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Published online 6 May 2009 | Nature | doi:10.1038/news.2009.447
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University fined after researcher's death
Safety failures to be addressed at University of California, Los Angeles.
The University of California, Los Angeles, (UCLA) has been hit with a fine for multiple safety violations, following the death of a chemistry researcher in a lab fire.
The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health fined the university nearly US$32,000 on 4 May, after the death of Sheharbano 'Sheri' Sangji.
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Quote: ... But given mistakes identified by inspectors after the fire, Harran wrote, "I underestimated her understanding of the care necessary when working with such materials" ... Shouldn't it be that he OVERestimated Sheri's understanding of the care needed, or does he mean that he underestimated the actual care needed?
I hope Sheri's family will not file a claim against the University. No claim can bring Sheri back. Making the University pay something for it is not going to do any greater good. It will cause the university to cut the budget of some educational program etc. UCLA has already started a comprehensive safety program and that is perhaps what Sheri may have liked them to do. Articles about her suggest that that sheri enjoyed her research and would not like to harm the institution which provided her this opportunity. I myself am a chemist from Pakistan now working in the US. If I die working in my research lab, the last thing that I would want my family to do is to sue the University. A Fellow Chemist
With due respect to Syed Raziullah, I hope that they do. This death was completely preventable. The legislation that is currently in place needs to be looked into because it clearly was not enough of a deterrent when making a choice between safety of lab workers and convenient timing for fixing the lab. Over and above that, holding people accountable for their actions can never be a bad thing. This should not be allowed to happen again. Her friends have created a petition for this very purpose. http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/sherisangji I find that there are some inaccuracies in the account. Sheri was not buried in Dubai - she was laid to rest in Toronto. If you would like to contact Naveen Sangji, she has been more than willing to give her account of the incident. She has also created a website for her sister. www.sherisangji.com