What happens when an inspector arrives and you don't know what chemicals you're using?

In recent months, labor inspectors in Slovenia have are visiting companies checking the use of so-called CMR substances (carcinogenic, mutagenic and reproductively toxic substances) . 

A visit is not something that only happens to "others". Here's a recent case of a Company ABC, a coating manufacturer, which experienced one such visit this week. 

How did the labor inspector's visit proceed? 

1. The first question was clear: Do you use CMR substances and have you previously notified the inspection about this, as required by the Regulation? The company was not certain. So they called us, or rather me. 

1. In Chemius, we checked within seconds whether their products are classified as CMR chemicals (identified by the labels H340, H341, H350, H351, H360, H361). I was able to check this because we create and update safety data sheets for final products (coatings) for this company. This is just one part of a Chemius Expert service which this Company ABC has. Result? The review showed that the final products were not classified as CMR chemicals. 

1. But beware – manual searching through raw material safety data sheets later revealed that one of the raw materials contains H360. This means they should have notified the inspection in writing 15 days before using this raw material. Unfortunately, the raw material safety data sheets were not yet in the Chemius Expert service, so the only way was time-consuming manual checking. 

After this incident, the company decided to also include raw material safety data sheets in Chemius and avoid time-consuming browsing through PDF documents. 

1. However, the labour inspection didn't stop just at searching for CMR substances. They were interested in which substances in production have occupational exposure limit values or biological limit values. The company again found itself facing a problem: manual searching, incomplete lists, stress. And again I received a call from Company ABC. 

1. In Chemius, using the Regulatory Dashboard, I reviewed within seconds the list of all products containing substances that have specified limit values. I have access to this tool, which you can actually rent, because we create safety data sheets for them. My quick, concrete answers over the phone resolved the tense situation that prevailed during the labor inspector's visit. 

What can we learn from this example? 

• Knowing what substances you use is not one of the options – this is actually your legal obligation. 

• Waiting for the inspector to arrive is too late. That's when you don't "organize papers," but rather show that you have everything under control. 

• If you want to have quick oversight of the hazardous properties of your chemicals, operate legally and reduce risk, then a digital solution like the Regulatory Dashboard is essential. 

If you're not sure what would happen during a potential inspection visit at your facility, it's better to check this now. Simply follow this story and see how quickly you can access this key data that interests labor inspectors. 

If you find that this is mission impossible, it might be time to consider renting a Regulatory Dashboard. 

While it true this story happened in Slovenia it's also true it shows you something crucial. It demonstrates how important, demanding and responsible comprehensive chemical documentation management is and what the consequences can be for individuals and companies.