Taking the lead on safety

Ten years ago Sheri Sangji died in a tragic lab accident. Ten years ago a young life was unnecessarily lost in horrifying circumstances. For those unaware of the case, the research assistant was working with a pyrophoric liquid at a University of California, Los Angeles, US, lab. Something went wrong during the routine transfer of the reagent and she was sprayed with the liquid, which then ignited. She was rushed to hospital for treatment for second and third degree burns over almost half of her body, but died 18 days later. Both UCLA and Sangji’s supervisor Patrick Harran were found to be at fault for failing to provide adequate training and personal protective equipment (PPE). The institute was fined around $132,000 (£100,000) in all.