Regulations can be added to unlinked chemicals, also referred to as local chemicals. These are chemicals tracked on your organization's instance of SciShield, not from the central ChemTracker chemical database.
Users with oversight level permissions, such as EHS members, can add regulations and otherdata to these chemical profiles.
1. Find an unlinked chemical you would like to add data to. From the "ChemicalContainers" page, click "Show Advanced Filters". Use the filter "Database LinkageStatus" and select "Unlinked".
2. Click the chemical name of the chemical to edit.
3. Click the "Edit Chemical" tab at the top of the screen.
4. Add any desired data.
5. Recommended: Check PubChem to see if the chemical is in the compound database(not the substance database, do not add PubChem Substance ID numbers). If found,add the "PubChem Compound ID" on this screen. This would also pull in a structurediagram.
6. Click "Submit" to save the data and pull in any relevant data from PubChem.
7. Click the "Regulations" tab to add any relevant regulations.
ChemSnap AI is a new tool to use your smartphone to add chemical inventory by taking a picture. This tool is backed by AI technology, going beyond just a simple photo to text functionality, to help you quickly and painlessly add chemicals into inventory.
Behind the scenes, ChemSnap uses Artificial Intelligence/ Machine Learning capabilities to translate your inventory photo into data for ChemTracker. ChemSnap will fill in as many of the following as possible:
Go to "Add Inventory" in ChemTrackerThis feature is still in beta and not yet available to all users or sites. Please contact your SciShield administrator if you do not have access and expected to.
1. Click "Add with Camera."2. If on a mobile device, when prompted, open the camera app on your phone.3. If on a laptop or desktop computer, when prompted, upload a photo of the chemical container taken previously.4. Take one clear, detailed-focused photo of the label, showing as much of the chemical name as possible.
5. Complete the rest of the form (such as space) and click "Create" at the bottom of the screen.
The ChemTracker Module is connected to SciShield's Chemical Database, which includes over90% of chemicals used in Laboratories. The Database provides information about each chemical,such as regulatory and physical property data.
When adding inventory to your group/lab, you are searching against this Database. You mayfind the chemical you are searching for is not currently tracked in the Database. Even thoughthere is no match in the database, you can still track the chemical as an "unlinked chemical."Unlinked chemicals do not have regulatory or physical property data associated with thechemical, but you will still be able to report on totals and manipulate the container in otherways.
If you would like an unlinked chemical to be added to the Database, please reach out to theSciShield Support Team at Support@SciShield.com to request the form to add a chemical to theDatabase. The submitted form will be reviewed by our team of Database Curators.
The ChemTracker reconciliation tool is available to all users with the "Manage Group ChemTracker Inventory" permission.
To see the video guide for this feature, follow the link below:
https://www.scishield.com/product-video-page/chemtracker-inventory-reconciliation-for-groupmembers
Barcodes or RFID tags are preferred. QR codes are not recommended as the ID numbers are not transferable. Please see https://www.scishield.com/communityhub/understanding-chemical-inventory-management-tools for more background.
Any standard barcode labels can be used with ChemTracker. Most special characters should be avoided though. If possible, we recommend that the IDs start with a letter or a number other than zero, as Microsoft Excel often removes leading zeros from lists of numbers. Any labels should be ordered as sequential numbers (typically the default unless otherwise specified), and the numbers should be unique without duplicating any container ID numbers already in SciShield. Piggyback labels are a great option as they have a second adhesive back that can be used when the label is removed – when a container is empty, the user can remove and re-stick the label to a sheet where labels for empty containers are collected. These empty container labels can then be scanned and deleted via bulk edit.
For scanners, any basic scanner which connects to a computer or mobile device should work with ChemTracker. The device connects to the computer and works similar to a keyboard, translating the visual label to the text of the ID number. Zebra brand scanners are a commonly used brand, such as the models Zebra Symbol LI4278 1D cordless and Zebra Symbol LS2208-7AZU0100ZNA Barcode Scanner, Handheld. Some scanners have Bluetooth capability for use with mobile devices. Please note that SciShield Support is not equipped to provide technical support or assistance in connecting hardware (including scanners) to a computer or mobile device. If you may require troubleshooting assistance with a scanner, please purchase it from a company such as Electronic Imaging Materials that has support packages available for hardware.
Either works with ChemTracker, as the label corresponds to a number that becomes the Container ID. RFID tags have a higher upfront cost, but may have lower labor costs for future inventory reconciliations.
No, ChemTracker can be used with or without barcode labels.
Quality chemical resistant piggyback labels are the best. They make it more likely that the empty containers will be logged. We recommend having a paper or even a prominent poster in each room where the staff can stick the labels from empty containers. Typically, this is kept by the waste area.
Occasionally customers may order some smaller labels (not always piggyback) and freezer-specific labels (definitely not piggyback) for specialty uses. An alternative is to stick the barcode on small bottles more like a “flag” than directly on the bottle, if it is very small.
The barcodes can be a mix of numbers and letters. Each barcode must be unique within the system (automated checks make sure that happens). If possible, we highly recommend starting the numbering with a letter or with a number that is not zero. SciShield handles those numbers fine, but Microsoft Excel unfortunately has a tendency to remove those leading zeros.
Please submit a request to SciShield Support and our database curation team will review the request to add the manufacturer to our database. All submissions are reviewed to avoid typos and duplicate entries, as well as link relevant companies together for SDS auto-match purposes. In the meantime, you can add any desired manufacturer information under the "Additional Details" section.
After finalizing a reconciliation where barcode or RFID tags were used, some containers may show in the “Container IDs Not in ChemTracker or Without Access” section. There are a few reasons why:
1. If you have group level access (i.e., group member or scientist), the container will show there if it belongs to a group for which you do not have “Manage Group ChemTracker” access.
2. The barcode or RFID tag was not yet added into ChemTracker yet (the “ID Exists in ChemTracker” will list “No” in this case).
3. The container was found in step 2 but belonged to a different group or was listed in a different location.
You will still be able to see the containers and the associated lab group in the institution-wide chemical containers page if the lab is inactivated. You will also be able to view the lab's inventory if you navigate to the inactive lab and click on the "ChemTracker" tab. Chemical containers always appear in a general search of the inventory on the chemical containers page unless the container has been deleted. To see deleted containers, click the "Advanced Filter" option and check the "Show Deleted Chemical Containers" box.
Depending on your organization's configurations and preferences, you may be given access to search for inventory in other groups or labs. Inventory can only be edited or moved by the group or lab owning the chemical or by system administrators.
If you do not see your group or lab in the left-hand menu or you see a message about not being part of a group/lab, please contact your organization's Health and Safety Team for assistance updating your information in SciShield.
Search for containers within your inventory using the search criteria; click "Show Advanced Filters" to expand the search criteria.
* Note: If individual container barcode or RFID tags are in use, use the “Container ID” field to search with a scanner.
The Chemical Owner field may be used to indicate if a specific group member is responsible fora specific chemical container. Only a member of the group owning a container may bedesignated as the chemical owner.
No permissions are associated with being a chemical owner. All group members with "View Group ChemTracker" can see all containers in the group, regardless of the Chemical Owner assigned.
This may be edited in two ways: