UCLA has appealed the findings of a report by state inspectors that fined the university more than $31,000 for violating laboratory safety protocols.
The report, released by the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health in May, cited the university for insufficient training and for researchers lacking proper safety equipment.
Cal/OSHA investigated the cause of a laboratory accident on Dec. 29 that resulted in the death of 23-year-old Sheharbano Sangji, a UCLA research assistant. Sangji sustained second- and third-degree burns when the chemical compound she was working with spilled on her and ignited. The report found she was not wearing a laboratory coat at the time of the accident.
UCLA has paid, in full, the $31,875 fine but is appealing to ensure no citation in the Cal/OSHA report can be used against the university in future proceedings, according to a statement by Kevin Reed, the vice chancellor for legal affairs.
These proceedings may include labor union lawsuits or criminal actions brought against the university, said Phil Hampton, a university spokesman.
“UCLA has fully mitigated the violations for which the campus was cited,” Reed said in the statement.
The appeal also emphasized that many of the safety failures the university was cited for in the Cal/OSHA report had been corrected before Sangji’s accident but had not been properly documented, according to the statement.
In May, the university originally released a statement that said it would not contest Cal/OSHA’s findings.
“This is a bit of a change,” Hampton said.
He said the university is still committed to improving laboratory safety standards and that this is an ongoing process.
“Our action does not question the serious nature of the issues raised by state workplace safety regulators,” Reed said in a statement. “On the contrary, it is UCLA’s goal to operate a laboratory safety program that is a model for other universities. “¦ The Cal/OSHA report will provide critical assistance as we move forward with the ongoing process of ensuring the safety of all those who work in campus laboratories.”
Compiled by Daniel Schonhaut, Bruin senior staff.