In the article “How to Live with Danger,” writer Beryl Lieff Benderly comments on the state of safety in academic laboratories, focusing on a California criminal case in which a 23-year-old staff research assistant died in a 2008 lab fire. In that case, felony charges were brought against UCLA professor Patrick Harran and the University of California Board of Regents for willfully violating California’s labor code by failing to provide training and protective gear, and failure to correct known unsafe conditions.
Benderly discusses the debate surrounding the case, quoting some who argue that the incident was a “tragedy” but not a crime, as well as the legal definition of the term willful. She contrasts this case with the professionalism of the crew of US Airways flight 1549, whose preparation and training for an emergency saved the lives of 155 passengers. “Can academic science become more like commercial aviation when it comes to safety?” Benderly asks.
You can get involved in the discussion by reading the article, and posting your thoughts in the forum.
Benderly is the author of the “Taken for Granted” column on early career issues for postdocs and researchers. The column appears regularly in Science Careers magazine, from American Association for the Advancement of Science, publisher of Science journal.
A Blog From the American Society of Safety Engineers