Date: Wed, 28 Dec 2011 12:42:10 -0500
Reply-To: DCHAS-L <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU>
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From: ACTSNYC**At_Symbol_Here**CS.COM
Subject: Re: Felony Charges against Prof. Patrick Harran and UCLA
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I just wanted to add my five cents from the student perspective for what it is worth. Please know that I have great respect for professors, but I believe that some are not adequately trained in EH&S. I am a nontraditional student with an EH&S degree who is currently taking undergraduate pre-medical classes to qualify for Medical School. I can honestly tell you that you will not believe the carelessness I have seen. The student professor relationship is a relationship of dependency. Students depend on their professors for their grades, recommendations, and for safety. It is for this reason that students may not be likely to criticize their professor's approach to safety and it is for the reason of peer pressure that especially younger students will not wear PPEs if nobody else in the class wears them. I have observed that it is quite common to let students handle chemicals that can have genetically altering effects without safety gloves. This is quite concerning in two ways. First, the student often does not know the course of an experiment if a professor uses the method of step by step instruction, thus the student does not know he will handle such material until the instruction to use the material is given. Second, most students are quite young with many of them planning to build families of their own later in life. It is especially bothersome to see young students work unprotected with materials that can have genetically altering effects and while we cannot observe direct consequences of these practices we may see the effects years from now and at that time it will be difficult to link these to EH&S practices.  

Tuc

 
Sent: Tuesday, December 27, 2011 8:25 PM
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Felony Charges against Prof. Patrick Harran and UCLA
 

Pardon the cross posting:

 

+++++++++

 

The State of California has charged both Professor Patrick Harran and UCLA with three felonies:

 

"Count 1:  On or about December 29th, 2008, in the county of Los Angeles, the crime of WILLFUL VIOLATION OF AN OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY & HEALTH STANDARD CAUSING THE DEATH OF AN EMPLOYEE, in violation of LABOR CODE SECTION 6425(a), a Felony, was committed by THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, A PUBLIC CORPORATION, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES, and PATRICK HARRAN who were the employers and an employee having direction, management, control or custody of Sheharbano Sangji, who was an employee at the University of California, Los Angeles.  It is alleged that the DEFENDANTS willfully violated CALIFORNIA CODE OF REGULATIONS TITLE 8, SECTION 5191(f)(4), a California occupational safety regulation.

 

"Count 2:  On or about December 29th, 2008, in the county of Los Angeles, the crime of WILLFUL VIOLATION OF AN OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY & HEALTH STANDARD CAUSING THE DEATH OF AN EMPLOYEE, in violation of LABOR CODE SECTION 6425(a), a Felony, was committed by THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, A PUBLIC CORPORATION, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES, and PATRICK HARRAN who were the employers and an employee having direction, management, control or custody of Sheharbano Sangji, who was an employee at the University of California, Los Angeles.  It is alleged that the DEFENDANTS willfully violated CALIFORNIA CODE OF REGULATIONS TITLE 8, SECTION 3203(a)(6), a California occupational safety regulation.

 

"Count 3:  On or about December 29th, 2008, in the county of Los Angeles, the crime of WILLFUL VIOLATION OF AN OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY & HEALTH STANDARD CAUSING THE DEATH OF AN EMPLOYEE, in violation of LABOR CODE SECTION 6425(a), a Felony, was committed by THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, A PUBLIC CORPORATION, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES, and PATRICK HARRAN who were the employers and an employee having direction, management, control or custody of Sheharbano Sangji, who was an employee at the University of California, Los Angeles.  It is alleged that the DEFENDANTS willfully violated CALIFORNIA CODE OF REGULATIONS TITLE 8, SECTION 3383(b), a California occupational safety regulation."

 

Harran's bail was set at $20,000.

 

The Case Number is BA392069

 

+++++++++++

Harry J. Elston, Ph.D., CIH

Editor, Journal of Chemical Health & Safety
Division

Journal Information

Twitter:  @JChemHealthSafe

 

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