Chemical Barcoding at Bakar Bio Labs

In July 2025, UC Berkeley EH&S and the campus Fire Marshal rolled out a new hazardous chemical container barcoding process for Bakar Bio Labs. The purpose of this system is to know our Maximum Allowable Quantities (MAQ) of hazardous chemicals in each lab, reducing risks for fire and life safety. This is a state requirement per the California Fire Code.

Tenants are required to adopt this process. Please submit a Freshdesk ticket if you or your team requires training by LabOps personnel.

What gets a barcode? 

Please see the table below for the full list. Notable exclusions include culture media, sugars, biological reagents, some kits, buffers, and aliquots/samples/dilutions. 

• Note: Lacking a barcode does not mean an item is ‘non-hazardous’ or ‘drain disposable’ – it just means it doesn’t count toward MAQ determination. Please contact Thom Opal (opal@berkeley.edu) if you need guidance on proper chemical disposal.
  
  

  
  

How are new chemicals tagged? 

LabOps has ‘Barcoding Stations’ in every open lab. We provide a roll of barcode stickers, along with a link to an Airtable form to fill out information on new containers. It is the tenant’s responsibility to discern whether a new item must be tagged.  https://tinyurl.com/Submit-Barcode-Details

• Note: Certain ‘high-throughput’ chemicals like compressed gas tanks or Ethanol will have a special process – Please submit a Freshdesk ticket if you have barcode-able materials that are re-ordered at least monthly or more frequently.

What happens when I discard a barcoded item? 

Before disposing the container, remove the barcode along the perforated line. At the Barcoding Station there is a bin to deposit the barcodes of exhausted items. Periodically, LabOps retrieves these barcodes and remove your items from the EH&S chemical inventory system.

Image of a barcode sticker attached to a chemical container.

Barcoding station at an endcap.            

Barcoding station at the side of a sink.