Chemwatch for Independent schools

[Kathryn]

I see from recent posts there has been a change in Chemwatch for public schools but can anyone tell me if there has been a change for independent schools? I have not used the site for sometime but when I have tried to log in recently it won't let me. Have I missed something?
Kathryn

[RosalieM]

yes, private schools (well, ours has) have also gone to chemwatch 3. The website for us is http://jr.<URL removed, see forum rules>/chemgold3/?X and we use the same log in details as before. Also, they changed it so the user name is lower case letters when it used to be upper case. The password is still the same (upper and lower case). Hope this gets you out of trouble

[RosalieM]

sorry the address didn't work. try jr.<URL removed, see forum rules>/chemgold3/?X

[Kathryn]

Nah.... it just keeps telling me I don't exist!
kath

[RosalieM]

I will send you a pm with the contact details I've been given.

[RosalieM]

Actually, sorry those details were for AIS, not chemwatch. Is your school part of AIS?

[agregory]

Very disappointing that Chemwatch seems to have moved away from providing a good program that can be used by schools as well as industry. Common solutions (HCl 0.25M or 0.5M) are no longer found on a search. When "renaming" them they come up with 3 lines of chemical names which reduces the font size to miniscule.
Independent schools in general haven't been given any training....

[sunray18]

we have all been moved onto Chemffx. I dont know if it any better/worse.. it is just different.
You know the old saying - "if it is not broke, then don't fix it"...I wish....sigh

[merilyn]

We use ChemFFX too. Just when I started to work out the old one, they changed it! I'm concerned about the safety data sheets they supply, are they from the correct people? For the current legislation, Workcover clearly state that safety data sheets from a third party are not acceptable. I can't imagine that this will change with the new legislation.
On this, has anyone heard from AIS about any training they will be offering for the changes? The Headmaster, Deputy and the Head Science Teacher are all heading off to do a course with AIS early next year, but the HT isn't really sure what it is about, don't think he has been told and I haven't been invited! Hope they take good notes

[sunray18]

I have spent months tracking down manufacturers MSDS. I have got onto their web sites, sent emails, made phone calls.. some firms have not even bothered to reply to a 2nd and 3rd email. One company sent me an email with a Customer satisfaction' survey to fill out - but no MSDS! Giving them zero on every questions as to my 'satisfaction' with them prompted them to ring me - the MSDS then arrived that day. It is SO FRUSTRATING!
I have decided that we will only purchase chemicals from a well-known big supplier - one that you can obntain the MSDS from their web site by doing a simple search.
Chemwatch is supposed to have MSDS from suppliers on its web-site now - but it doesn't have them all, and it even doesn't have some from the large companies... againf rustrating.
I can only do the best I can, use a generic MSDS if I cannot obtain the correct one and know that any MSDS is better than none.

[linotas]

I was told that a manufacters MSDS was preferable, but if that could not be sourced, then a generic chemwatch one was fine. If I cannot find the manufacturers msds online and once wasn't provided, then I use the chemwatch ones.

[RosalieM]

When you put in your orders for chemicals if you write "Please supply MSDS for all products" they legally have to send you one, from what I understand. I almost never remember to ask at the time... but I am trying! That way when the chemicals turn up you just replace the generic one with the supplier one. Seriously, copper sulfate is copper sulfate no matter what kind of bottle/container it comes in. Why do they have to be so pedantic??

[merilyn]

Why do they have to be so pedantic??

I think this comes from there being so many products available (not just chemicals for labs), each having it's own formulation that to deal with the majority, Workcover require a specific MSDS for each product. In their Code of Practice for Control of Workplace hazardous Substances, p 17 states "An MSDS produced by a third party (who is not the actual supplier) is not suitable...there is no guarantee of their accuracy".
It is acceptable to use a similar MSDS if the correct one is not available eg the manufacturer has gone out of business (not that they are difficult to contact). The supplier does have an obligation to provide the correct MSDS to the buyer.
I'm just sitting waiting to find out what we will be doing next year before having a major panic.

[Ocker]

On our order form it has a box to tick if you want MSDS and all I ever receive is a single page MSDS