Why do I need to keep a chemical inventory?

NYU employess who use chemical at any NYU owned or leased facility are required to maintain a chemical inventory in ChemTracker. Chemical Inventories are linked to a Principal Investigator (PI), supervisor, or area contact (e.g. facility manager). Chemical inventories are required to help the University comply with federal, state and local hazardous chemical regulations. Chemical inventories are maintained in SciShield. Principal Investigators or their designated Safety Coordinators must update their laboratory’s chemical inventories at least annually. Chemical inventories must be updated immediately if:

  • The amount of any chemical stored or used in the laboratory increases or decreases significantly
  • New chemicals are added to the laboratory
  • Any chemicals on the inventory are no longer in use in the laboratory
  • Chemical storage locations have changed

Community Right to Know

According to the Rules of the City of New York (Title 15, Chapter 41) (DOC: 2.3 MB), if you store or handle any chemical listed on the New York City List of Hazardous Substances (PDF: 1.4MB) at or above its threshold reporting quantity, you must annually file a Facility Inventory Form with the New York City Department of Environmental Protection and the New York City Fire Department. RLS will file your inventory but requires you to follow the Chemical Inventory Requirements.

NYU maintains an inventory of all hazardous substances in its facilities. On March 1st of every year, NYU Research and Laboratory Safety reports the names and quantities of all substances on the New York City List of Hazardous Substances that are present in NYU facilities.  RLS requires all inventories to be updated before December 15th of each year to comply with that year's reporting. 

Chemical Inventory FAQ