DCHAS-L Archives, Sep 20, 2022 - Re: [DCHAS-L] ACS Webinar October 6: Navigating Questions About Reproductive Health When in the Lab

Dear All,

We worked on this very issue at CSU. Here are a few things to consider:

Pregnant Persons are a PROTECTED CLASS.
You should include in your discussions the following: your Office of General Counsel, Occupational Health, and the Office of Equal Opportunity, or your institution’s equivalent persons.
Any response (materials, webpage, info, etc) should be approved by a group.
The HR status of an individual in a research setting will determine Workmens’ Comp and other available resources in the event of an accident or personal change in medical status (i.e. Pregnancy). If the researcher is classified as a “volunteer” then what are their rights?

Cheers,

Anthony

Anthony Appleton, PhD (he,him,his)

Research Safety Culture Coordinator

Office of the Vice President for Research

Assistant Building Proctor

University Services Center

Anthony.Appleton**At_Symbol_Here**colostate.edu | 970-491-2015

From: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**Princeton.EDU> On Behalf Of James Kaufman
Sent: Tuesday, September 20, 2022 12:06 PM
To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**Princeton.EDU
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] ACS Webinar October 6: Navigating Questions About Reproductive Health When in the Lab

** Caution: EXTERNAL Sender **

This remains truly unfortunate.

This should be the responsibility of the institution. The institution needs to provide a place to work that is reasonably free of harm to the future parent (male or female) and the unborn child.

See the US Supreme Court decision for the United Auto Workers vs. Johnson Controls.

I spent ten years assisting a large school district in TX. They had one high school just for pregnant girls. I asked the Science Department Head what they did about chemicals that can harm the fetus. The Department Head replied: What do you mean? ... Jim

James A. Kaufman, PhD

Founder/President Emeritus

The Laboratory Safety Institute (LSI)

A Non-profit Educational Organization

for Safety in Science, Industry, and Education

192 Worcester Street, Natick, MA 01760-2252

(O) 508-647-1900 (F) 508-647-0062 (C) 508-574-6264

Skype: labsafe; 508-401-7406 jkaufman**At_Symbol_Here**labsafety.org www.labsafety.org

Teach, Learn, and Practice Science Safely

On Tue, Sep 20, 2022 at 12:34 PM CHAS membership <membership**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org> wrote:

> >A recent analysis of the current guidance from more than 100 academic institutions’ Chemical Hygiene Plans (CHPs) indicates that the burden to implement laboratory reproductive health and safety practices is often placed on those already pregnant or planning conception.

I forgot to include the link to this study in the webinar announcement:
A Call for Increased Focus on Reproductive Health within Lab Safety Culture
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/jacs.1c03725?ref=PDF

In addition, there are a couple of related articles at
Pregnancy in the lab
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41570-022-00362-0

and

What to Expect When Expecting in Lab: A Review of Unique Risks and Resources for Pregnant Researchers in the Chemical Laboratory
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.chemrestox.1c00380?ref=PDF

Let me know if you have any questions about this.

- Ralph

Ralph Stuart, CIH, CCHO
Membership Chair
American Chemical Society Division of Chemical Health and Safety
membership**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org

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