Introduction to HECHMET (Vertére) Chemical Inventory System
***HECHMET Login***
Log in: Vertére Chemical Inventory Login.
***Access to this site requires FULL TUNNEL VPN.
Instructions on how to use HECHMET can be found in the Resources section at the bottom of this webpage.
HECHMET (Vertére) Chemical Inventory System
Please see: HECHMET How To for an in-depth guide to using HECHMET at the U of G
The University of Guelph has joined an ever-growing number of universities across Canada in adopting the HECHMET system for hazardous materials management. This system is based on Vertére’s chemical inventory management module and will ensure that U of G has up-to-date inventories that are easily accessible while providing valuable information for regulatory reporting and incident response. The purpose of this initiative is to comply with the Occupational Health and Safety Act and to reduce the overall risk associated with using, handling, and storing chemical products or agents. The University of Guelph community has also access to Chemwatch GOLD FFX to help manage SDSs and chemical labelling on campus.
Click the icon below to access HECHMET (Vertére) Log in.
What is HECHMET?
HECHMET is based on the Vertére Inventory Manager (VIM) software, a modular, web-based enterprise application used to track chemicals and other materials within the university working environment. Hazardous chemicals are tagged with a unique barcode label that cross-references to:
- Storage location
- Principal Investigator (PI)/Supervisor responsible for the item
- Chemical properties and information
- SDS-related information through ChemWatch
- Other information (e.g., information is secured using Access Levels assigned to Hechmet users)
The chemical inventory system allows the University of Guelph to effectively:
- Track chemicals from receipt to disposal using barcode labels
- Monitor the locations and types of hazardous materials present
- Facilitate appropriate disposal
- Comply with regulatory requirements
- Encourage sharing among colleagues to reduce waste and cost
Ongoing Inventory Maintenance
Initial inventory set-up will be coordinated with EHS. Procedures will vary between buildings and/or departments. Preferably locations will have a one receiving site and each department will establish specific procedures for newly purchased chemicals on how to apply a barcode label and assign the chemical to the labs.
What is included in the inventory?
- Flammable/combustible liquids
- Flammable solids
- Oxidizers
- Organic peroxides
- Toxins/poisons (e.g. biological toxins, dyes, adhesives)
- Corrosives
- Hazardous formulations
- Controlled products and substances
- Compressed Gas cylinders
What is NOT included in the inventory?
- Dilutions and solutions prepared on-site
- Stains and dyes for making microscope slides
- Non-hazardous buffers
- Tissue culture supplies
- Biological growth media (e.g. agar)
- Enzyme preparations
- Products available for retail purchase (e.g. household cleaners, paint thinner)
- Hazardous chemicals under 1 g or 1 ml in weight or volume
- Radioactive materials
- Biohazardous materials
- Non-hazardous substances (e.g. glucose, sodium bicarbonate)
How to order chemicals to ensure your inventory is accurate
Each department has established its own procedures, which may include having a designated person but may also involve each lab managing its own inventory.
When purchasing chemicals, it is very important that you include the lab location to which the chemicals will be going (lab room number in your building) as all lab locations have been assigned to PrincipaI Investigators/Supervisors in the VERTÉRE chemical inventory. Doing so will assist the individual barcoding in assigning a chemical to the appropriate lab location.
If you receive a chemical that does not have a barcode on it, please contact the designated person in your department so that chemical can be barcoded and entered it into the system.
Additional Information
While the chemical inventory offers various advantages to the entire University community, users are also able to use it to:
- Search by chemical name, location, room
- Retrieve the SDS for chemicals
- Export or print search results for future reference
All Principal Investigators/Supervisors and associated locations will be provided with a unique username and password via email.
Resources to use HECHMET
- How to Use HECHMET
- HECHMET FAQs
- Barcoding Guide
- Barcode Disposal Form
- Searching HECHMET Inventory
-
HECHMET Chemical Inventory (Manual) - Information regarding HECHMET Chemical Inventory system / barcoding and disposal of inventory
-
HECHMET Lab Poster - for Internal Use ONLY
-
HECHMET Video Tutorial (.zip download option)
[0:00] Intro
[0:13] What is HECHMET
[0:28] How to access the HECHMET site
[1:14] HECHMET login
[1:37] HECHMET Structures Explanation
[7:24] Barcoding Procedure
[7:48] Adding Chemicals
[12:15] Transferring Chemicals
[13:13] Disposing Chemicals