Document 91EE0mGm0ypoLeX08QEqNx1K5

EDITORIAL So what have we cisco and Boston National meetings to take an extra day to attend the learned? workshop. Even if you are an experi enced safety professional or synth esis chemist you will walk away from t's been just over a year since the this training with a much deeper Ihorrific death of UCLA research appreciation of the risk management assistant Sheharbano Sangji in a concepts that are unique to reactive laboratory accident. What's happened chemistry work. I am told that it will since then? be offered at regional meetings if On the surface, one might be tempted enough interest is generated. to say that very little has changed in The ACS Committee on Chemical the year, but we should probably look Safety in conjunction with Division deeper. Recognizing that the winds of Leadership has brought the issue of change are more like a Midwestern Principal Investigator accountability afternoon breeze rather than a Gulf- to the Society at the Council level. coast Category-4 hurricane, plenty of Numerous colleges, university and small but significant things have hap research institutions have audited pened since this time last year. Let me their safety programs from top to highlight just a few: bottom and as a result have changed the way they do business - especially The Reactives Workshop sponsored with reactive chemicals such as by the Division has trained over 300 requiring Nomex labcoats and safety professionals on the necessary gloves. Certainly, general safety risk management concepts asso awareness has been increased as a ciated with using reactive materials direct result of the Sangji accident. on a laboratory and larger scale. This Through the DivChas-L Listserv, excellent workshop is now in the Safety Listserv and C&E News, Division's regular line-up and will awareness of the inherent hazards be for some time. I encourage every associated with reactive chemistry one who can attend the San Fran has been heightened, especially early last year when the story originally broke. I am generally pleased at the positive steps that have been taken since Ms. Sangji's death. Evidently, there is one thing that we haven't learned yet: how to muster the requisite moral courage necessary to hold academic front-line supervisors accountable for worker safety. As far as I can tell, nothing has been done hold her supervisor accountable for the acci dent. The inaction on the part of UCLA management is reprehensible. I believe that we have an obligation to insure that Ms. Sangji's death is not a meaningless statistic or a sad chapter in chemical safety. We will continue to press for information and front-line supervision accountability. The Jour nal will keep on top of any develop ments regarding Ms. Sangji's death. 1871-5532/$36.00 doi:10.1016/j.jchas.2009.11.003 Division of Chemical Health and Safety of the American Chemical Society Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. 3