2. Preparation outside the system

For many organizations, it is hard to know where to start. By splitting up the work from the outset, you can work more efficiently. While the chemicals are being inventoried, the organization can be prepared with the right roles and permissions. That gives you a smoother onboarding and a faster route to a complete, well-structured chemical inventory.

Once both tracks are complete, you are ready for article 3, where the system itself is fully configured with all your products and your organizational tree.

Without products in the system, you cannot carry out risk assessments – this is the foundation for all other work in iChemistry.

Where do you start? Build on what you already have:

• A folder of safety data sheets (SDS), from suppliers or your own documentation
• An exported list from another chemical management system
• No documentation → carry out a physical inventory of the premises

Keep the safety data sheets on hand – it makes it easier to search by exact trade name or the supplier's article number when you submit.

What do we need from you?

For us to be able to match^* your products to the correct safety data sheet, you need to send us information about the products used in your organization.

*Matching means we link each product to the correct safety data sheet and assign it a unique i-number for easy identification in the system.

For each product, you need to provide:

• Full product name (required)
• Article number from the manufacturer or issuer (required)
• Name of the manufacturer or issuer (required)
• Manufacturer and/or distributor

If you know which department a product belongs to, you can note that in the template, and we will place it correctly right away on import.

Build your organizational tree

The organizational tree determines where products, risk assessments, and safety sheets live in the system. A well-organized structure makes all further work easier.

Example structure:

Decide who is responsible for what before you go into the system – it saves time in article 3.

Roles to assign

• EHS/safety manager – overall responsibility
• Department and unit managers – responsibility for their own department
• Health and safety representative – monitors workplace safety issues, can take part in risk assessments
• Inventory manager per department – keeps the product list up to date
• Risk assessor – creates the risk assessments
• Signer – the responsible manager who signs risk assessments (required for them to become active)

Example role matrix (names can be replaced with titles)

If the product list is already in the system, it is enough to check that it is accurate – no new inventory is needed. If the roles are unchanged, jump straight to article 3 (or further ahead, depending on where you stand). If something has changed – a new department, a new manager, new products – follow whichever track applies to you.