DCHAS-L Archives Oct 04 2011 - Re: I'm interested in your campaign for ACS President-Elect

Dear Jim,
Sorry I was unable to reply right away since I was out most of yesterday at a local ACS program I helped organize at Lawrence Berkeley Lab and leave early tomorrow for Washington DC for meetings and visits with legislators and federal agencies this coming week.

I believe strongly in the importance of chemical health and safety. In the past, I was in charge of safety and a rigorous industrial safety program for 400 employees of Dow Chemical Western Division R&D. At the ACS Council meeting in Denver at the recent national ACS meeting, the topic of safety and how ACS might help academia strengthen its safety culture was discussed. Many excellent suggestions were made by 40 Councilors including me on how ACS can help improve and contribute to safety. I believe it is important for ACS to show leadership in this area of improving and strengthening the safety culture in academia and provide resources and information regarding chemical safety. Most of us know that large chemical companies usually have much stronger safety programs with strict regulations and oversight of safe laboratory procedures and handling of chemicals, etc. in general than in graduate research labs of academia.

If I am elected as ACS President, I hope that we can examine in more detail the many suggestions made at the recent ACS Council meeting. ACS has a Committee on Chemical Safety (CCS) which I am sure you are well aware of. I would be interested in learning more about the work of your Laboratory Safety Institute.

All the best,
Marinda

Jim,

I am a strong supporter of both safety in the laboratory, and of responsible industrial practices. I was much more active in these areas in the past than now, but I started my chemical career at Dupont, a company with a heavy emphasis on safety. In subsequent years, I served on several advisory committees at NIOSH, overseeing production of Criteria Documents that were produced by NIOSH for OSHA, as the scientific basis for OSHA chemical exposure regulations. I assisted efforts by the AFL-CIO to work with OSHA. And before the ACS Divisionof Chemical Health and Safety was formed, I helped the Division of Professional Relations work in the health and safety area. So overall, while my current full time employment and heavy ACS Board activities have me doing other things, I am no less an ardent supporter of chemical health and safety, whether in schools, universities, or industry.

I don't believe in empty rhetoric. I try to get things done.

Best,

Dennis

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