Re: VSI on Call for papers on chemical incidents with Graduate students as guest editorsA group of grad students from different US institutions is working on a virtual Special Issue for the ACS CHAS Journal and the call for papers (introduction below) on chemical incidents has been published. This is the link:
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.chas.2c00031
Our goal is for early and mid-career researchers to be comfortable discussing openly chemical incidents; shifting the current environment of reporting incidents from blame to one of gain.
Thanks for your assistance and regards,
Monica Nyansa (She/Her/Hers), Chemistry Ph.D. Candidate
Tanasova Lab, Michigan Tech
mnyansa**At_Symbol_Here**mtu.edu, 906-231-2283
As chemists, we are expected to be familiar with the hazards of chemicals, processes, and apparatuses associated with our work. Whether in industry, academia, or government, we rely on the information found in standard operating procedures (SOPs), Safety Data Sheets (SDSs), and risk assessments.
When something goes wrong in the lab, the first questions often raised are ‰??Were you following the SOP?‰?? and ‰??What does the SDS or risk assessment say?‰?? Sometimes, however, these documents are not enough. A recent incident involving accidental dichloromethane (DCM) injection led to the discovery that the SDS of DCM did not, in fact, contain information about injection hazards, despite the serious consequences for the victim. (1)
Likewise, another publication highlighted inconsistencies in reproductive hazard classification across authoritative safety documentation (e.g., SDS, NIOSH Pocket Guide, etc.). Finally, even well-intentioned and thoughtful risk assessments may not foresee all of the potential consequences, and lessons will need to be learned to better prepare for the future.
We believe that ACS Chemical Health & Safety is well positioned to ‰??fill the gaps‰?? to help the scientific community learn from the experiences of others by sharing our experiences in a Virtual Special Issue (VSI) that highlights chemical incidents. In VSIs, manuscripts are initially published in a regular issue shortly after they are accepted for publication. Once all VSI papers have been accepted, they are collected onto a single webpage, giving additional exposure to each author‰??s work. Our goal in collating this VSI is to promote an open and informative environment where incidents and near misses can be shared by researchers, without blame or shame for those involved, to educate and prevent others from experiencing similar consequences.
(further information and references at URL above)
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