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New Library Aims to Prevent Lab Accidents

Oct. 21, 2020
The Pistoria Alliance Chemical Safety Library platform makes safety hazard information free and available to the public in an effort to reduce incidents and improve worker safety.

A new open access library will make vital reaction safety hazard information available in the hopes of improving the safety of workers in labs and reducing repeat incidents.

CAS, a nonprofit division of the American Chemical Society that specializes in scientific information solutions, and the Pistoia Alliance, a global nonprofit that works to lower barriers to innovation in life sciences research and development, have joined forces to launch the Pistoia Alliance Chemical Safety Library platform.

The library will facilitate data sharing of hazardous and unanticipated chemical reaction information for the global research community. Researchers can access chemical safety incident information and submit new hazardous reaction data. R&D organizations can also integrate the full library content into their knowledge centers and internal laboratory safety workflows. Reaction incident information is reviewed by an advisory panel with experts from the American Chemical Society, CAS, Pistoia Alliance management and member companies and outside experts.

“We have a duty to ensure the health and safety of researchers dedicating their lives to delivering breakthrough innovations,” said Carmen Nitsche, general manager of the Cambridge Crystallography Data Centre and chair of the Chemical Safety Library Advisory Panel in a statement. “The Chemical Safety Library fulfills an important need and adds a key component to our safety toolbox.”

The Pistoia Alliance launched a prototype of this community crowd-sourced database in 2017, which currently has more than 1,000 registered users from industry, academia and government institutions.

About the Author

EHS Today Staff

EHS Today's editorial staff includes:

Dave Blanchard, Editor-in-Chief: During his career Dave has led the editorial management of many of Endeavor Business Media's best-known brands, including IndustryWeekEHS Today, Material Handling & LogisticsLogistics Today, Supply Chain Technology News, and Business Finance. In addition, he serves as senior content director of the annual Safety Leadership Conference. With over 30 years of B2B media experience, Dave literally wrote the book on supply chain management, Supply Chain Management Best Practices (John Wiley & Sons, 2021), which has been translated into several languages and is currently in its third edition. He is a frequent speaker and moderator at major trade shows and conferences, and has won numerous awards for writing and editing. He is a voting member of the jury of the Logistics Hall of Fame, and is a graduate of Northern Illinois University.

Adrienne Selko, Senior Editor: In addition to her roles with EHS Today and the Safety Leadership Conference, Adrienne is also a senior editor at IndustryWeek and has written about many topics, with her current focus on workforce development strategies. She is also a senior editor at Material Handling & Logistics. Previously she was in corporate communications at a medical manufacturing company as well as a large regional bank. She is the author of Do I Have to Wear Garlic Around My Neck?, which made the Cleveland Plain Dealer's best sellers list.

Nicole Stempak, Managing Editor:  Nicole Stempak is managing editor of EHS Today and conference content manager of the Safety Leadership Conference.

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