Dear All:

The Community might be interested that  the CCS Chair Comment got Letter to the Editor! Specifically, the person is praising ACS for RAMP an LSTs! 

The original comment can be found at

https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/cen-10201-reactions
The letter responding to this comment is copied below:

Optimizing laboratory safety teams

It is very encouraging to read that the American Chemical Society adopted the system of RAMP (recognize hazards, assess risks, minimize risk, prepare for emergencies) and its connectivity to laboratory safety teams (LSTs) (C&EN, Nov. 20, 2023, page 33). In addition to the goal of empowering students to have a voice in their own safety, the LST system will greatly benefit from institutionalizing accountability and lab ownership within the safety culture of the chemistry department. A best-in-class safety program needs to hold all stakeholders in the research lab—from students to professors—accountable with disciplinary consequences in order for the student-driven safety programs to effectively prevent accidents. Furthermore, student empowerment must be accompanied by the understanding that every lab has an “owner” who is responsible for all aspects of lab safety and that experiments are conducted responsibly to ensure the health and well-being of everyone in the lab and the building in which the lab is situated.

Ara A. Jeknavorian

Chelmsford, Massachusetts

 

 

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