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Inventory Reconciliation

Module: ChemIQ

Inventory Reconciliation keeps your chemical inventory accurate over time. Instead of importing your chemicals once and hoping the data stays current, you walk through your inventory location by location on a regular schedule — confirming what has not changed, updating what has, and removing what is gone. The result is a living inventory that reflects what is actually on your shelves, not what was there six months ago.

This matters because every downstream compliance artifact depends on accurate quantities. Your HazCom plan references your chemical list. Your Tier II report requires quarterly quantity snapshots. Your fire code compliance depends on knowing how much of each hazard class you have on site. When quantities go stale, all of that becomes unreliable — and an OSHA inspector or fire marshal will notice.

Why Reconciliation Matters​

Inventory reconciliation is not optional busywork. It is the mechanism that keeps your compliance posture current:

  • OSHA 29 CFR 1910.1200 requires employers to maintain an accurate list of hazardous chemicals. Stale quantities mean your HazCom plan is inaccurate — that is a citable violation.
  • EPCRA Section 312 (Tier II) requires facilities to report maximum daily amount, average daily amount, and days on site for each chemical. Without periodic quantity snapshots, these values are estimates at best.
  • IFC Chapter 50 (Fire Code) thresholds are quantity-based. A chemical that was 200 lbs at import time may now be 600 lbs — exceeding the Maximum Allowable Quantity without anyone knowing.
  • OSHA PSM / EPA RMP Threshold Planning Quantities for extremely hazardous substances are quantity-based triggers. Gradual inventory creep can push your facility into regulatory programs without awareness.

Reconciliation creates the periodic snapshots that keep all of these calculations honest.

Key Features​

Location-by-Location Walkthrough​

Reconciliation organizes your chemicals by storage location, so you can walk the floor and confirm what you see in front of you. On mobile, you see one chemical at a time — large buttons, no scrolling, designed for someone standing in front of a shelf with a phone in hand. On desktop, you get a table view grouped by location with inline editing.

Container-Based Quantity Tracking​

During reconciliation, you confirm container counts and fill levels — not raw pounds or gallons. This matches how people actually verify inventory on the floor. You count containers and estimate how full they are. Tellus calculates the derived weight automatically.

Fill level options:

Fill LevelPercentage
Full100%
Three-quarters75%
Half50%
Quarter25%
Nearly Empty10%

If your containers have mixed fill levels (some full, some half-empty), you can distribute the count across fill levels for a more accurate total.

Three Simple Actions​

For each chemical, you choose one of three actions:

ActionWhen to UseWhat Happens
SameContainer count and fill level have not changedConfirms the chemical as-is and advances to the next one
UpdateCount or fill level has changedOpens a quick editor for container count and fill level, then advances
RemovedChemical is no longer at this locationMarks the chemical as removed from your active inventory

You can also skip a chemical to come back to it later, or add a note for context (e.g., "moved to Building B" or "ordered replacement").

Location Assignment​

The person who starts a reconciliation session (the coordinator) can delegate specific locations to other team members. This is useful when different people are responsible for different areas of a facility. Assigned users see only their locations and can confirm chemicals independently. The coordinator sees all locations and can complete the session once everyone is done.

Post-Completion Summary​

When you finish a reconciliation, you see a summary of everything that changed:

  • Chemicals confirmed unchanged
  • Quantities adjusted (with before/after)
  • Chemicals removed
  • New chemicals added during the review
  • Session duration and contributors

The summary also includes an AI compliance insight that analyzes your changes in context — flagging chemicals trending toward regulatory thresholds, noting when your HazCom plan may need updating, and identifying potential storage compatibility concerns.

A "What this unlocked" section shows the concrete compliance outcomes of completing the review:

  • Tier II data — Quarterly snapshot captured for EPCRA Section 312 reporting
  • Fire code status — Whether all chemicals are within Maximum Allowable Quantities
  • HazCom plan accuracy — Whether your chemical list matches your current inventory

Periodic Reminders​

Tellus automatically tracks when each site is due for its next reconciliation (default: every 90 days). When a review is due, you will see reminders in multiple places:

  • Dashboard alert banner — Tells you how old your inventory data is and estimates how long the review will take
  • Inventory page banner — Inline alert above your chemical list
  • Notification bell — In-app notification with a link to start the review
  • Email — Friendly reminder with site-specific context about what may have changed

If a review is due but not yet overdue, you can snooze the dashboard banner with Remind Me Friday to set a concrete reminder. Once a review is 14+ days overdue, the snooze option is removed and the banner escalates to an urgent state. Overdue notifications are also sent to your EHS manager for visibility.

Inventory History Views​

Reconciliation unlocks a set of historical views that let you see how your inventory has changed over time:

  • Per-chemical quantity history — A chart showing how a specific chemical's quantity has trended, with a quarterly summary table showing max daily amount, average daily amount, and days on site (the exact data you need for Tier II reporting)
  • Site inventory over time — Dashboard with stat cards (total chemicals, containers, weight, reconciliation frequency) and a "top chemicals by change" table
  • Point-in-time comparison — Compare your inventory at any two dates side-by-side to see what changed
  • Hazard class trends — See how aggregate quantities per hazard class are trending relative to fire code thresholds
  • Reconciliation history — Audit trail of all completed reconciliation sessions with drill-down to the summary and AI insights from each one

How It Works​

Starting a Reconciliation​

  1. Navigate to ChemIQ > Reconciliation
  2. Select the site you want to review (or click the Confirm Inventory button on a dashboard alert)
  3. Review the session home screen, which shows all locations at the site and the number of chemicals in each
  4. Start reviewing a location by tapping Start on the location card

You can also start a reconciliation from the inventory page banner or from an email notification link.

Walking the Floor (Mobile)​

The mobile experience is designed for a person walking through a facility with a phone:

  1. You see one chemical at a time as a full-screen card showing the product name, CAS number, current container count, fill level, and derived weight
  2. Tap Same if nothing has changed — the next chemical loads immediately
  3. Tap Update to change the container count or fill level — a quick editor appears
  4. Tap Removed if the chemical is no longer at this location
  5. Progress is shown at the top ("3 of 8") so you always know where you stand
  6. Swipe left to skip forward, swipe right to go back

Reviewing from a Desk (Desktop)​

The desktop view shows the same data as a table grouped by location:

  1. Each location section lists all chemicals with their container count, fill level, and derived weight
  2. Select Same, Update, or Remove for each chemical using inline controls
  3. Use All Same on a location to confirm every chemical in that location as unchanged — ideal when you know nothing has moved
  4. A "Needs Attention" section at the top highlights chemicals that are trending toward thresholds or have volatile history

Adding New Chemicals​

If you received new chemicals since the last review, you can add them during reconciliation. The Add New Chemical option opens the standard add-chemical flow with the reconciliation session context preserved.

Completing the Review​

Once all chemicals have been reviewed:

  1. Click Complete Review
  2. Tellus updates your inventory records, recalculates site quantities, captures a quantity snapshot, and runs compliance checks
  3. The post-completion summary appears with your results and AI compliance insight
  4. Your next review date is set automatically (default: 90 days)

Session Lifecycle​

Each reconciliation session moves through a defined set of states:

StatusDescription
PendingSession created (by scheduler or manually). Chemicals pre-populated from current inventory.
In ProgressYou have started reviewing chemicals. Progress saves automatically with each action.
CompletingYou clicked Complete Review. Tellus is updating inventory, running calculations, and generating your AI insight.
CompletedEverything is done. Summary and AI insight are available.
ExpiredSession was not completed within 30 days. No changes were applied. You can start a new session.

Only one active session can exist per site at a time.

Who Uses This​

RoleWhat You Can Do
AdminStart, manage, and complete reconciliation sessions at any site. Assign locations to team members. View all history and insights.
ManagerStart and complete reconciliation sessions at sites you manage. Assign locations within your sites.
Program CoordinatorStart and complete reconciliation sessions as part of compliance oversight. Assign locations and review AI insights.
EmployeeConfirm chemicals at locations assigned to you by a coordinator. Cannot start or complete sessions independently.

Availability​

Inventory Reconciliation is included on every Tellus EHS account ($99/month). All features — including AI compliance insights, location assignment, and historical views — are available on every plan.

Common Tasks​