I notice that in the latest issue of the ACS Matters newsletter, there is the story below about the ACS Strategic Plan. While I am is glad that Safety is now included, along with Professionalism and Ethics, as a core ACS value, I am concerned that the strategic plan includes a statement that
"Despite increasing awareness of the importance of having an active safety culture in the workplace, some practitioners see safety as interfering with success."
This statement appears at the first item under "challenges and opportunities" relative to Goal 2 in the PDF version of the complete plan available at https://www.acs.org/content/dam/acsorg/about/strategicplan/sp18.pdf
No evidence for this statement is provided in the Plan, either in terms of what percentage of "practitioners" hold this view or whether this view is true or not. Based on both conversations with chemists over the years and surveys I and others have conducted, I believe that the percentage of "practitioners" who believe this is less than 20% and that good lab safety practices enhance rather than interfere with success. Therefore, I don't think that this "challenge" statement should stand alone without further context providing more information about this idea.
If you have similar concerns about this statement, feedback to strategicplan**At_Symbol_Here**acs.org is a good place to express them.
Let me know if you have any questions about this.
- Ralph
Providing a Solid Foundation for Chemistry and the Chemistry Enterprise " The ACS Strategic Plan for 2018 and Beyond
The ACS Strategic Plan for 2018 and Beyond is the blueprint for how the Society will make our Vision of "Improving people's lives through the transforming power of chemistry" a reality. The plan has been enhanced for 2018 with the guidance of the ACS Board of Directors and the perspectives of ACS members and stakeholders, like you.
Visit the online plan where you can read the objectives for each of the goals. These objectives explain how the goals will be accomplished. In addition, the plan identifies challenges the Society faces, as well as opportunities for us to make meaningful change.
You can get involved! Visit http://strategy.acs.org to learn more about how the Society provides valuable support to the chemistry enterprise and explore the ways you can "get involved" on a grassroots level. Share your thoughts on this plan and the direction for the future at strategicplan**At_Symbol_Here**acs.org.
Ralph Stuart, CIH, CCHO
Environmental Safety Manager
Keene State College
603 358-2859
ralph.stuart**At_Symbol_Here**keene.edu
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