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Compliance intelligence for universities & research labs
EPCRA’s lab exemption covers research chemicals under direct supervision — but not bulk storage, central stores, or pilot-scale operations. SafeGenics aggregates inventories across hundreds of independently managed labs while distinguishing exempt from non-exempt holdings for both EPCRA and CFATS.
Universities & Labs
The compliance challenge
Universities face a unique compliance paradox. EPCRA Section 311(c)(4) exempts research chemicals under direct supervision of technically qualified individuals, but the exemption doesn’t extend to bulk chemicals in facilities operations, central chemical stores, or pilot-scale operations. Meanwhile, DHS CFATS requires aggregating all Chemicals of Interest campus-wide — including across hundreds of independently managed labs — with no lab exemption at all. Decentralized governance makes this especially challenging when individual colleges and departments operate semi-autonomously.
What makes it hard
- Aggregating chemical quantities across 100+ independently managed labs, each run by a different PI, to determine campus-wide EPCRA thresholds — the lab exemption only applies to chemicals under direct supervision, not bulk storage
- Tracking DHS CFATS Chemicals of Interest across the entire campus, where individual labs may hold small quantities that aggregate to exceed screening threshold quantities
- Managing the annual targeted chemical reporting cycle where all labs must report regardless of whether they hold regulated substances
- Distinguishing between exempt research chemicals and non-exempt facilities chemicals (ammonia in HVAC, chlorine in pools, diesel in campus generators) that trigger independent reporting
- Coordinating compliance across decentralized EHS governance where individual colleges, departments, and research centers operate semi-autonomously
How SafeGenics solves it
- Per-lab chemical tracking with automatic campus-wide aggregation — each PI manages their own inventory while SafeGenics computes building-level and campus-level totals
- Automatic lab exemption filtering distinguishes research chemicals under direct supervision from non-exempt facilities chemicals, preventing both under- and over-reporting
- CFATS COI screening continuously monitors all 300+ Chemicals of Interest across the campus graph, alerting central EHS when aggregate quantities approach screening threshold quantities
- PI self-service portal lets researchers submit annual chemical inventories directly, reducing administrative burden while maintaining data quality through CAS-based validation
- Building-level compliance views show fire departments and LEPCs exactly what chemicals are in each building, supporting EPCRA §302 emergency response planning
Compliance Intelligence — University scenario
"Do our campus chloroform holdings trigger CFATS reporting?"
Your campus has 42 lbs of chloroform (CAS 67-66-3) across 23 research labs — all under PI supervision and within the lab exemption for EPCRA purposes. However, CFATS has no lab exemption. The DHS screening threshold quantity for chloroform (theft/diversion) is 500 lbs. You are well below the STQ at 42 lbs campus-wide. No CFATS Top-Screen submission is required at current levels.
Lab inventories (23 labs) → CAS 67-66-3 → CFATS Appendix A STQ 500 lbs → No action required
100+
Labs per major campus
300+
CFATS Chemicals of Interest
§311(c)(4)
EPCRA lab exemption
95%
PI participation target
Platform
Key modules for universities & labs
🧪
Chemical Inventory
Per-lab tracking with campus-wide
aggregation, lab exemption filtering, and CFATS
COI screening across all buildings
📋
SDS & HazCom
Campus-wide SDS library with GHS classification, OSHA Lab Standard compliance, and research chemical management
📋
Tier II Reporting
Building-level and campus-level Tier II
generation with automatic lab exemption
application and LEPC notifications
Industries
SafeGenics across regulated industries
Every industry has unique compliance challenges. SafeGenics adapts its graph-powered intelligence to each one.
See what SafeGenics finds in your data
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