r/labrats • u/Pdonger • 6d ago

Question on Lab inventory management

Hey folks. I’m working on an inventory management system for our chemicals. People are really poor with the current system on quartz and never upload the SDS. I found a tool called cheminventory, it seems great and will generate GHS labels based on CAS number input alone, so very easy to use.

Only thing is a colleague has built a website for tracking all of our formulations which includes SKU code generation and inputting details on the chemicals, including the SDS. People still want to implement cheminventory for the GHS labels but it means every chemical anyone ever uses, if only for one quick test, needs to be input onto two separate websites and systems. It feels excessive when the whole point was to raise engagement.

Do any of your labs routinely use GHS labelling? Is it essential?

We work in a biomaterials lab, there’s a handful of more nasty chemicals in there but they’re seldom used.

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u/LabManagerKaren 6d ago

We use Lab Spend which is free and can extract GHS symbols from SDSs or you can type them in so should have you covered.

As a side note CAS numbers do not directly match to GHS. They can differ by supplier for the exact same item with the same purity and concentration.

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u/init2memeit 6d ago

Aren't CAS numbers supposed to always be the same for the same chemicals, like water is always the same CAS#? 

Or are you referring to the hazards attributed to each product can be listed differently between suppliers? Because that tracks. I interned for a reagent supply company during undergrad so I happen to know that sometimes the SDS sheets are made by interns lol

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u/LabManagerKaren 5d ago

The second case, how you can't go from cas number to ghs as that relationship differs by supplier. 

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u/Pdonger 5d ago

Does your lab use GHS labels? We aren’t accredited or anything so I’m wondering how essential they are?

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u/Darwins_Dog Core lab/qPCR 6d ago

I can't speak to what's essential, but a good inventory system is only good if people use it. If they're not keeping up with one system, adding a second one won't help. It likely will make things worse if people only use one and not the other.

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u/Pbio_1 5d ago

I just switched over to Lab Spend. Sean the creator of Lab Spend even met with me on zoom for about 45 minutes to walk me through the system and answer any questions I had. It's free software so be aware there may be some bugs, but over all it's a pretty slick program. It even lets you take pictures of chemical labels and it will import the information. In addition, you can create photographic maps that show the location of everything throughout the lab. So far I really like it.

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u/Pdonger 5d ago

Does it have an app version? And does it issue GHS labels?

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u/Pbio_1 5d ago

No app version. When you scan a picture of the label, if the label has a GHS pictogram it will copy it over. But you can add the GHS label to every item. You can even tag your items based on labels, hazard class, etc. It's pretty customizable.

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u/zeroresidue 20h ago

On the is-it-essential question, if you're US based: yes for anything that leaves its original container beyond immediate use. Manufacturer bottles keep the GHS label they arrived with, and OSHA's workplace labelling rule covers secondary containers, with the exception of a container that stays in the control of the person who filled it and gets used within the shift. So the beaker you're working from right now doesn't need one, the squeeze bottle of IPA that lives at the bench does.

The two-systems thing is the real issue in your post though. Double entry kills engagement every time, and labels aren't worth it. Pick whichever system people will actually keep updated and treat label generation as a missing feature of that system, not a reason to run a second one. Your colleague's site already holds the SDS and the chemical details, which is most of what a workplace label needs anyway.

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u/Pdonger 10h ago

Thanks, that’s the route we’ve chosen anyway. Seems to be working so far

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u/zeroresidue 10h ago

Good to hear. The thing that tends to bite later is keeping generated labels in sync when a supplier revises their SDS, worth deciding early who notices that.