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Previous by Date: Subject: Re: pregnant student in chemistry lab Date: Mon, 9 Aug 2010 15:02:53 -0700 Author: bill parks |
Next by Date: Subject: Re: pregnant student in chemistry lab Date: Mon, 9 Aug 2010 19:35:50 -0400 Author: "Samuella B. Sigmann" |
Many good common sense replies to all of this so far. Just thought I'd chime in with one cautionary note for those of you in an employer- employee relationship. I am not an attorney. This is not legal advice. But it is my understanding that it is **ILLEGAL** to exclude workers of one sex from a job for the purpose of protecting fetuses. See: http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=INTERPRETA TIONS&p_id=20332 http://www.eeoc.gov/facts/fs-preg.html The specific Supreme Court ruling that established this was Johnson Control's attempted exclusion of all fertile females from jobs in its workplace that exposed them to lead. Thus, if a woman wants to work on a battery assembly line, she can not be prevented from doing so. No word on whether she could then turn around and sue for a teratogenic outcome... One can make a reasonable argument, as we have already seen in this thread, that appropriate workplace controls (substitution, engineering controls etc.) can easily protect all workers. Rob Toreki ======================== ========================= ===== Safety Emporium - Lab & Safety Supplies featuring brand names you know and trust. Visit us at http://www.SafetyEmporium.com esales**At_Symbol_Here**safetyemporium.com or toll-free: (866) 326-5412 Fax: (856) 553-6154, PO Box 1003, Blackwood, NJ 08012 On Aug 9, 2010, at 2:54 PM, David C. Finster wrote: > I am aware that a student who will be taking a general chemistry > course this fall is pregnant. I am writing to the list to seek > advice about how to best handle this circumstance (assuming that one > of the options - not taking the course - is not a preferred option). > > (I have checked the D-CHAS archives, and other sources, and found no > particularly helpful answers to this question. This is not really a > CHP matter since the student is not an employee - although we > ordinarly use our CHP as the safety document for students, too.) > > So far as I know (but I can check this to be certain) none of the > chemicals used in our general chemistry labs are teratogens. Thus, > my initial suggested course of action is that the student > participate in all of the labs experiments (using all of the PPE at > all times that is recommended for all students.) We rarely use > chemical hoods in this particular course since most of the chemicals > we use present no significant inhalation risk. (We use hoods when > there is an inhalation risk.) > > If there is some chemical that is, or is suspected to be, a > teratogen, I would advise the student to skip that lab (and have the > instructor determine how to do this without any penalty to the > student). > > The pathway suggested above seems reasonable and prudent to me. > However, since we live in a world where the consideration of worst- > case scenarios is wise and legally prudent, it seems to me that > having the student consult with her physician (with a complete list > of chemicals =93in hand=94) and having the physician and/or student > =93sign off=94 on some reasonable statement in advance seems smart. > Since I would not expect a physician to be familiar with the > teratogenic effects of =93all chemicals=94, I would also present the > physician with a detailed list of the known or suspected effects of > each chemical (extracted from TOXNET) with regard to being handled > while pregnant. > > The advice and experience of the D-CHAS group is welcome. > > Dave > > > David C. Finster > Professor of Chemistry > University Chemical Hygiene Officer > Department of Chemistry > Wittenberg University > dfinster**At_Symbol_Here**wittenberg.edu >
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