Are University Labs Criminally Dangerous?

Feb 27, 2012

Image: Martin Shields/Photo Researchers, Inc.

On a late afternoon in Dec?em?ber 2008, the experiment She?harbano ?Sheri? Sangji was work?ing on went up in flames. The 23-?year-old laboratory assistant at the University of California, Los Angeles, suffered second and third degree burns over 43 percent of her body and died almost three weeks later in a hospital burn unit.

Now the Los Angeles County district attorney?s office has brought felony charges against U.C.L.A. chemistry professor Patrick Harran, the head of Sangji?s lab, and the Regents of the University of California for violations of safety regulations resulting in her death. If convicted on all three counts, Harran faces up to four and a half years in prison, and U.C.L.A. faces $4.5 million in fines. The university terms the charges ?outrageous? and Sangji?s death a ?tragic ac?cident.? It is planning a vigorous defense.

The charges, apparently the first to be brought in an academic safety incident, raise the widely neglected issue of safety standards at university labs. A scathing re?port issued last October by the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) brought additional attention to
the problem. The investigation, launched after a January 2010 explosion at Texas Tech University maimed a graduate student, mentions 120 mishaps, including the one involving Sangji. The report outlines systemic problems common on many campuses, such as failure to report accidents, and a lack of proper safety training for students and staff. Many university labs operate as quasi-independent ?fiefdoms,? according to the report; lab chiefs have great authority to observe or ignore safety standards and often see outside safety checks as ?infringing upon their academic freedom.?

The California criminal charges arise from citations and fines that the state?s Division of Occupa?tional Safety and Health leveled against U.C.L.A. in May 2009 for ?serious? violations, among them failing to make timely corrections of unsafe conditions or to provide required training and personal protective gear. (Not only was Sangji not wearing a lab coat, but her synthetic sweatshirt may have ?caught fire,? according to the citation.)

The rate of serious mishaps in industrial labs is lower than that in academic labs, in part because industrial labs are more tightly regulated, according to experts, including James Kaufman, president of the Laboratory Safety Institute in Natick, Mass. Some experts believe that attaching criminal responsibility to preventable mishaps may encourage greater accountability.

This article was published in print as “Are University Labs Criminally Dangerous?”

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=7fc001a6381efca5dfb2e9e846132a4e

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ISO 18001 Helps To Guarantee A Safe Work Environment | Cosmetics

Sep 15, 2011

Work-related accidents can happen in spite of all precautions. When they do occur, serious mishaps often generate other forms of work-related mayhem. These include fines, compensatory damages, lost work time and production, and the mistrust of employees and even potential customers. In order to design and implement a safety and health management system that fits perfectly with any company?s current system, ISO 18001 was designed to assist any business needing to control occupational and health safety risks.

This regulatory system promotes standardized safety procedures within any workplace organization. It helps companies reduce the need for forcibly enacted legislative controls, and reduces the potential for accidents ultimately leading to a decline in overall performance. Rather than simply generating more bureaucracy, implementation of these regulations usually has a very positive effect in the workplace.

Overall proven benefits include a reduced chance of accidents and the resulting employee absentees, and minimized risk of incurring penalties and citations. Most of the time the policies and procedures generate less costly insurance premiums, and may improve an overall corporate image as seen by outside customers. Having an excellent record guarantees a more positive business to business reputation, in addition to making workers more aware of the benefits of safety and health workplace standards.

There are certain requirements that must be met in order to help any business deal with with the new assessments of their current health and safety system. Fewer claims of property damage, or filings for compensation are a positive end result of meeting these new rules. Companies are encouraged to train all new employees thoroughly in safety procedures, in spite of any resistance to changes from current workers.

Regardless of the number of people employed, the International Standard for Quality Management Systems is there to help implement new requirements. Occupational hazards of all kinds are identified and put under control, even when a business already has a previous system in place. Any company wishing to eliminate, or at the very least minimize work-related risks, may qualify to be helped.

Business-related fatalities have remained almost constant statistically for the past few years in the United Kingdom. Further reduction of that figure requires real-life controls, notably in any workplace not yet conforming to the rules of relevant legislation. Specific training is the key to practical implementation of all safety and health practices not yet in compliance.

Training can provides relevant answers for employees. It also may provides students with the skills and knowledge necessary to access workplace conformance to environmental rules on all levels, including internal assessment and independent findings provided by third parties. Completing training provides a company with trained employees certified in all aspects of ISO 18001 implementation.

Establishing certification also can mean that both employees and management will come to a complete understanding of the business advantages that are a result of improved working conditions based on health and safety management recommendations. Both groups will experience the logical process of intelligent implementation, and will know how to best conform to any requirements that result from an audit. Compliance with ISO 18001 means fewer safety-related issues, decreased illness-related insurance claims and a company?s legal liabilities. Both factors can benefit the yearly bottom line.

More resources OHSAS 18001 and OHSAS 18001

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 14th, 2011 at 9:37 am and is filed under Health & Fitness. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Source: http://goldenwisdomnuggets.net/cosmetics/iso-18001-helps-to-guarantee-a-safe-work-environment/

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CORSI SICUREZZA – Recognizing WORKPLACE SAFETY Situation …

Aug 30, 2011

corsi sicurezza is really a program which a person is without a doubt intelligent as well as skilled pertaining to basic safety processes. Safety classes include talk of health and safety, expertise demo within coping health risks and also provision of education inside defending your self and other people through health hazards.

As outlined by HSE, a lot more than Two hundred consumers are murdered yearly as a result of crashes at work and most a million personnel are hurt. Corsi Sicurezza is done with aiming to prevent illness and also accidents in the office. There are plenty associated with security programs made available from various universities, training centers and also community centers. On-line training is currently accessible for this kind of training course.

RSPP or even Responsabile del Servizio di Prevenzione e Protezione (Health and Safety Manager in English) can be a professional safety specialist, typically allocated by the company to maintain as well as improve the health and safety specifications of your workplace. This really is centered from your RSPP module that all round consists of to protect personnel from health and safety hazards. Presently, many companies help safety tasks along with systems. The Mega Italia business hooks in CCTV formation and Fire safety prevention programs.

Value of corsi sicurezza

The particular Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) currently have described 2 popular factors associated with injuries as well as accidents at work. They are poor attention and also lack of information with the proper utilization of equipment. Corsi Sicurezza (Safety Courses) are actually really crucial in acknowledging the particular possible dangers in addition to accidents at work. With regards to the work area, staff should experience training session. A couple of the common as well as vital courses are First Aid as well as Fire Prevention training programs.

Moreover, intermittent coaching definitely seems to be the boring time, yet periodic training is inducted mainly becauseyou will find handful of up-dates and new technologies a worker ought to should be aware to keep abreast in what?s happening. Use of coaching is essential. Individuals should not only focus on what is mentioned; nevertheless, they should put in expertise what they?ve listened to along with learned. After your day, if you ever don?t know what the training course is dependant on, the particular effect of education spins to become ineffective along with bootless. In handful of organizations, to help employees view the course info, posters, slogan as well as sample pictures are utilized.

Discourse with Risk Analysis and Personal Protection

The particular crux point associated with Risk Assessment should be to determine measures to safeguard the actual wellness and also execute safety amongst employees. It requires the particular individuality associated with dangers and provision regarding hazards supervision and training. One of the concerns of possibility assessment certainly is the fire risks. It involves plan of action in cases where fire is present.

An individual will be incorporated into a low-risk-accident place of work any time:- The person posesses a legal duty on guarding own safety and others.- The person uses basic safety policies, guidelines and plan of action.- The person reports safety as well as risk concerns to the RSPP employees or your employer?s representatives.- The person certainly not efforts to operate an equipment/instrument that you?re under trained.- The person will not enter into restricted as well as unauthorized areas.? The person helps to keep hallways clean, clear and dry.

Corsi Sicurezza at Look

Whether you are a boss, self-employed or any type of employee, you have to go through coaching upon Safety courses. Each and every member of staff got to know what you should expect on their current job and also workplace with regards to health, security and safety. Comprehending the training course, following safety policies as well as plan of action could save you coming from not known hazards; and be capable of control the potential risks. Therefore, corsi sicurezza lavoro will guard a staff from injuries, illness and accidents in the workplace.

Source: http://gcf2010.com/corsi-sicurezza-recognizing-workplace-safety-situation/

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