Who’s Minding the Store? Retailer Report Card and Chemical Footprint Project

As chemical reactions are scaled from lab to manufacturing, potential safety issues of non-scalable conditions need to be identified early in development. Reaction calorimetry provides crucial information quickly, which can be applied to quantify the risks and criticality associated with a chemical process.

Identify, evaluate, and control risks associated with hazardous chemicals in your workplace. Compliance Specialist Brian McFadden breaks down the five steps to a successful Chemical Risk Assessment. Understand regulations and standards that may apply to your facility and visual signals that will help provide information your workers and customers need to stay safe. Before you jump into an assessment, you need some preparation. The first step here is identifying and understanding the specific rules that apply in your circumstances. Some of the most important guidelines for talking about chemical hazards come from the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals, or more simply, GHS. This international standard is maintained by the United Nations, and it offers a consistent and comprehensive way to describe many of the dangers that could be posed by a chemical. The GHS approach also includes standardized labeling and documentation for chemicals, which will be very helpful in the later steps of the Chemical Risk Assessment.

How does a market adapt in the face of declining growth? Many different sectors across the chemical industry are in a state of oversupply and surplus capacity which has resulted in a slowing of production in multiple areas. In addition, the global balance of the oil market is shifting with OPEC losing its control on the market, China sending signals that its years of incredible growth are winding to a close and possible effects of the Brexit continue to loom. Join Paul Hodges of International eChem and former Chair of the ACS Board William Carroll as they return to give their take on the factors affecting the market areas of growth that still exist.

Fabio H. Ribeiro is the R. Norris and Eleanor Shreve Professor of Chemical Engineering at Purdue. He is also the Director of CISTAR (Center for Strategic Transformation of Alkane Resources), a National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center (https://cistar.us/) at the Davidson School of Chemical Engineering, Purdue University.