I have another yes/no-to-annual-training question:  Does your institution
require annual training of all users of any chemicals, regardless of
previous training or expertise, regardless of employment-entry training,
and regardless of situational training (e.g., as new chemicals arrive)?

For those of you who wonder, I am asking a series of "annual training"
questions -- you may remember the one about research animal use -- because
our institution is on the verge of "throwing in the towel" and keeping it
simple, just in case:  Require, every year, all users of animals,
chemicals, radioactive substances, and biohazardous agents (over and above
bloodborne-pathogens-act stuff) to document having received training,
without regard to prior training or expertise.  One of our delemmas each
year is "Who trains the trainers?"  Another: How does an institution
provide appropriate, professional training -- year after year -- for the
chemists, or the nuclear physicists, or the infectious disease
specialists?  The situations can be ludicrous.  I do not want anyone to
misunderstand.  We are committed to -- and we practice -- MEANINGFUL
training in all categories.  We are committed to -- and we practice -- all
federally-mandated training, including the annual training required by the
Bloodborne Pathogens Act.  But the training should be ad hoc to the
immediate needs of the people in need -- not an otherwise arbitrary annual
compliance requirement.  I'm merely seeking (in a quick and informal way)
others' opinions on these issues.

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{  Jon Martin, Ph.D., Research Coordinator for the Dean's Office and  }
{    Associate Professor for Microbiology                             }
{  Mercer University School of Medicine                               }
{  1550 College Street, Macon, GA  31207                              }
{                                                                     }
{  E-mail:  xxxxxx@gain.mercer.edu                                  }
{  Phone/Voice-mail:  912-752-4060                                    }
{  FAX:               912-752-5487                                    }
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