Date: Thu, 14 Apr 2011 21:08:33 -0400
Reply-To: DCHAS-L Discussion List <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**LIST.UVM.EDU>
Sender: DCHAS-L Discussion List <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**LIST.UVM.EDU>
From: "Secretary, ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety"
Subject: 8 Re: [DCHAS-L] Yale student killed in chemistry laboratory
accident/ A Call for a broad perspective on safety
Subject: RE: [DCHAS-L] Yale
student killed in chemistry laboratory accident/ A Call for a broad
perspective on safety
I agree
wholeheartedly
I'm pretty sure it was an
innocent and understandable mistake to initially assume that this was a
Chemistry lab accident. It was, after all, a Chemistry experiment
in a Chemistry lab building
I think there are bigger
worries here than offending Chemists or Chemistry Department
members.
Subject: RE: [DCHAS-L] Yale
student killed in chemistry laboratory accident/ A Call for a broad
perspective on safety
Roger
(and all),
While I agree that we cannot
work in silos and ignore machine shops associated with laboratory work,
I believe that we should suspend judgment until we know the facts of the
case from an investigator or from Yale. I can assure you that Yale
employs some of the finest EHS professionals I=92ve ever had the
pleasure to meet.
It=92s a safe bet that my
college and university EHS professional colleagues are taking another
look at their machine shops - training, access, supervision - and
not for the first time. Most of us have gone well beyond focusing
only on =93compliance=94 issues and chemical safety, and look at
laboratory safety from a broader perspective.
You are right - this incident should not be
dismissed as not being a lab accident just because it did not occur in a
traditional laboratory. Safety for lab support activities is just
as important as the chemical manipulations in the lab.
Thanks,
Robin
Robin M. Izzo,
M.S.
Associate Director,
EHS
Princeton
University
609-258-6259
(office)
How many legs does a dog
have if you call the leg a tail? Four. Calling it a tail a
leg doesn't make it a leg.
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] Yale
student killed in chemistry laboratory accident/ A Call for a broad
perspective on safety
I do not
appreciate the inherent tone of looking for someone/something to blame
for the death of this young woman. I've taken my long hair down in the
middle of the night in a lab - it's heavy at the end of a very long day,
and can even produce tension headaches from a heavy mass being pinned to
the head all day. But, I never took my hair down near moving parts or a
heat source. It is, at least, a possibility that the young woman made a
costly and tragic mistake, but I don't blame her, those that trained
her, OSHA, safety officers, the government, or Yale's President. I once
flicked a few drops of flaming ethanol onto my gloved hand. That
micro-second of a bad decision produced a very small burn that healed in
a few days. I didn't blame anyone else. I knew better. I was tired. And
I was just lucky.
Subject: RE: [DCHAS-L] Yale student
killed in chemistry laboratory accident/ A Call for a broad perspective
on safety
Seems to
me that one thing that is being overlooked is the issue of personal
responsibility. It seems to be assumed that Yale did nothing to
inform the victim of the hazards of this task and the protective
requirements that should have been followed. (I doubt that by the
way). The victim most likely knew what she was doing, and
chose her course of action. I see "brilliant people"
do, or allow others to do, careless things all too
frequently.
Jay Skarda Director of
Safety & Security National Jewish Health
Subject: RE: [DCHAS-L] Yale student
killed in chemistry laboratory accident/ A Call for a broad perspective
on safety
Roger;
I agree with you
completely=85. My office is responsible for Safety, not just
chemical safety, but SAFETY. Now we are a relatively small
institution, but we have had incidents and safety issues in engineering,
visual arts, and other locations on campus that have power equipment
available for staff and students. We have many university staff
that only look at chemical safety issues in their areas, but fail to
look at all safety issues. It=92s an educational
issue.
I was told once by my former
boss, that it was our department to enforce and determine safety
policies=85.he never said just chemistry, and he backed this up.
Thus when we do our walk throughs/audits, chemistry is very important,
but it is not the only thing that we ask about, look at and
inspect.
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