions can ensure a consistent approach across all labs and a single data point so compliance can be quickly and easily demonstrated. Take the sourcing and delivery of gas cylinders for research as one example. This previously sat with our research centres, meaning each team had a different approach and records were scattered across different databases and systems, making it difficult to source necessary information.
CCMM ensures full compliance with statutory and legal requirements at the points of receiving and returning, while also updating the database. The database holds detailed information on each gas cylinder, including its type, size, manufacturer, expiry date, latest safety data sheet, location, owner etc, and is accessible online. The same approach is being applied to chemical management for teaching and learning, with plans to extend it to research centres in the future.
Optimising resources
Bulk purchasing often provides better value than small-scale purchases. We continuously analyse historical data to better understand demand and volume, and source common consumables such as jumbo tissues, soap and gloves, through bulk purchases on an annual basis. This has helped reduce the effort and time spent on multiple procurement exercises and has led to a 10 per cent reduction in costs.
We introduced a price agreement for sourcing chemicals and gases, which required a thorough analysis of historical purchasing data. We collaborated with researchers to understand their requirements and pain points. To ensure the effectiveness of the agreement, only common chemicals and gases are listed, with the aim to reduce waiting times, secure supplier commitments and better pricing. The selected suppliers must meet all the requirements prior to their appointment.
In addition to the above, both bulk purchasing and the price agreement require prudent management and an effective inventory system. The centralised unit should diligently monitor the planning and implementation processes, in order to be prepared.
Safety first
Dealing with chemicals and gases always raises safety concerns. We’ve introduced the chemical reactivity matrix standard, which is used as a reference for chemical storage, and use chemical cabinets, either corrosive or flammable, to store the chemicals based on their type and compatibility. We conduct biannual testing to ensure the health condition of the ductless filtration system. Eyewash and safety showers are tested monthly and biannually by technologists on site and recorded in the online system. We carry out local exhaust ventilation inspections annually to ensure that fume hoods, snorkel systems and other ventilation systems meet the standards and are safe to be used.
For waste disposal, there are nine scheduled waste transit areas, each corresponding to its coverage area, and we use them to temporarily store scheduled waste before it is transferred to the main scheduled waste store. All activities within the area are inspected weekly and recorded in the online system, and all waste disposal activities are supervised and monitored by in-house certified environmental professionals in scheduled waste management.
Regarding gas management, we segregate gas cylinders based on types, such as inert, oxidiser and flammable. The safety data sheet for each gas is available online for easy reference. Since the gases are stored either at the gas barn or gas storage area, the technologist in charge ensures that all gas in/out activities under their purview are recorded in the online gas master list.
The efficient management of chemicals, gases and consumables is a key success factor for excellent lab operations. By having a dedicated unit to manage these, we not only streamline the processes, enhance regulatory compliance, reduce costs and improve the quality of services – but also optimise our resources.
Mohd Fatimie Irzaq Khamis is director of laboratory management at Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS.
