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Safety stand-down redux
EDITORIAL
Safety stand-down redux
I
n the January/February issue of the Journal, I introduced the idea of a safety ‘‘stand-down’’—an evolution whereby management stops all work, steps back and evaluates and work practices for safety. Coincidentally, in mid-January, the University of Florida at Gainsville experienced a sodium azide explosion in a research laboratory. That explosion was the second such incident in a short amount of time. Dr. Paul D’Anieri, the dean of the Colleges of Liberal Arts and Sciences and Dr. William Properzio, the EH&S Director stepped up and did the right thing by suspending research in the chemistry building and conducting a thorough investigation of the incident. Their actions were not trivial: They effectively shut down multimillion dollar research activities for safety. Their actions did not go unnoticed in the safety community. When I spoke with Dr. D’Anieri about a week after the incident, research activities were still suspended and the investigation into the incident was still on-going. Dr. D’Anieri was adamant in that research would remain
1871-5532/$36.00 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jchas.2012.03.009
suspended until the investigation was complete and the root cause of the incident was corrected. He also stated that a report would be made once the investigation was complete. ‘‘After the first incident, we thought we had things corrected,’’ Dr. D’Anieri stated during our conversation. ‘‘Apparently we didn’t because the accident was repeated.’’ When I asked about the stand-down, Dr. D’Anieri matter-of-factly stated that they did it because ‘‘. . .it was the right thing to do.’’ Yes, it was. Since the time of the incident, Dr. D’Anieri has updated me on the status of the incident and the stand down. As of late February 2012: The incident report is in the final editing stages and should be released shortly. Chemistry has not yet resumed in the laboratory where the incident took place. (Laboratory activities not involved with the incident had been restarted.) A committee has been established to review chemical handling procedures regarding highly hazardous chemicals. The UF team recognizes many of the challenges that they face. On
the transient nature of the academy, Dr. D’Anieri states, ‘‘The particular challenge, I think, compared to an industrial environment, is that we have a steady stream of new entrants into the laboratories, many of whom are young, inexperienced, and accustomed to taking needless risks in other parts of their lives.’’ The best time for a safety standdown is before an incident. I would encourage both our academic and industrial readers to approach management to perform a stand-down to concentrate on safe work practices and good chemical handling and management. Stopping work for a focused safety event will certainly grab workers’ attention while sending a positive message. I would like to thank Dr. D’Anieri for his time and for his candid comments regarding UF’s actions in the wake of the incident.
Harry Elston
ß Division of Chemical Health and Safety of the American Chemical Society Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
1
Safety stand-down redux
I
n the January/February issue of the Journal, I introduced the idea of a safety ‘‘stand-down’’—an evolution whereby management stops all work, steps back and evaluates and work practices for safety. Coincidentally, in mid-January, the University of Florida at Gainsville experienced a sodium azide explosion in a research laboratory. That explosion was the second such incident in a short amount of time. Dr. Paul D’Anieri, the dean of the Colleges of Liberal Arts and Sciences and Dr. William Properzio, the EH&S Director stepped up and did the right thing by suspending research in the chemistry building and conducting a thorough investigation of the incident. Their actions were not trivial: They effectively shut down multimillion dollar research activities for safety. Their actions did not go unnoticed in the safety community. When I spoke with Dr. D’Anieri about a week after the incident, research activities were still suspended and the investigation into the incident was still on-going. Dr. D’Anieri was adamant in that research would remain
1871-5532/$36.00 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jchas.2012.03.009
suspended until the investigation was complete and the root cause of the incident was corrected. He also stated that a report would be made once the investigation was complete. ‘‘After the first incident, we thought we had things corrected,’’ Dr. D’Anieri stated during our conversation. ‘‘Apparently we didn’t because the accident was repeated.’’ When I asked about the stand-down, Dr. D’Anieri matter-of-factly stated that they did it because ‘‘. . .it was the right thing to do.’’ Yes, it was. Since the time of the incident, Dr. D’Anieri has updated me on the status of the incident and the stand down. As of late February 2012: The incident report is in the final editing stages and should be released shortly. Chemistry has not yet resumed in the laboratory where the incident took place. (Laboratory activities not involved with the incident had been restarted.) A committee has been established to review chemical handling procedures regarding highly hazardous chemicals. The UF team recognizes many of the challenges that they face. On
the transient nature of the academy, Dr. D’Anieri states, ‘‘The particular challenge, I think, compared to an industrial environment, is that we have a steady stream of new entrants into the laboratories, many of whom are young, inexperienced, and accustomed to taking needless risks in other parts of their lives.’’ The best time for a safety standdown is before an incident. I would encourage both our academic and industrial readers to approach management to perform a stand-down to concentrate on safe work practices and good chemical handling and management. Stopping work for a focused safety event will certainly grab workers’ attention while sending a positive message. I would like to thank Dr. D’Anieri for his time and for his candid comments regarding UF’s actions in the wake of the incident.
Harry Elston
ß Division of Chemical Health and Safety of the American Chemical Society Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
1