KLARA chemical database

• Linnaeus University representative in KLARA Economic Association: Johan Älvgren
• Central reviewers: Charlotte Parsland, Terese Uddh-Söderberg and Torbjörn Lennqvist

According to laws and regulations, professional chemical users must keep records of their chemical products that may pose a risk to health and/or the environment. At Linnaeus University, activities must use the KLARA chemical register to record all chemical products handled, even those that are not hazardous.

The register must be updated continuously and a chemical inventory is carried out in KLARA at the latest at the end of each calendar year. KLARA also includes a risk assessment tool and the possibility of working with substitution and lists based on, for example, classification, activity or physical location. The system is also reviewed centrally and updated as necessary a couple of times per year with regard to changes in current legislation.

In KLARA you can, among other things:

• Search for information about chemical products in the entire chemical database
• Keep chemical records and conduct annual inventories (with barcodes if desired)
• Extract reports and lists based on different sorting results
• Risk assess the handling of chemical products

Authorisations in KLARA

To gain access to certain functions, there are different types of authorisation in KLARA:

• Chemical inventory officer (one or more per group/unit, delegated by immediate manager). These are the ones who enter chemicals into the register and inventory the unit's total holdings annually. Inventory officers ensure that reviewers get the information they need to add a new chemical to KLARA
• Risk assessors (anyone who wants and needs access). For those within their own organisation who need to be able to use the risk assessment module. Here you can set different authorisation levels, which then include, for example, research groups, departments or institutions.
• Read-only access (chemical registers and/or risk assessments). For those who may only need to be able to find out about holdings within a certain level of authorisation without administering anything themselves.

Accounts in KLARA are always personal and login information may never be shared with others. Authorisations in KLARA are administered by Charlotte Parsland, Terese Uddh Söderberg or Torbjörn Lennqvist.

Information about current KLARA courses is posted to Employees, and disseminated via the chemical networks within the departments.

KLARA Chemical Inventory

No later than the end of each calendar year, all activities that hold chemicals must complete a mandatory chemical inventory in KLARA. The purpose of the inventory is to update the chemicals register. The inventory can also form the basis for the reports that the university is required to submit to various regulatory authorities.

Remember not to mark the inventory as complete until all units within the unit being inventoried have completed their parts.

In the inventory, the register/holdings must be updated with regard to:

• Products (name, CAS, KLARA ID, concentration, content etc.)
• Quantities (amount on the container/packaging)
• Maximum stored quantity (all flammable goods must be registered with "maximum stored quantity"; see more information here)
• Suppliers (the party from whom the product is purchased)
• Safety data sheet (SDS, from the supplier from whom the product is purchased, must be in Swedish and classified according to CLP/REACH)
• Classification (according to supplier's SDS and according to CLP/REACH)
• Premises (correct campus, building, house, floor and room number)

Medicinal products for human use do not need to be registered in KLARA. Antibodies and proteins do not need to be registered unless they are mixed with chemicals (e.g. sodium azide, which is often used as a preservative).

Kits, cell media, buffers and gas containers must be registered.

Larger chemical users can use KLARA barcodes to increase security and save time and resources. More information about this can be obtained from Labbservice in Kalmar.

Contact lab service in Kalmar or Charlotte Parsland in Växjö for help with your account and authorisations in KLARA, as well as if you need support regarding KLARA and inventory.

KLARA – Structure and substructure search

Instead of searching for chemical products in KLARA using product name, IUPAC nomenclature, trivial name, CAS or KLARA ID, it is also possible to search by structure, "exact structure" or "substructure".

To add the structure of a molecule in KLARA, you must have the permission as "write user molecular structure", i.e. the right to add new molecular structures in KLARA. This requires that you are an organic chemist or equivalent, i.e. that you have sufficient knowledge of molecular structures. Authority is administered via contact with EcoOnline.

It is possible to draw new structures manually in the drawing tool, but it is also possible to import so-called MOL files. So-called "smiles" (Simplified Molecular Input Line Entry System) can also be used in KLARA.

Safety Data Sheet (SDS)

The information in KLARA is largely based on information from suppliers' SDSs, e.g. product names, synonyms, article numbers, classification, constituent substances etc. As a user of chemical products in your work, you are required to have access to chemical product SDSs when handling hazardous chemicals.

There are many people in the workplace who may have to use SDSs; primarily those who handle the product, but there are many more who should be informed about the chemical risks. People who work in connection with the source of risk, such as cleaning staff, technicians and administrative staff, as well as environmental coordinators, purchasers and transport managers may need to have access to the SDS.

Here are some common areas that SDBs are used for:

• Conduct risk assessments of the environmental and health risks associated with the chemical product in question, as a basis for designing safe workplaces and working methods
• Provide a basis for emergency procedures and support in emergencies
• Provide support in purchasing chemical products
• Provide a basis for chemical targets/substitution/phase-out of hazardous chemicals
• Provide a basis for how products should be handled as waste

The supplier must provide the SDS to the customer no later than the first delivery. The sheets should be free of charge, written in Swedish and dated. The sheets should not be more than two or three years old. It is common for SDSs to be sent in electronic form, but the recipient must first approve this. If you do not receive an SDS with a delivery, always contact the seller and request one.

Most safety data sheets are available on the company's website. But there are sometimes shortcomings in suppliers' safety data sheets. Therefore, don't be afraid to contact the supplier to provide feedback or request additions.