Document q30q7j4rw5eMr14z4qaxNEGLR

EDITORIAL Sexual Harassment -- An Issue We Can't Avoid ore than half of all women deliberate touching and requests for sexual Mchemical engineers canvassed favors together rivalled that for offensive have suffered sexual harass work environment. Some women detailed ment on the job, according to a honor stories of rape, sex for job advance new CEP survey (see page 12), anmd emnut,chand other incidents that would be on more often than not the harassmpeangteoocne if this were a supermarket tabloid. curred several times or on an on-going basis. The main culprits in offices were the Dealing with the problem poses a prob lem in its own right. Indeed, slightly more women's professional peers, while at plants women reported that the harassment situa supervisors and nonprofessional staff vied for worst place. tion was not settled to their satisfaction than said it was. The most frequent problems for women respondents were demeaning attitudes on the Many of these women resented that their complaints were not taken seriously. part of coworkers, followed by an offensive Supervisors dismissed the problem merely work environment. Certainly, the amorphous by excusing the conduct with something definition, or really lack of one, of what con along the line "That's just the way `Old stitutes sexual harassment accounts for some of this. Perhaps many men will find reveal Henry' is." or "Alan couldn't really be like that," and took no substantive action. Other ing and instructive what women engineers consider to be sexual harassment. times, the women themselves wound up la belled as troublemakers. Nor were a com For instance, women told us they chafe at being addressed by familiar terms that never would be used for male coworkers, and feel pany's Human Resource personnel much of a help in many instances. Given such attitudes, it is not surprising that this represents a not-so-subtle way of that about as many women let an incident undercutting their professional stature. pass or ignored it as confronted it, Only two Others said that they got clear signals that respondents filed a formal complaint, while challenging assignments were reserved for about 10% of the women changedjobs to es male engineers because women couldn't cape the harassment. handle them. On the other hand, trying to treat a What worked for the women, or at least how would they now recommend address woman engineer as "one of the guys" poses ing such a situation? The consensus, if another danger. What one woman might con there is one, is first to directly confront the sider playful but innocent office banter may individual, to stop the problem before it offend another. gets worse. Unfortunately, a significant number of Male chemical engineers can do their part women chemical engineers suffered more by appreciating how pervasive and substan aggressive forms of harassment. Indeed, the tial the problem is, and by showing sensi number of complaints in the survey about tivity and support. Yk-dfy) Mark Rosenzweig Editor-in- Chief 7CHEMICAL ENGINEERING PROGRESS JANUARY 1992 AP00055179 LETTERS it Shouldn't Happen To Che Editor: The little sidebar, `it Happens," in the October article "Engineering Ethics; How ChEs Respond" (pp. 73-82) is very chilling. Technical professionals and the industries that employ them are under enough fire from the know-nothings and the NIMBY (not-in.-my-backyard) activists without this kind of sce nario being perpetrated on an inno cent and unsuspecting public. The company responsible (for the clan destine release of toxic gas to the atmosphere) must be sought out by any means and the situation correct ed immediately.. The resulting brouhaha will have an unfortunate, negative ripple effect throughout the entire chemical processing indus tries. However, the day that engi neers and/or managers begin ignor ing regulations and violating implied public trust in the name of profitability is the last day any chemical manufacturer will be allowed to operate without severe government interference. We need to develop a code of ethics that will protect chemical engineers faced with this kind of dilemma and we must be able to enforce it in a fashion similar to the way that the legal profession requires compliance with its Canons of Ethics. Failure to provide strong ethical guidelines for ourselves and our employers about safe, environ mentally responsible practices puts us in the untenable position of con doning acts such as those described in the sidebar. David H. Hurwitz Nettco Corp. Everett, MA Pipe Life To the Editor In his article "Choose the Right Thermoplastic for High Purity Water Applications," (Oct., pp. 8487), Drew Sinha reports the surpris ingly large result of obtaining 160 jag/day of total organic leaching (TOC)/cm2 of rigid PVC pipe, pre sumably over a prolonged period of time. A square centimeter of pipe wall 5 mm thick weighs less than 1 g. A.t the rate of 160 p.g/day of TOC (or 58 mg/year), the pipe would be completely dissolved in about 17 years. That is contrary to experience. The data he cites must be short term results obtained during the flush-out period. That misuse of data makes the rest of the article useless. Whatever happened to checking one's data to be sure it makes sense? John T. Barr Easley, SC The author responds: Thank you for bringing up your concern about the TOC leaching rate from the PVC pipe in contact with high purity water. The level of the abscissa in Figure 1 should be TOC in pg/m2/day instead of TOC in jtg/cm2/day. This should elimi nate your concern about total disso lution of PVC pipe within a reason able time scale. This typing error, however, does not change the rela tive rate of organic leaching by vari ous thermoplastics as indicated in the article. This is probably a more important determining factor for selecting plastic pipe for high purity water applications. Second, the length of the thermoplastic in Figure 2 is calculated from the data obtained in Figure l. The results shown in Figure 2 are based on TOC leaching from the thermoplas tics (shown in Figure l) in units of TOC/nr/day. Long-Form Resumes To the Editor: The article titled "Capture That Interview With a Great Resume" (Oct., pp. 88-91) was well written and contained valuable advice. I must take issue with three points, however. First, the rules regarding resume length are too general. Too many engineers contact us with that inflexible one-page rule in mind, and thus eliminate the very information that would have gotten them the interview. Employers are interested in detail to separate one applicant from another. Given the choice of keeping my resume at one page or including information on all the unit operations back ground [ had. I would always choose the latter. More importantly, the article did not include any comments regarding job titles, perhaps the most signifi cant item on the resume. Job cities frequently have nothing to do with job content. For example, many chemical engineers carry the inter nal title of "process engineer," yet their actual responsibilities (and maybe their job objectives) are purely in project engineering. Most employers looking for a project engineer will go no further than the "process" title, assuming incorrectly that the applicant's job responsibili ties parallel the title itself. We always advise engineers we repre sent to use a functional job title, and to include comments related to the actual title in the body of the experi ence section, so there is no hint of deception, Finally, I would never recom mend that a more senior applicant use a combination functional/ chronological resume like the one pictured on p. 90. While it provides a nice summary of his 18 years of experience, it tells almost nothing about the depth of that experience. Reading this resume. I can't tell how much management experience the applicant has. Was it only when he had a management title (four years), or did he have some prior supervisory experience, too? I'm forced to guess how much experi ence he had in managing mainte nance functions, and I can't tell if his experience is all phosphates or if he has worked with other products, too. When did he do process design work? Was it 15 years ago, orjust recently? Did he negotiate a labor contract only once, or is he someone I could count on to take care of my labor problems? Did he plan pro duction for a 250 recipe batch pro- 8 * JANUARY 1992 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING PROGRESS AP00055180 AP00055181 EXECUTIVE BOARD Steven W. Schaefer (Chairman) Occidental Chemical Corp. H. Richard Rammer (Vice Chairman) Vista Chemical Company William H. Shoun (Secretary) Dow Chemical USA David Hall (Treasurer) The BFGoodrich Company Harald C. Andresen Vinyl Council of Canada Rose Mary Clyburn PPG Industries Inc, Fred Rsher Air Products & Chemicals Inc, Robert Kelly CertainTeed Corporation Roberto Rovere European Vinyls Corporation John L. Russ Borden, Inc. Edwin Schiffer Georgia Gulf Corporation COMMITTEE CHAIRMEN Guy E. Disch Market Development Occidental Chemical Corp. W.C. Holbrook Health, Safety & Environment The BFGoodrich Company Robert D. Luss Legal Occidental Chemical Corp. Michael M. O'Mara Technical The BFGoodrich Company Robert Hinderer Medical Subcommittee The BFGoodrich Company George R. Snider, Jr. Communications The BFGoodrich Company STAFF Roy T. Gottesman, Executive Director Meredith N. Scheck, Assistant Director Patricia M. Benkner, Executive Secretary ANNUAL MEETING Turnberry Isle Yacht and Country Club Biscayne Boulevard at 199th Street Miami, Florida 33163 May 20 and 21, 1987 '; N I. \ v> k u < \ >) v$ 'o *5 fv 'i* . lb '> 1 S ^\r. V> \ t VJ V >' '! KJ) C\ 3 L' o VST) V 2. ( -t ou W I) ICVini1IV<ni. .................................. Atrium Room (Country Club) Presiding: Dr, Michael M. O'Mara, Chairman 12:00 noon LUNCH (On own) 1:00 p.m. GOLF TOURNAMENT Country Club Chairman: Guy E. Disch 1:00 p.m. TENNIS TOURNAMENT Country Club Chairman: John L. Russ WP^nWJ'JHPWMMWlli11 1 11 1! 1,1--1 ^ iHiWIIl. IWWHi ble in oint )S will TEES Disch, WEDNESDAY, EVENING MAY 20, 1987 6:00 p.m. RECEPTION AND DINNER Poolside/Monte Carlo Room (Yacht Club) 8:00 p.m. PRESENTATION OF AWARDS Presiding: Steven W. Schaefer, Chairman, Executive Board Third Annual Vinyl Institute Safety Award Recipients: John T. Barr and Air Products & Chemicals, Inc. Presentation of Award: W.C. Holbrook Chairman, Health, Salety & Environment Committee Recognition Certificates for Lowest OSHA Recordable Incidence Rates Presentations by Roy T. Gottesman Executive Director Recognition Certificates for Annual Environmental Achievement Awards Presentations by H. Richard Flammer Vice Chairman, Executive Board Golf and Tennis Awards Presentations by Guy E. Disch (Goff) John L. Russ (Tennis) THURSDAY, MAY 21, 1987 8:00 a.m. ANNUAL MEETING Garden 111 (Country Club) Presiding: Steven W. Schaefer, Chairman, Executive Board 12:00 noon EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING Reception I! (Country Club) (This is a closed session lor members of the Executive Board of Directors, Committee Chair men and others by invitation.) 12:15 p.m. BUFFET LUNCHEON Garden I (Country Club) ir ~ in iwi hub i mmum i J*-- * AP00055182 AP00055183 PROGRAM WEDNESDAY, MW 1,1966 COMMITTEE MEETINGS (Agenda for (ndMduai meetings wfl be oaiabtelnlhe meeting roome) tfc30t,m. TECHNICAL COMMRTEE Presidential Dining Room-Third Root Pmatdhg: Dc Michael M. 0%iara, Chairman 9^0 am. CODES & REGUUVIORV COMMRTEE BF Goodrich Conference Room--Suite 929 Pnsktoff Donald H. Hunts? Chairman Kh30a.nL COMMUNKATtONS COMMITTEE African Room-Third Root Pmeldhg: George R. Snider, Jr Chairman IfcOONoon LUNCHEON Mocftorronoan Room-Third Floor ForAI Committee Meeting Participants 2.-00 am. LEGAL COMMITTEE Sun Company Conference Room-Suite 020 Pnaking: HaroldJ Fast, Chairman fcOOtun. MANUfWCTURINQ PRACTICES COMMITTEE Goodyear Corferenoe Room--Suite 800 Preekirv: WC Hotxook, Chairman WEDNESDAY EVEMNQ, MAY 1,1966 6:00 p.m. RECEPTION AND DINNER Abshire Conference Room 8.-00 am. presentation of wards Pmsk/nff: Dr. Bart A DUddo Chairman, Executive Board Flnt Annuel Vinyl Inetltuto Safety*tomrd to tCtChamksait and Dc John Stafford Recognition of Redpterte---Mr: John T Barr, Air Products & Chemicals Presentation of Awards--Dr. Bart A DiUddo Atiaxwtedgemart--Mr. Robert Walker, ICI Dr. John Stafford, tC! RacognKtonCarfJffbMM to Executive Board Offhata and Commlffaa Chatman Presentation by Dr. BartA DiUddo Spadai Ptaaanbffon Presentation by Mr. Guy Disch, Vice Chairman, Executive Board 8:30 am. GUEST SPEAKERS introduction --Mr. George R Snider, Jr. He! and Martin Weiner, Screenscopa Occupational Hazards In Producing Documantary FBmaT THURSDAY, MAY 2,1965 9.-00 a.m. ANNUAL MEETING Abshire Conference Room FteskMng: Dr. BartA DiUddo Chairman, Executive Board 12.-00 noon LUNCHEON RECEPTION Wiamsburg Room 12:30 am. LUNCHEON Suite of the Americas Guest Speaker Jack Gerard, Washington Representative Natrona! Fire Protection Ass'n. The Fire Service: Friend or Foef 2.-00 am. EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING Abshire Conference Room (This is a closed session tor members of the Executive Board d Directors, Committee Chairmen and others by invitation.) Approval of Budget tor FY '85^86 Elation of Officers i EXECUTIVE BOARD Bart A. DfUddo (Chairman) The BFGoodrich Company HareM G Andresen Vinyl Council of Canada Guy E. Dlach (Vice Chairman) Tbnneco Inc. H. Richard Rammer (Secretary) Vista Polymers Inc., A Wholly Owned Subsidiary of Vista Chemical Company Robert C Sander Air Products & Chemicals Inc. Steven W. Schaefer Occidental Chemical Corp. Ronald E. Tbylor Dow Chemical USA Fred Tlmpe CertainTeed Corporation Geoff R.D. Hidhope ICI Europe Ltd. Petrochemicals and Plastics Division David R. WaHls PPG Industries, Inc. Todd C Walker Borden, inc. Lawrence A. Wheeler (Treasurer) Shell Chemical Company COMMITTEE CHAIRMEN Harold J. Feet Legal The BFGoodrich Company (wUaAa 1nlonrBerfo1onKil Manufacturing Practices The BFGoodrich Company John T. Barr Safety Subcommittee Air Products & Chemicals, Inc. Donald H. Hunter Codes & Regulatory Tenneoo Inc. Michael M. O'Mm Technical The BFGoodrich Company Maurice N. Johneon Medical Subcommittee The BFGoodrich Company Geoiae R. Snider, Jr. Communications The BFGoodrich Company vs The, Vinyl Institute ANNUAL MEETING International Club 1 1800 K Street, N.W. Washington, DtC 20006 May 1 and 2,1985 AP00055184