UCLA Professor Charged in 2008 Lab Fire Death

From the LA Times: On Dec. 29, 2008, Sheharbano "Sheri" Sangji, 23, was severely burned over nearly half of her body when air-sensitive chemicals burst into flames during an experiment and ignited her clothing. Sangji, who was not wearing a protective lab coat, died 18 days later.  Her death raised questions about lab safety practices at UCLA and about Sangji's training and supervision by Professor Patrick Harran, a prominent researcher who joined the faculty in July 2008.

On Tuesday, the Los Angeles County district attorney's office charged Harran and the UC regents with three counts each of willfully violating occupational health and safety standards, resulting in Sangji's death. Harran and UCLA are accused of failing to correct unsafe work conditions in a timely manner, to require clothing appropriate for the work being done and to provide proper chemical safety training.  An arrest warrant was issued for Harran, 42, who faces up to four and a half years in state prison, according to a district attorney's spokeswoman…

UCLA could be fined up to $1.5 million on each of the three counts. In separate statements Tuesday, UCLA and the regents called the charges unwarranted. UCLA's statement blasted them as "outrageous" and "appalling."…

In response to Sangji's death, UCLA instituted a host of safety improvements, including more rigorous lab inspections, more flame-resistant lab coats and enhanced training in the use of safety gear and the handling of air-sensitive chemicals. UCLA also established a Center for Lab Safety…

Full article at http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-1228-ucla-death-20111228,0,7543387.story

Official UCLA statement at http://www.newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/campus-statement-regarding-criminal-221248.aspx

Technical details on the 2008 accident with updates and links at http://www.chemistry-blog.com/2009/01/20/tert-butyllithium-claims-fellow-chemist-at-ucla/