Committee on Chemical Safety

What We Do

Welcome to the Committee on Chemical Safety (CCS). This section highlights the Committee's activities and provides administrative resources for its members. Our primary activities include:

• Publication of standards, tools, and other materials for use in classrooms, laboratories, and the workplace
• Development of safety policy statements for the ACS Board of Directors
• Providing advice and assistance to other ACS committees and members
• Presentation and sponsorship of symposia

Mission

CCS provides collaborative leadership and resources to advance chemical safety.

Vision

A scientific community that embraces safety in all activities of the chemistry enterprise.

Goals

• Goal 1: Foster collaborative partnerships to advance safe chemistry.
• Goal 2: Create and compile chemical safety resources that are current, well-managed and authoritative.
• Goal 3: Ensure effective dissemination of high quality chemical safety resources.
• Goal 4: Optimize CCS structure and operations to achieve strategic goals and ongoing responsibilities.

Who We Are

• CCS Member Roster
• Subcommittees
  
• Advisory Panel

History

In 1963, the Committee on Chemical Safety (CCS) was established as a joint Board-Council committee. Since that time, CCS has created and maintained numerous guiding safety documents which are in wide use throughout the chemistry enterprise. In 2016, ACS CEO Tom Connelly detailed ACS’s role in Chemical Safety. Since that time, ACS has added safety as a core value, created ACS Safety Programs in the Office of Scientific Advancement to align messaging and content, and added a requirement for safety statements in articles published in ACS journals.

How CCS Lives its Mission

• CCS works with the Committee on Professional Training (CPT) to ensure that the approved undergraduate programs provide the most up-to-date and best practices in chemical safety education. 
  • The 2023 ACS Guidelines for Bachelor’s Degree Programs contain a full section on safety guidance for approved programs.

• CCS maintains two Position Statements for the Society. Through these statements, CCS communicates the safe and responsible chemical use. CCS also works with the ACS Green Chemistry Institute to promote safe and responsible chemical use:
  • Safety in the Chemistry Enterprise
  • Regulation of Laboratory Waste

• CCS supports the Division of Chemical Health and Safety (CHAS) in their technical programming and workshops at the Fall, Spring, and regional meetings. We also support activities at the Local Section level

• CCS works closely with CHAS to promote safety in graduate education through mentorship activities, peer-led workshops, and ACS Webinars.

• Along with Safety Programs, CCS supports ACS Presidential Safety Summits.