ALMA E-News for January 2002
Greetings ALMA Members,
Most laboratories have some operations that require a second person to be present for safety when performed after hours. For example, refluxing extractions performed during off-hours may require a second technician to stay over to assist in the event of an accident. However, the role of this safety backup is often not clearly defined-the expectations for actions and procedures to be followed in case of an accident may not have been fully developed beforehand. Confidence in the safety of our procedures may breed complacency so that we view the safety watch as just a warm body to fulfill a requirement rather than as a true responder to manage an accident. This point was driven home by a recent accident at a neighboring facility when a flask over-pressured and exploded during a solvent transfer. The technician performing the task was cut by broken glass and splashed with the solvent. Unfortunately, the safety watch was unprepared to handle this event which led to a series of missteps including:
- No MSDS present to determine the effects of exposure to the solvent
- No first aid kit for immediate treatment of cuts
- The victim was not placed in the safety shower
- The safety watch elected to drive the victim to an emergency facility in his personal car (after wrapping him in plastic bags to protect his car seats).
In this case, the safety watch reacted on emotion rather than reason during the chaos of the event since a plan had not been worked out beforehand. Preparation for the safety watch should include a review of all MSDSs for chemicals used in the operation, a first aid kit, a call list, fire extinguishers, appropriate PPE, and so forth. But most important, a safety conversation should occur between the technicians before the procedure is started to identify possible dangers and plan appropriate responses.
While laboratories have long used contract workers to handle short-term workload fluctuations or to evaluate technicians prior to permanent hire, there is a growing trend to extend this practice to also include chemist’s services. Some companies have gone so far as to eliminate most employees below the executive level and contract their workforce from recently emerging professional employee organizations that provide HR services to multiple companies. Peter Drucker examined the roots of this phenomenon (“They're not Employees, They're People,” Harvard Business Review, Feb. 2002) and attributes it in large part to the increasing web of governmental regulations that can absorb an incredible amount of company resources, expose companies or managers to lawsuits, and make employees a liability. Of course this outsourcing strategy carries risk unless properly managed since the talents and dedication of employees determines the success or failure of the organization. Contract employment is also viewed as risky for the employee as well but Drucker points out that affiliation with these large contract HR services may offer benefits for knowledge workers. Typically these workers have expertise in a specialized area so that a relatively small number of positions may exist within an organization which limits advancement. By combining similar knowledge positions across several companies under one management structure, contract employee agencies can offer more opportunities. Drucker points out that knowledge workers are the capital of the “new economy” and the manager’s job is to pay attention to the productivity of capital. This means spending our time developing people, rather than on employment related paperwork. He reminds us that “employees may be our greatest liability, but people are our greatest opportunity.”
If you have any comments, cost saving suggestions, opinions, etc. let me hear from you .
Wayne