University laboratories routinely handle hazardous chemicals—including flammable, explosive, corrosive, and toxic substances—that pose significant risks to personnel, research integrity, and campus safety. Effective management of these materials is not optional; it is a critical requirement for compliance and operational excellence.

What challenges do universities face when managing hazardous chemicals?

Unlike industrial laboratories, universities often have:

• Hundreds of researchers

• Dozens of laboratories

• Thousands of chemical containers

• High personnel turnover

• Multiple funding projects

• Decentralized storage locations

As a result, universities frequently encounter:

1. Chemicals stored in different buildings

A single chemical may be stored in:

• Central warehouse

• Research laboratory

• Graduate student laboratory

• Shared instrument platform

Managers cannot easily determine where chemicals are located.

2. Incomplete inventory records

3. Incompatible chemicals stored together

4. No clear accountability

5. Difficult compliance inspections

Unite provides the solutions as Centralized Storage and End of Pipe Control

Researchers submit requests through the management platform.

Workflow:

Request → Approval → Collection → Use → Return → Disposal

Each transaction is recorded automatically.

Managers can see:

• Chemical inventory

• User information

• Usage history

• Storage location

Result:

• Reduced manual paperwork

• Improved inventory accuracy

• Complete audit record

  All cabinets are connected to a unified management platform.

  The system displays:

• Building

• Room

• Cabinet

• Compartment

• Inventory level

  Managers can search any chemical and locate it within seconds.

  Search:

  Example :Acetone

  System returns:

  Building A → Room 302 → Cabinet 2 → Compartment 5

  Current inventory:

  18 bottles 

The cabinet supports:

• Face recognition

• ID cards

• User accounts

Access rights can be assigned based on:

• Department

• Research group

• Project

• Chemical category

Example:

Graduate Student A:

✓ Organic solvents

✓ Acids

✕ Toxic chemicals

✕ Controlled substances

Every access event is recorded automatically.

Using the System

Reports can be generated automatically.  Examples:

• Current inventory report

• User transaction report

• Expired chemical report

• Disposal history report

Inspection preparation time is significantly reduced.

Typical Results for Universities

For EHS Departments

• Improved chemical visibility across campus

• Faster inspection preparation

• Reduced compliance risks

For Laboratory Managers

• Reduced inventory workload

• Faster chemical retrieval

• Improved inventory accuracy

For Researchers

• Faster access to chemicals

• Reduced administrative burden

• Improved experiment efficiency

For University Administration

• Standardized laboratory management

• Improved safety oversight

• Better utilization of chemical resources

Summary

For universities, hazardous chemical management is not simply a storage problem. It is a challenge involving safety compliance, inventory control, user accountability, project management, and campus-wide resource visibility.

A digital hazardous chemical storage system provides a centralized way to manage chemical inventory, user access, storage conditions, and regulatory records across multiple laboratories and departments while creating a complete, auditable history for every chemical from receipt to disposal.

A Project from one China University:

Centralized Storage

End of Pipe Control(Distributed in laboratory)