AutoQ content pack
Dangerous Chemical Safety Review
This review assesses whether the controls that protect workers, the public and the environment from hazardous chemicals, from purchase and storage through use and disposal to emergencies, are designed well and operating as intended.
The pack is a complete control questionnaire, ready to run on AutoQ Standalone or Enterprise Version 3.1 alongside your other reviews, with its own installer. Your team answers each control and records the evidence it inspected, and AutoQ writes the statement of fact, risk, effect and recommendation for every answer, rates each domain and produces the reports.
High-risk controls are those where a failure could most directly cause a serious injury, fire, explosion or toxic release.
Who it's for
- Health, safety and environment managers
- Laboratory and facility managers
- Internal audit and assurance teams
- Safety consultants
When to use it
- A chemical safety audit of a plant, laboratory or warehouse
- A periodic compliance review against OSHA, EPA and DOT rules
- Preparation for a regulatory inspection
What it covers
Chemical Management and Governance
20 controls, 7 of them high risk
High-risk focus: a written hazard communication program, a complete chemical inventory, safety approval before purchase, risk assessment of chemical tasks, management of change, process safety management above threshold quantities, and security of chemicals that could be misused.
Examples of the controls:
- A written hazard communication program describes how labels, safety data sheets and training are managed and lists the hazardous chemicals present.
- An inventory lists every hazardous chemical on site with its location, maximum quantity and hazard classification, and is reconciled with a physical check at least annually.
- A chemical safety policy, approved by senior management, sets out how hazardous chemicals are selected, stored, handled, used and disposed of, and is reviewed at least annually.
Hazard Communication and Training
20 controls, 4 of them high risk
High-risk focus: current and accessible safety data sheets, training before work with chemicals, task-specific training for higher-risk tasks, and assessment of non-routine tasks.
Examples of the controls:
- A current safety data sheet is held for every hazardous chemical on site, and new or revised sheets are obtained with each delivery.
- Workers are trained on the chemical hazards in their work area, how to read labels and safety data sheets, protective measures and emergency procedures before they start work with chemicals.
- Safety data sheets are readily accessible to workers in their work area during every shift, including when electronic systems are down.
Storage and Handling
20 controls, 10 of them high risk
High-risk focus: segregation of incompatible chemicals, approved flammable storage, secondary containment, control of ignition sources, bonding and grounding, secure gas cylinders, control of time-sensitive chemicals, safe bulk handling, tank overfill protection, and isolation before maintenance.
Examples of the controls:
- Chemicals are stored by hazard class with incompatible chemicals, such as acids and bases or oxidizers and flammables, physically separated.
- Flammable liquids beyond small working quantities are kept in approved flammable storage cabinets or rooms within the allowed quantities.
- Quantities of hazardous chemicals in work areas are kept to what is needed for the shift or task.
Exposure Control and PPE
20 controls, 10 of them high risk
High-risk focus: applying the hierarchy of controls, local exhaust ventilation and its testing, exposure monitoring, eye and face protection, a respiratory protection program with fit testing, tested eyewash stations and showers, controlled confined space entry, and maintained gas detection.
Examples of the controls:
- Chemical exposures are controlled in order of preference: elimination, substitution, engineering controls, administrative controls and then personal protective equipment.
- Processes that release harmful vapours, fumes or dust have local exhaust ventilation, such as fume hoods or extraction arms.
- Exposure monitoring results are communicated to the workers concerned, and exceedances lead to corrective action.
Emergency Response, Waste and Incidents
20 controls, 8 of them high risk
High-risk focus: a chemical emergency plan, trained spill responders, suitable fire protection, release reporting, incident investigation, waste classification, and correct accumulation and segregation of hazardous waste.
Examples of the controls:
- A written emergency plan covers chemical spills, releases, fires and exposures, with alarms, evacuation, assembly points, roles and contact details.
- Workers know which spills they may clean up and which require evacuation and trained responders, and those who respond are trained to the right level.
- Chemical emergency drills are held at least annually, and lessons learned are acted on.
Frameworks
Every control carries references to OSHA 29 CFR 1910 / 1904, ISO 45001:2018 and EPA 40 CFR / DOT 49 CFR, so findings can be tied to the criteria your audit uses.
Criteria references mapped from OSHA 29 CFR Part 1910 (General Industry) and Part 1904 (Recording and Reporting), ISO 45001:2018 clauses, and EPA 40 CFR and DOT 49 CFR (hazardous waste, release reporting, chemical inventory reporting, oil spill prevention and hazardous materials transport). Blank where no standard applies directly. Outside the United States, map to your local regulations. Verify against the editions your audit uses.
What's in the workbook
| Control Library | Every control with its domain and subdomain, the control assertion, type, nature, frequency and risk weight, the framework references, the suggested test procedure, the evidence to request, the statements of fact if true and if false, the effect if false and the recommendation. |
|---|---|
| Questionnaire | The working sheet the review team answers, control by control, with the evidence they inspected; AutoQ fills in the findings from the answers. |
| Domain Summary | The rating of each domain, weighted by risk, ready for the report. |
| Column Guide | What every column means and how it is used. |
| Sources | The framework editions the references were mapped from, with a column for the reviewer to record the date each reference was checked. |
Delivered with its own installer, which adds it to AutoQ as a new review (or as a .zip to add on the Admin tab). The questionnaire is an Excel workbook, so it can be adapted with your own controls and ratings.
The framework references were mapped from the published texts and should be checked by a qualified safety professional against the editions your audit uses. Outside the United States, map them to the regulations that apply locally. The pack supports a review; it does not replace professional judgement or the requirements of your regulator.