Felony charges filed against UC and a UCLA chemistry professor after fatal laboratory fire

[n2doc]

Felony charges have been filed against the University of California and a UCLA chemistry professor in connection with a laboratory fire that killed a staff research assistant three years ago.

On Dec. 29, 2008, Sheharbano "Sheri" Sangji, 23, was severely burned over nearly half of her body when air-sensitive chemicals burst into flames during an experiment and ignited her clothing. Sangji, who was not wearing a protective lab coat, died 18 days later.

Her death raised questions about lab safety practices at UCLA and about Sangji's training and supervision by professor Patrick Harran, a prominent researcher who joined the faculty in July 2008.

On Tuesday, the Los Angeles County district attorney's office charged Harran and the UC regents with three counts each of willfully violating occupational health and safety standards, resulting in Sangji's death. Harran and UCLA are accused of failing to correct unsafe work conditions in a timely manner, to require clothing appropriate for the work being done and to provide proper chemical safety training.

more

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-1228-ucla-death-20111228,0,7543387.story

[Boston_Chemist]

1. This will set good precedent, and with any luck the Professor will be convicted.

Academic research chemistry labs are hazard zones that have a cowboy attitude towards Chemistry. The tenure system has created a class of people that have been essentially insulated from certain types of responsibility associated with their line of work. If this sets effective precedent, then graduate students will find themselves working in a safer environment.