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Subject: [DCHAS-L] Fort Detrick lab shut down after failed safety inspection; all research halted indefinitely
Date: Tuesday, August 6, 2019 at 7:23:28 AM
Author: DCHAS Membership Chair <membership**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG> 		Next by Date:
Subject: Re: Fwd: [DCHAS-L] [New post] Health and Safety II?
Date: Tue, 6 Aug 2019 21:20:53 -0400
Author: Jeffrey Lewin

From: Ken Kretchman <kwkretch**At_Symbol_Here**ncsu.edu>
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] Thoughts?
Date: Tue, 6 Aug 2019 08:50:34 -0400
Reply-To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU>
Message-ID: CAOYSQ4_xnzeMP4CqR--aqFOPePY7mo_3q5Zm3KD5DXN=tjia5Q**At_Symbol_Here**mail.gmail.com
In-Reply-To


I expect most of this has already been said but I would start with a mini root cause analysis of PI behavior regarding WHY he/she behaves in the manner that
causes the concern... The course of action you take (really the institution takes if lasting success is what you want - dean, dept head, research administration)
is based on the cause...are they making a conscious decision to overlook issues or be non-supportive vs not getting the job done for other reasons. ? Neither is
acceptable but the course of best corrective action may be different..

One important point I'd like to add is the students of this PI, or others like him/her, may be getting a heavy dose of negative mentorship,
which is tragic, and something the faculty chain of command needs to hear about, and I think can really catch their ear.
Getting input from the lab staff, confidentially if necessary, is key.

We had one example of a PI with a chronically horrible lab with respect to housekeeping have his lab change dramatically due to the efforts
of two new graduate students who really took control of conditions in the space. He was very pleased and supportive of their efforts. Not a bad
guy, just not taking earlier responsibility in getting the job done.

I agree that this represents a small percentage of the research staff but we like to point out once in a while that it only takes one to cause the institution
a world of hurt, aside from the injured party or property.

I'm also glad to discuss further if you like.

Ken
NC State University / Box 8007 / 2620 Wolf Village Way / Raleigh North Carolina 27695-8007
Email: Ken_Kretchman**At_Symbol_Here**ncsu.edu / Phone: (919).515.6860 / Fax: (919).515.6307


On Sat, Aug 3, 2019 at 5:24 PM Wade Johnson <twadejohnson1**At_Symbol_Here**gmail.com> wrote:

As a non-renowned academic, who does research and is not really involved with CH&S as my job, shutting a labis certainly effective but not likely to win friends in the department. Academics have to listen to department heads and Deans because of the immediate leverage over the academics researcher's daily life. So, winning the hearts and minds of those administrators is probably a better place to start. I would suggest with leading with personal and university liabilities including recent examples. Administrators, by their nature, are risk averse and, if presented correctly, can be led to developing a safer culture in the lab.

From: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU> on behalf of Lucy Dillman <lucydillman**At_Symbol_Here**COMCAST.NET>
Reply-To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU>
Date: Saturday, August 3, 2019 at 3:25 PM
To: "DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU" <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU>
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] Thoughts?

The renowned researcher probably does no real work in his lab. I would approach his staff. I would get them as much training time as possible and make them largely responsible for implementing safe practices (including PPE, waste disposal, etc.) as you can, emphasizing their personal responsibility and possible penalties (monetary, loss of job, loss of life and limb, etc.) that come from not following "the rules." Safety practices supposedly come from the "top down," but with someone like "RR" you will probably have better luck from the bottom up. Speaking of which, good luck.

Lucy Dillman

On Sat, Aug 3, 2019 at 8:36 AM Peter Zavon <pzavon**At_Symbol_Here**rochester.rr..com> wrote:

Easier said than done in academia, and Tiffany has not even hinted at whether she has the clout to do that. That is why she is receiving advise about developing allies, elevating the issue, etc.

Peter Zavon, CIH
Penfield, NY

PZAVON**At_Symbol_Here**Rochester.rr.com

From: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety [mailto:DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU] On Behalf Of Geoffrey Giarmo
Sent: Friday, August 02, 2019 4:36 PM
To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] Thoughts?

Worst case: Shut them down until a plan is in place to remedy the unsafe situation. Waiting for an accident to happen is an unacceptable risk for any institution or corporation. Turning a blind eye or overlooking violations will encourage them elsewhere and will leave your institution liable and may leave you personally liable in the event of an incident.

Geoff

On Fri, Aug 2, 2019 at 2:31 PM Tiffany Freedman <trush1**At_Symbol_Here**citadel.edu> wrote:

Good afternoon all!

I know as safety professionals we've all faced some very interesting situations, but I was curious as to everyone=E2=80™s thoughts on a situation similar to the one below.

How did you approach the situation? What did you try that worked? What did you try that maybe didn't work as well as you had hoped? Maybe the problem wasn't completely solved but it improved? Did you have to reach out for assistance? I know we all have different environments and experiences and it's these differences that make our shared experiences invaluable.

Situation:

A renowned researcher is bringing in large sums of funding and greatly adding to the prestige of a facility/institution. This individual, however, has repeatedly demonstrated a disregard for safety. Others in the group are aware of this but are reluctant to comment. They wonder how/why this individual can continue operating in this manner.

Thanks so much for your thoughts!

Regards,

Tiffany

Sent from Mail for Windows 10

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