Saint Martin's will review safety procedures in accident's aftermath
Sept. 23, 2005
Lacey – In the wake of a chemistry class accident
that injured nine Saint Martin’s University students Wednesday, the
university will initiate a full review of its safety procedures to
determine what went wrong and what changes should be made to laboratory
safety protocols, said Douglas Astolfi, Ph.D., the university’s
president.
The students were injured when a large glass bottle
exploded during a combustion demonstration by the Saint Martin’s
Chemistry Club before an organic chemistry class. The explosion
shattered the bottle’s thick glass, sending it flying through threw the
classroom. Injured students were treated by area hospitals and released
later Wednesday. The university’s Old Main building, where the accident
occurred, was evacuated and remained closed for investigation and
clean-up after the accident.
Astolfi said the university also will study its
emergency response procedures to determine ways to improve them in light
of what was learned through the experience. Saint Martin’s has not had a
full-blown emergency response since the Feb. 28, 2001, Nisqually
Earthquake. Its emergency response personnel ran into problems with
communications and emergency supplies when Old Main, the university’s
primary administrative and classroom building, was rendered inaccessible
by the accident and subsequent investigation.
The safety and protocol review will begin as soon as
a review team is assembled. The emergency procedures review will begin
next week.
Astolfi, who was out of town on university business
when the accident occurred, met Thursday with students who were in the
classroom when the accident occurred and met Friday with members of the
university community to answer questions and give information. Saint
Martin’s counselors continue to meet with those Saint Martin’s students
experiencing accident-related stress.
For more information:
Deanna Partlow
Media relations coordinator
360-438-4541;
dpartlow@stmartin.edu