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Issue #5 | March 2015
Risk Management Technologies Pty Ltd.
[email protected]
www.chemalert.com
What’s new in ChemAlert v4.1
Licences &
Site Rules
Attachments
T
By Brad Cobb, ChemAlert Product Manager
Site Categories
Several new fields have
been added to Sites to
enable cross-reporting.
These include:
• Responsible Person
• Department & Division, and
• Site Types.
These fields also pave the way for
some nice new features planned
for future versions of ChemAlert.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Analytics is a completely new tool
which allows users to perform
business intelligence queries across
their stock data. You can produce
statistics and graphs that can assist
you with understanding the true
nature of all chemicals kept onsite.
Analytics
Load Batch Reports
Inspection Dates
Site Name
DEMONSTRATION COMPANY
Parent Site
None
Risk Status
Description
RMT’s Expert Risk
Assessment Service 2
The GHS is coming.
We’re ready, are you?
3
ChemAlert 4.1’s New
Product ID Screen
3
ChemAlert Treasure Hunt
4
Staff Profile
4
4
Backing Up Your ChemAlert Data 5
ChemAlert Training Update
Licences & Attachments enable the
administrator to track the regulatory
licences applicable to sites, and to
store records of them alongside the
Site Rules that help to govern the
chemicals stored at those sites.
Filters enable stock managers
to quickly and easily identify
subsets of products like
‘Obsolete Products’, ‘Out of
date SDSs’, ‘Carcinogens’,
‘Mutagens’, ‘Teratogens’, etc.
These quick filters can be used
to show chemicals that need to
be evaluated and/or actioned upon
to remain compliant and safe.
Reports
Quickly identifying chemicals
that require a Risk Assessment 2
ChemAlert Pro User Tip
Site rules allow the administrator to
define what chemicals are allowed
to be stored at each site or across
the business. Users trying to add
products that trigger a rule can
either be warned or prevented from
adding those products to the Stock
Site. Rules can be modified or
overridden at selected locations to
enable exception stores.
FILTERS
his issue we want to continue
teasing you with some more
of the features included in the
upcoming ChemAlert version 4.1.
The focus in v4.1 is very much on
managing chemicals rather than just
tracking them. These are some of
the powerful new ways this is done.
Region
Type
Australia
Business Operation
Divisions
International Developments
Local Developments
Divisions
Engineering
Health & Safety
Machinery
Responsible Person
John Smith
Last Inspection
14-Feb-2015
PROPERTIES
5
LICENCES
Save
ATTACHMENTS
RULES
Close
Above: ChemAlert 4.1 Stock Management Screen
Australia: 1800 555 477
New Zealand: 0800 889 225
ChemAlert is developed
and supported by
RMT ChemAlert Newsletter | Issue #5 | March 2015
Quickly identifying chemicals
that require a Risk Assessment
By Vince Pacecca, Chief Scientific Officer
Performing Risk Assessments is an
important process but many users are
overwhelmed by the task of determining
which chemicals require one. So, to help
out, we have compiled some guidelines
to assist in simplifying the process using
ChemAlert 4.0.
1. Basic Screening
Firstly, in the Stock Register tab, create
the search criteria shown in Figure 1
(right) ie “Hazardous/Dangerous”.
Then sort by “Colour Rating”, with Red
colour rated chemicals listed first.
This basic screening is a good starting
point as it quickly provides you with a
snapshot of hazardous chemicals that
MAY require a Risk Assessment.
2. Additional Screening
Add the additional criteria shown in
Figure 2 (above right) to filter out those
chemicals which already have Risk
Assessments in ChemAlert.
Now only those hazardous chemicals
without risk assessments in ChemAlert
will be displayed.
3. Advanced Screening
The above screening can be refined
further by searching by risk phrase. This
allows you to isolate specific hazardous
chemical types based on their Risk
phrase classification as shown in Figure
3 (above right).
Figure 1: Basic Screening
Stock Register
Stock Holding
Search Criteria
Search By
Hazardous/Dangerous Search By
Hazardous OR Dangerous Equal To Search Regis
Advanced Search List >>
Product Name
Stock Number
Colour Rating
Stock Status
Figure 2: Additional Screening
Search By
Risk Assessment
Search By
Not Available
Equal To Advanced Search List <<
Hazardous/Dangerous
Equal To
Hazardous OR Dangerous
Figure 3: Advanced Screening
Search By
Risk Phrase
Search By
T
Equal To T+
Advanced Search List <<
T
Hazardous/Dangerous Equal To Hazardous OR Dangerous
Xn
Risk Assessment
Equal To Not Available
Search Register
Above: T+=Very Toxic T=Toxic
Did you know?
In ChemAlert, users can upload and
attach your custom risk assessments
to specific products. To do this:
3
1
2
4
5
Simply right click on a chemical,
select View/Add Risk Assessments.
Select the ‘New Risk Assessment’
button in the window that opens.
Xn=Harmful
Add a task name (mandatory),
hit the save button at the bottom
right of the window.
The option to add a ‘New Reference
File’ should now be available.
Press this button and attach your
Risk Assessment.
RMT’s Expert Risk Assessment Service
Why get RMT to conduct my
Risk Assessments?
With RMT’s experts conducting your
Risk Assessments you will:
nn Be sure that ALL workplace chemical
hazards have been identified;
nn Have confidence that any risks
arising from chemical hazards are
adequately controlled;
nn Get expert verification that existing
control measures are providing
adequate protection;
nn Identify any gaps in your chemical
safety management;
nn Address any employee and
community concerns in relation to
hazardous chemicals; and
nn Be guaranteed compliance
with regulatory, organisational
requirements.
What does it involve?
nn Taking an inventory of all chemicals
used in your workplace.
nn Priority listing of hazardous
chemicals based on requirements.
nn Evaluating existing control measures.
nn Recommending further control
measures if required.
Additional measures may include:
nn Exposure monitoring to eliminate
uncertainty and quantify the risk.
nn Interpretation of results, using
statistical analysis, against relevant
exposure standards.
nn Recommendation of additional
realistic control measures using the
‘hierarchy of control’ approach.
nn At the end we provide a detailed
report, together with any monitoring
results and go through it with
you to explain our findings and
their implications for your WHS
management system.
Page 2 of 5
RMT ChemAlert Newsletter | Issue #5 | March 2015
The GHS is coming. We’re ready, are you?
By Vince Pacecca, Chief Scientific Officer
From 1st January 2017 all workplace
chemicals must reflect the GHS and
SDSs must be authored in accordance
with the WHS Regulations for most
Australian States.
At RMT, our university qualified
ChemAlert Scientists have compiled over
200,000 ChemAlert reports which provide
additional standardised information in
addition to the supplier’s Safety Data
Sheet (SDS). However, you may not
be aware that our team also authors
the original SDSs for several thousand
suppliers both in Australia and abroad.
We are currently in the process of
consulting with manufacturers and
suppliers to upgrade all ChemAlert
authored SDSs into the new GHS format.
So if your SDSs are closing in on expiry,
expect to hear from us soon.
Whilst the GHS classification system can
be complex to apply, particularly given
the new classifications and modified
concentration cut-offs, the work our
experienced scientists have done will make
it simple for clients to transition seamlessly
once the GHS comes into effect in 2017.
Of course, we also offer a hosting service
to ensure the upgraded SDSs can be
easily released to your clients.
So if you are a product manufacturer
or supplier interested in upgrading your
SDSs as a priority, why not contact us
at [email protected] before it’s too late?
Even if we don’t already author your SDSs,
we’d be more than happy to help.
GHS Classification Pictograms
Explosive
Toxic
Flammable
Health Hazard
Corrosive
Irritant
Oxidising
Environmental
Hazard
Compressed
Gases
ChemAlert 4.1’s New Product ID Screen
By Brad Cobb, ChemAlert Product Manager
In ChemAlert, the Product Identification
screen is one location where you can
access all the information about a
chemical once you have located it in the
database. The Product ID screen is an
electronic breakdown of much of the
information you will find on an SDS or
the ChemAlert Full Report.
Information in the ID screen is broken
up into Nodes (on the left hand side)
and Pages (along the bottom). Nodes
and Pages are used to logically group
information into manageable units
making it easier to digest.
The information within these screens is
used to filter results, or determine which
products appear on stock reports.
The new Product ID screen in ChemAlert
4 has also been optimised for touch
screen devices so the information is
easily accessible from your phone or
tablet out on the job where you need it.
You can navigate through Nodes and
Pages with familiar gestures such as
swipe, click and drag, point and click, or
using arrow keys on your PC keyboard.
Further optimisations to the Product ID
screen in v4.1 include: adding a subtle
highlight to the Alerts icon; adding a
reference guide behind the colour rating
text; and consolidation of the pages in
the Reports node.
Nodes and Pages of particular noteworthiness include:
Classifications Node
These pages, depending on your region and preferences, can display
Risk and Safety information, Dangerous Goods details, GHS, HSNO, or
NFPA/HMIS data.
Identification Node
> Actions
This page allows you, with
sufficient security privileges, to
create Requests, add the product
to the Stock module, perform a
Risk Assessment, or view existing
information that has been created.
Alerts Node
This node only appears if a
Product Alert has been entered by
one of our scientific staff members.
Product Alerts are designed to
highlight significant issues with the
data on the manufacturer’s Safety
Data Sheet (SDS) including missing
or inconsistent information, overclassifications. Whenever you see
an alert, it’s important to take a
moment to stop, read it, and evaluate
the potential outcome of that
information for your organisation.
Emergency Node
> Protection
A list of suggested Personal
Protection Equipment (PPE) that
should be used under normal
conditions of use are listed here.
Reports Node
The full suite of ChemAlert
Reports, Transport Reports, Labels,
and of course the Manufacturer
Safety Data Sheet(s) are available
for your information. These reports
and labels can be accessed with a
PDF viewer (e.g. Adobe Reader) and
easily printed, saved or emailed.
Information Node
> Storage
The Storage page lists incompatible
materials including a link to
the Storage Incompatibilities
Segregation Guide.
Page 3 of 5
RMT ChemAlert Newsletter | Issue #5 | March 2015
ChemAlert Treasure Hunt
Now is your chance to show off your ChemAlert skills to win an Apple iPad Mini worth $250*. To enter,
simply use ChemAlert 4.0’s Advanced Search tool to follow the clues below and find the secret phrase.
Then use your company email to send us the phrase with the subject line “Give me an iPad mini” to
[email protected]. The winner will be drawn on 20 March 2015 and notified by email.
W
n an
iPad im
ini
w
orth
$250
Discover the Secret Phrase
CLUE 1: In product details, find
the first word of the product
alert for the product PYBROP.
CLUE 4: The last letter
of the synonym for the
product EXCEL ALKA.
CLUE 2: The first two letters
of the last Advanced Search
column heading.
CLUE 3: The first two letters of
the third page in the Classifications
Node of Product Details.
CLUE 5: In Advanced Search, find the
first two letters for the ingredient name
that has the CAS number 108-88-3.
CLUE 6: Via Quick Search, go to
Section 11 of the SDS for BIO ROD
GREASE, and find the first 4 letters
of the fifth word for sensitization.
* 16GB iPad mini, RRP AU$249 as at 04 March 2015.
Staff Profile ChemAlert Pro User Tip
Tendai Mapondera
Occupational Hygiene/
Dangerous Goods
Consultant
Tendai has been with
RMT since 2011 in
the role of Dangerous
Goods Auditor. He holds a Bachelor
of Science (Biotechnology) with
1st class honours from Murdoch
University, a Cert IV in Occupational
Health and Safety, as well as a Post
Graduate Diploma in Occupational
Hygiene from Deakin University.
He is also a full member of the
Australian Institute of Dangerous
Goods Consultants (AIDGC) and an
associate member of the Australian
Institute of Occupational Hygienists
(AIOH).
As our Lead Auditor, Tendai
conducts chemical safety audits,
prepares risk assessments and
carries out occupational hygiene
related investigations.
Managing Updated SDSs
RMT has a dedicated SDS Maintenance
Team who are continually sourcing the
latest SDSs from manufacturers and
suppliers for products on the ChemAlert
Database. We highly recommended you
search through your Stock Register, at
least monthly, to ensure you are working
off the very latest SDS and that your team
is not accessing out of date SDSs, or
even worse, accessing an old SDS which
has been superseded with a chemical
composition change.
Performing this Stock Register search is
easy by following these two simple steps
detailed below:
Step 1: In the Search module, go to your Stock Register and enter the following criteria.
ChemAlert 4
Search
Stock Register
Stock
Request
Risk
Admin
Stock Holding
Business Unit RMT
Search Criteria
Search By
Updated SDS Term to Search:
28 Feb 2015
On or After
Search Register
Add to Search L
Advanced Search List >>
Product Name
Stock Number
Colour Rating
Stock Status
Step 2: It is also recommended that you check your Auto-Product Update (APU) system
frequently as well, to ensure you are receiving the latest SDSs from the ChemAlert
servers (via the Preferences section). If you see a “failed” status, please contact our
Support Team immediately on +61 8 9322 1711 or email [email protected].
Manufacturer/S
Preferences | Help | Links | Logo
ChemAlert 4
User
AUSTRALIAN TECHNOLOGY PARK
SYDNEY – 16 & 17 JUNE 2015
Come along and see usSponsorship
at
& Exhibition
Stand #2 for a demo of the
new ChemAlert 4.1
For for more information or to register,
please visit the conference website.
Search
Stock
Request
Business Unit
Risk
Admin
System
Product Update History
Automatic Updates are Enabled (scheduled Daily, 00:00 - 23:59) [Server Time: 19:14:42]
Product Updates Setup...
Update Now...
Test Connection
Clear Failed Updates...
File ID
Date
Status
22
02 Mar 2015 06:59
successful
21
02 Mar 2015 05:35
successful
20
02 Mar 2015 04:29
successful
19
01 Mar 2015 23:59
successful
21
01 Mar 2015 22:35
successful
21
01 Mar 2015 18:10
successful
Page 4 of 5
INFORMATION, UNDERSTANDING, SAFETY
RMT ChemAlert Newsletter | Issue #5 | March 2015
Backing Up Your ChemAlert Data
By Brad Cobb, ChemAlert Product Manger
Backing up for Data Recovery
If your ChemAlert system is self-hosted,
RMT recommends that your application
and database should be regularly backed
up off-site as part of your standard IT
management policy. This type of backup
enables swift recovery in the event of a
disaster, such as hardware failure, and is
typically managed by your IT department
as part of a system-wide backup strategy.
Backing up for Data Retention
The type of incremental backup described
above allows restoration back to before
a data loss incident. However, clients
often need to store and retain snapshots
of their organisational data for legal and
governance purposes. Historical Risk
Assessments, Stock Registers and User
Accounts, for example, should ideally be
kept for decades to serve as a mechanism
to demonstrate organisational culture of
consideration and management of risk.
ChemAlert makes taking these regular
snapshots easy using the Data Care
feature within the ADMIN module.
Administrators can extract their
client-specific data from the entire
ChemAlert database to a ZIP file which
is easily stored on your network. These
backups also contain all the necessary
information for RMT to restore the data
to that point in time if necessary.
RMT highly recommends that both selfhosted and cloud-hosted clients perform
such backups monthly at minimum.
It should also be done prior to any
major data restructuring, migration or
application upgrade.
J
ohn and the Support Team
at RMT consistently provide
us with professional, efficient
and helpful service. This was
demonstrated late last year,
when we were unable to locate
ChemAlert data. RMT were able
to provide us with a previously
saved database, which enabled
us to retrieve the data required.
Bill Wasley
OHS&T Manager, DeGrussa Copper Mine.
ChemAlert v4.1 is optimised for touch screens, opening up a whole new way of chemical management using mobile devices.
ChemAlert Training Update
W
By Wendy Saw, ChemAlert Training Coordinator
e have a number of options
available to support clients
in the upcoming release
of ChemAlert v4.1, ranging from a
complete eLearning suite to a national
tour of face-to-face public training
courses. As version 4.1 is rolled out,
we will be there to assist you every
step of the way to help you familiarise
yourself with the new, improved
interface and features. You’ll even be
able to access video tutorials on the
website which will guide you through
ChemAlert v4.1’s major new features.
For more information about available
training options, please don’t hesitate
to contact your Account Manager.
Kevin Harris:
email [email protected]
or call (03) 9769 5085
John Mavromatis:
email [email protected]
or call (08) 9322 1711
Page 5 of 5