Gases and chemicals at Campus Ångström Laboratory

Gas and chemicals responsibility

Each department or equivalent that handles chemical products needs to appoint at least one chemical safety officer. Chemical safety officers are appointed by the head of department/equivalent. The Uppsala University Building Division excerts overall responsibility for regulating and monitoring the use of chemicals at the university.

Find general information about handling gases and chemicals at Ångström Laboratory below. These pages are meant only to provide an overview. More detailed and (sensitive) information is currently available only in the Employee Portal (login required).

Uppsala University has an agreement with Air Liquide Gas AB regarding all gas products. The chemical safety officer’s duties and responsibilities includes gases (see below).

The house gas system

Ångström Laboratory has a house gas system installed that supplies various types of gas from containers outside the property through a pipe system. A list of these gases, known as “house gases” or "building gases," can be found in the Employee Portal.

Campus Management ensures access to the above gases, a service that is provided by chemical safety officer Esat Pehlivan. The chemicals safety officer supervises the connections to and from the building gases and can assist users with various gas-related issues.

To ensure access and a fair allocation of costs, users need to inform the chemical safety officer in good time if they intend to significantly increase or decrease their use of any specific gases, temporarily or on a more permanent basis.

Ordering gases

Where there is a special need, departments at the Ångström Laboratory can obtain gases of varying types from the supplier’s assortment; see the agreement mentioned above. These gases (like all other chemicals) are to be ordered by the chemical safety officer at each department/division and registered in the KLARA chemical handling system.

You can order other gases directly from the supplier, Air Liquide, either by e-mail (euseordervaesteras@airliquide.com) or through the myGAS user account on the supplier’s website.

Storing gases

Gases that are not in use or is in storage cabinets inside the lab also need to be stored in gas containers, secured and labelled with contact informration for the owner. Temporary placement of gas cylinders in the lab need to be securely anchored, and for placements of more than about 10 working days, gas cylinders are to be connected with metal gas pipes.

Transporting gases

Gas transports are to take place using special transport carts in accordance with established transport routes for dangerous goods. Sealing plugs and protective caps are to be used where available.

Chemicals committee

The Ångström Laboratory Chemicals Committee facilitates the safe handling of chemicals and gases and systematically works with chemical-related questions. The Chemicals Committee is tasked with developing and following up on general and common procedures for handling chemicals at Ångström Laboratory and coordinate the inventory of chemicals stored at Ångström Laboratory.

Chemical safety officer

The chemical safety officer is responsible for the department’s/division’s registration and handling of chemicals and for providing information to the department’s staff according to the stipulated guidelines for chemical safety officers. A chemical safety officer also takes part in designing and providing information about local procedures for handling chemicals. This is mainly done within the smaller Chemicals Committee.

Always contact your chemical safety officer when buying or introducing a new chemical at the Ångström Laboratory.

Chemical storage

Campus Management provides space for storage of chemicals. Campus Management is responsible for the premises and the departments (or equivalent) are responsible for the proper treatement and storage of their chemicals. The chemical safety officers have access to storage areas.

Transporting chemicals

Transport is to take place with special transport carts in accordance with established transport routes for dangerous goods (login required). Sealing plugs and protective caps are to be used where available.