DCHAS-L Archives, Jan 26 2012 - Re: [DCHAS-L] Enforcing safety rules among instructors. Support from on High

Karalyn:

I think you need to work both from the bottom up and from the top down. As I recall, you have a well known lawyer as President of Baylor University. He should understand legal liability and ethical issues. I suggest you send all Department faculty , your Department Chair, your Dean, Provost, etc and the Baylor President a one page synopsis of the UCLA disaster and indicate you would like to take actions that will involve institutional changes at Baylor so as to minimize the occurrence of safety issues at Baylor. I think the President should be supportive. Hopefully, your Department Chair will realize the value of being proactive and make clear to all that changes are needed. I suspect the specific problem you cite is just the tip of the iceberg. You need to address the bigger issue to solve the small problem. Good luck!

Roger

Advisor, Toxicology and Human Health Risk Analysis
13701 Quaking Aspen Place NE
Albuquerque, NM 87111
Tel: 505-296-7083
Fax: 505-296-9573
E-mail: roger.o.mcclellan**At_Symbol_Here**att.net

From: "Humphrey, Karalyn J." <Karalyn_Humphrey**At_Symbol_Here**BAYLOR.EDU>
To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU
Sent: Wed, January 25, 2012 9:54:31 AM
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Enforcing safety rules among instructors

I need your help, please. I'm at an institution where graduate (and sometimes undergraduate) students teach our undergraduate Chemistry labs. Those of us who are lab coordinators often come into the labs to find the student instructors not wearing the appropriate PPE.. How do you enforce this at other institutions? I'm trying to make a case to our department that there needs to be consequences for student instructors who don't tow the line. Right now the methods are a stern talking to, bouncing them from one lab to another, and "putting a note in their file".

Thanks in advance.

Dr. Karalyn (Karen) Humphrey

Laboratory Coordinator, Department Safety Officer & Part-Time Lecturer

Baylor University Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry

Office: BSB E.111

Phone: 254-710-2002

"Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love." - Lao Tzu

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