Yale incident puts lab safety under scrutiny

A Yale University student died in a chemistry laboratory machine shop April 12, prompting universities across the nation to assess their own lab safety procedures.

Yale senior Michele Dufault, who was majoring in physics and astronomy, died after her hair was caught in a lathe — a rotating power machine used to contour wood and metal — in Yale’s Sterling Chemistry Laboratory. Dufault was working alone in the lab when the accident happened.

Penn’s Physical Sciences Machine Shop, operated by two employee machinists, houses equipment similar to the lab at Yale.

“The incident at Yale was very sad and is a harsh reminder to all of us that any time heavy equipment is in use there are risks,” said astrophysics professor Mark Devlin, who advises the machine shop. He also explained that the Shop has been undergoing safety audits and upgrades over the past two years, which are expected to be completed soon.

Emily Fisher, an Engineering senior who is submatriculating into the Integrated Products Design program, works in the machine shop. She said students are required to take an introductory course to learn how to use the equipment properly. Since the accident, a “buddy system” and hair-tying are “being especially regulated” by the machine shop in the wake of the accident at Yale.

Fisher added that policy changes are being made to ensure no one can work alone in the machine shop, even after working hours when some highly trained technicians used to be able to work alone.

Labs in other departments such as biology do not house equipment that pose the same dangers. However, “very strict rules” are enforced in these labs, Instructional Lab Coordinator for Biology Eby Bassiri wrote in an email.

While Dufault was alone in her lab when the accident occurred, Bassiri added that no students are allowed to work alone or without a teaching assistant at the biology lab.

All Penn students who are employed in labs must attend mandatory training programs on biological and chemical safety, according to the Office of Environmental Health and Radiation Safety’s website. At Penn, all individuals must follow specific procedures when studying or working in labs, including tying back loose or long hair and wearing closed-toe shoes.

Jenine Maeyer, director of General Chemistry Laboratories, explained that in addition to a long set of safety guidelines, students are quizzed on safety throughout the semester.

“No one in the general chemistry teaching labs does anything alone,” Maeyer wrote in an email. “It is required that all experiments be supervised, and this requirement is strictly enforced.”

In an email sent to the Yale student body following the incident, President Richard Levin stated that Yale has training programs for students who use equipment in the laboratory, though Yale now plans to re-evaluate lab safety regulations.

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