About This Archive  | DCHAS-L 2017 Index   | DCHAS-L Yearly Index
person wearing a disposable face shield and surgical style mask

Check out Safety Emporium for your N95, N99, and face shield needs.

Previous by Date:
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] Color-blindness as a lab safety concern
Date: Monday, February 13, 2017 at 2:02:49 PM
Author: Monona Rossol <0000030664c37427-dmarc-request**At_Symbol_Here**LISTS.PRINCETON.EDU> 		Next by Date:
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] Color-blindness as a lab safety concern
Date: Mon, 13 Feb 2017 19:15:19 +0000
Author: McGrath Edward J

From: ILPI Support <info**At_Symbol_Here**ILPI.COM>
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] Color-blindness as a lab safety concern
Date: Mon, 13 Feb 2017 14:13:56 -0500
Reply-To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU>
Message-ID: C5A93D14-4C12-423F-8357-1AA103B60A23**At_Symbol_Here**ilpi.com
In-Reply-To


The classic example (and, no doubt, Monona has an entire filing cabinet devoted to this topic) is Automobile Workers v Johnson Controls, which held that a lead-acid battery manufacturer was not allowed to prohibit women of child-bearing age from working on the assembly lines because of fetotoxicity of lead: http://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-supreme-court/499/187.html


I'm not aware of any public articles on what Johnson Controls did after the ruling, but in the Hollywood feel-good ending, they were faced with the task of ensuring that the lead exposure of ALL their employees was controlled so that any women working in this environment would not receive exposures of lead beyond permissible limits.  Everyone wins because the workplace is safer etc. etc.

Perhaps they did.  But it was apparently not enough: https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=NEWS_RELEASES&p_id=27804

And industry wonders why there are so many "burdensome" regulations.  If they self-policed themselves, stuff like this wouldn't happen and there wouldn't be a need for such regulations.   Alas, capitalism dictates that those who can cut the most costs (corners) are the victors, so there is a disincentive to do things the right (e.g. safe) way.  Capitalism is arguably the best economic system devised, however it fails miserably as a social system.

(insert tangential comments about Cabinet appointees here).

Rob Toreki

 ======================================================
Safety Emporium - Lab & Safety Supplies featuring brand names
you know and trust.  Visit us at http://www.SafetyEmporium.com
esales**At_Symbol_Here**safetyemporium.com  or toll-free: (866) 326-5412
Fax: (856) 553-6154, PO Box 1003, Blackwood, NJ 08012




On Feb 13, 2017, at 1:44 PM, Stuart, Ralph <ralph.stuart**At_Symbol_Here**KEENE.EDU> wrote:

I'm sorry, but if you have bowed legs lady, ballet is not for you.  Tone deaf?  Put down that Butterfly score.

I can understand this point, but I have seen many ADA-inspired accommodations for people with specific difficulties make a hazardous situation easier and safety for everyone. I've also seen the opposite occur. A balanced approach to specific cases is needed, but is not always inevitable.

- Ralph

Ralph Stuart, CIH, CCHO
Environmental Safety Manager
Keene State College
603 358-2859

ralph.stuart**At_Symbol_Here**keene.edu

---
This e-mail is from DCHAS-L, the e-mail list of the ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety.
For more information about the list, contact the Divisional secretary at secretary**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org


Previous post   |  Top of Page   |   Next post


The content of this page reflects the personal opinion(s) of the author(s) only, not the American Chemical Society, ILPI, Safety Emporium, or any other party. Use of any information on this page is at the reader's own risk. Unauthorized reproduction of these materials is prohibited. Send questions/comments about the archive to secretary@dchas.org.
The maintenance and hosting of the DCHAS-L archive is provided through the generous support of Safety Emporium.