Patrick Harran and D.A. Reach Deal in Sheri Sangji Case

Thursday, July 17, 2014 | 0

We've talked about the gruesome lab death of 23-year-old research assistant Sheri Sangji in a University of California, Los Angeles, science laboratory in numerous prior posts.

UCLA's chemistry professor Patrick Harran faced felony charges related to her death revolving around his alleged failure to provide protective equipment and clothing, failure to provide training and failure to correct unsafe working conditions. In late June, the LA DA and Harran's attorneys reached an agreement.

"The deal mandates that Harran complete multiple forms of community service and pay a $10,000 fine. The charges were not dismissed. Instead, the case against Harran is effectively on hold while he completes the terms of the five-year agreement."

The best overview of coverage and reactions to this settlement can be found at Chemjobber, a blog we've cited several times on this case. The comments in the article are well worth reading.

We've been interested in following this case from a safety culture viewpoint. Based on early reactions and comments that we saw on articles and blogs, many in the academic scientific community expressed views that an academic lab couldn't be held to the same pedestrian standards of health, safety and accountability; that it was too exotic an environment; that it would stifle learning and creativity, etc. We also saw many reactions that the responsibility/fault lay more with the deceased -- certainly not a new sentiment in any accident. Watching this case has been one of observing an industry grapple with difficult accountability issues. This commentary by Paul Bracher of ChemBark is certainly worth a read.

The criminal proceedings and widespread coverage have dramatically pierced the aura of inviolability in academic labs, environments that the U.S. Chemical Safety Board has called "fiefdoms." The real tribute to Sheri would be to see meaningful safety reforms. Certainly, UCLA is touting its newfound religion of lab safety and we can hope that time shows they are a leader; if the comments on articles and blogs are to be credited, the University has a long way to go in erasing skepticism about the depth of this commitment.

Julie Ferguson is a marketing consultant for Lynch Ryan & Associates, a Massachusetts-based employer-consulting firm. This column was reprinted with the firm's permission from its Workers' Comp Insider blog.