Date: Mon, 18 Apr 2011 06:44:40 -0700
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: scrooks**At_Symbol_Here**PPEPPRO.COM
Subject: Re: Yale student killed in chemistry laboratory
accident/prerequisite to commenting about "blame"

I implore that anyone who considers him or herself an "EHS Professional" to know where to fix accountability and to understand th e proper role of the safety professional.  I suggest Dan Pet ersen as one author.  Please pay particularly close attention to the material on authority, responsibility and accountability.  Al though not written specifically for educational institutions, the role of t he organization's safety person is the same and is important for us to understand. 
 
Here is a link to a later edition of one text that many of us were fortunate to have as required reading - https://www.asse.or g/cartpage.php?link=4395
 

Steve Crooks, MS, CIH, CSP
President & Sr. Consultant
People, Property & Environmental Protection, Inc.
919.368.7976
http:/ /ppeppro.com
 
 
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] 8 Re: [DCHAS-L] Yale student killed in chemistry
laboratory a ccident/ A Call for a broad perspective on safety
From: Andrew Gross < ;gross.drew**At_Symbol_Here**GMAIL.C OM>
Date: Fri, April 15, 2011 9:11 am
To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**LIST.UVM.EDU

From th e information I gather in the article the machine shop was dedicated to the laboratories, as far as I'm concerned it is a laboratory.  As far as placing blame, this was not a graduate student, a phd or an employee, this was an undergrad and by the very definition someone taking their first step s towards becoming a scientist.  These steps should never, under no ci rcumstance, ever take place unsupervised especially with machining equipmen t (not to exclude methyl-ethyl-bad-stuff).  With that being said, I do place blame, on the professor who authorized the student to have a key, th e admin who gave the key and the EHS professional who allowed this to all t ake place under their watch, and this blame is criminal.

AG


On Fri, Apr 15, 2011 at 8:22 AM, Secretary, ACS Di vision of Chemical Health and Safety <secretary**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org> wrote:
Date: April 15, 2011 7:25:16 AM EDT
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] 8 Re: [DCHAS-L] Yale student killed in chemi stry laboratory accident/ A Call for a broad perspective on safety


When I was in school I had the lathe, drill press and other machine shop tools in my laboratory along with all of the traditional chemi stry lab equipment.  I fail to see the difference here.  Whether you call this a lab or a machine shop it was a pa rt of here "Chemistry Lab" environment and the distinction is surely irrele vant to her friends and family. 

Fred Simmons 
Savannah River Nuclear Solutions 





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