[Noisebridge-discuss] mercury on the table?

[Alex Perez]

Hi Sai


On Jun 27, 2009, at 6:40 PM, Sai Emrys wrote:

> FWIW: my suggestion has nothing to do with finding out who did it (I
> don't care), but with ensuring that in the future we have materials to
> deal with it (on hand, clearly labeled, and disposable).
[snip]
Frankly, I do care, and suspect plenty of other regular members do as  
well. The fact that not a single word has been said by the Noisebridge  
board about how what happened was completely unacceptable disturbs me,  
to the point of not having any intention of ever visiting Noisebridge  
at its current location again. The spineless individual who can't be  
bothered to own up to their mistake (and clearly that's what it was)  
is acting un-excellently towards the entirety of Noisebridge, and does  
not deserve the respect of their peers. Owning up to ones' own  
failures may not be easy to do, but it is a mark of personal excellence.

If the source of the Mercury has not been detected, the problem has  
not been resolved. For those who think it came from a neon sign,  
please do some reading on the subject of neon signs before coming to  
silly, illogical conclusions such as this.

> A binder of MSDS and cleanup guidelines for all hazardous materials
> we'll come into contact with would also be a good idea.

Absolutely, as well as some of the basic, common components which are  
needed in order to perform standard clean-up of most toxic substances  
(gloves, containers, etc) in a clearly-marked part of the space, in a  
sealed container so people don't liberate emergency supplies for some  
one-off hair-brained scheme they come up with at 2AM.
>
> Regardless of what happened in this incident, if any of us will be
> conducting any similar experiments or dissection of electronics or
> other components containing dangerous materials, we must be prepared
> to do so safely - both for routine stuff and emergencies.

Yes, and if you don't, you must be prepared to face legal  
repercussions of not doing so. We're all adults here, and Noisebridge  
has always stressed personal responsibility.
>
> I don't think that discussing how to ensure that we are prepared is a
> bad thing, any more than ensuring that we have ABC fire extinguishers
> on hand. It's an ethical, medical, and legal responsibility.

Yes, and that's why the legally-appointed leadership/board of  
Noisebridge needs to step up to the plate here, and ensure this is  
handled in a way that allows for any future incidents to not have to  
be a big deal.

> Accidents, over time - especially with a bunch of inquisitive hardware
> hackers around - are a certainty, and we should be able to deal with
> them in a routine way without being caught surprised and unprepared.

Exactly, and without a bunch of fucking hippies saying "let's just  
drop it and all get along and pretend it was no big deal"
>
> As such, I think characterizing this as a 'freak accident' is
> unhelpful, because it implies that there's no way (or responsibility)
> to have been prepared for it. If a jet engine fell on 83c, I'd agree,
> but when we get hazardous materials released that we know to be
> contained in stuff we work on, I don't.

Correct. It was clearly mishandled, the person resonsible should be  
ashamed of themselves (they probably secretly are, presuming they know/ 
suspect they were indeed the likely source/cause of the Mercury), and  
as long as we all learn from the mishandling of this event (and  
actually ensure that it's resolved, which I don't think is at all  
clear has been concretely established) then we'll be prepared for next  
time.

>
> - Sai
>
> P.S. And yes, I'm the kind of guy who never rides my motorcycle
> without full gear. :-P

Good man!