DEQ.utah.gov - Chemical Cleanout Toolkit for Utah Schools

Chemical Cleanout Toolkit
for Utah Schools

Art Classroom

Inventory

The Art Classroom Inventory Worksheet provides a laundry list of potentially hazardous products that may be found in your school’s Art Classrooms. We tried to make this list comprehensive, so that anything you might find stored in your art classrooms will be listed here.

As you investigate your stored products, find each one on the list, and fill in the columns to keep track of what you have, and what should be disposed of. Though we have tried our best to include any and all potentially hazardous products that might appear in school art classrooms, we may have missed something that you have in stock. Since you have this Excel file available to download below, please add rows at the appropriate alphabetical location to add your items.

Simultaneously with using your Inventory Worksheet as you investigate what you have in storage, you’ll want to have your Storage and Labeling Best Management Practices Checklist on hand. We don’t want you to have to go through your inventory twice, once to check off what you have and then again to make sure everything is properly labeled and appropriately stored. Anything you find that is marked in red on the Art Classrooms Inventory worksheet should best be immediately transferred to a safe holding area pending removal by a certified hazardous waste hauler. Use the Storage and Labeling Checklist and storage graphics provided in this toolkit to make sure that the items you transfer to a holding area are clearly marked (assuming you know what they are in the first place), and kept apart from other hazardous substances with which they might react. The two links below may help you with the transfer and hold procedure:

Package and Hold Guidelines for intermediate storage at the school
Specific instructions for Contaminated Clothing and Rags

For those products you intend to keep, this website provides suggestions about how to organize chemical products for safety, but if you have another, equally safe, system in place, with just a few problems here and there, by all means use your own system. The important point is to make sure, as you conduct your inventory, that everything you want to keep is labeled and safely stored.

Click Here to download the Art Classroom Inventory Worksheet

Utah Inventory Best Practices:

Allow ample time to conduct the inventory and if possible, work in pairs.
Designate other personnel to periodically check on the safety of the inventory staff.
Notify the local fire department of the time and day of the inventory in order to expedite emergency response.
Ensure the areas in which you are working are intrinsically safe. Is there adequate lighting and ventilation? Access to a phone, eyewash, and a safety shower
Wear appropriate personal protective equipment. This should include gloves, chemical splash goggles, a lab coat, and close-toed shoes.
Ensure emergency telephone numbers are clearly posted near all available telephones.
Review published safety guidelines for working around lab, chemicals.
Review the school’s Chemical Hygiene Plan.
Have a written response plan nearby in case of a spill or accident.
Ensure easy access to spill clean up materials. Spill clean up materials should be compatible with the chemical spilled.
Divide tasks. One person read the chemical information, the other person records. Be sure to pronounce the chemical correctly. The recorder should read the chemical name after it is logged to confirm it is correct.
Evaluate the storage area before entering for site safety. Check or items that could cause accidents.
Record the room number and the date on your record sheet. Number each shelf to identify where the chemicals are stored. Record the name of the chemical, size and type of container as well as the condition. Try not to disturb the chemicals and do not move if listed as potentially explosive.
If the inventory is conducted over several days, mark where you stopped each day.
Identify the contents of chemical kits. Older kits may contain unlabeled chemicals that need to be referenced from the manufacturer.
If preserved specimens are present, record the preservative used.
Remember to look everywhere. Examine all areas in each room including desks, drawers, refrigerators, closets, under the sink, and storage cabinets.

In an emergency:

Call 911 or the Utah State Hazardous Chemical Emergency Response Commission (SERC) (801-536-4123)
Utah State Hazardous Chemical Emergency Response Commission coordinates a 24-hour network of local emergency response professionals. The center coordinates dispatching state resources to hazardous material emergencies. In case of a chemical emergency, such as discovery of an explosive or unstable chemical or an unmanageable chemical spill, call 911 and SERC.

Sources: This inventory procedure was adapted from Idaho Chemical Roundup, Chem Info Net, Maine Department of Environmental Protection, Flinn Scientific Catalog, and Montana Department of Environmental Quality, School Lab website. Additional information can be found on the Chem Info Net website http://cheminfonet.org, at the Main Department of Environmental Protection website http://maine.gov/dep/mercury/school.htm, the Flinn Scientific website http://www.flinnsci.com/Sections/Safety/labChemSafety.asp and http://www.mdeqschoollabs.com.

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Chemical Cleanout Toolkit for Utah Schools

Art Classroom

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Chemical Cleanout Toolkit
for Utah Schools