Why Can’t Safety Rules and Laws Keep Up With Biotech – Congress And Others Can’t Keep Up with Technology

How do you create laws to protect citizens in areas where you are not familiar?  That’s a very good question and today members of Congress are being presented with that exact task.  There’s a ton of research to be done by staff members and what also helps is there own participation as consumers to understand how this affects the rest of us, which is something I think is over looked a bit and instead we keep hearing more of “its for those guys over there”. 

Luckily there are some new technologies on the horizon here as recently seen in the news with creating an entirely virtual “virus” with software, in other words all the properties and the algorithmic processing for research is one on the computer before a “real” virus is created for testing and this would certainly stand to reduce the exposure of those working in biotech. 

We have quite a few members of Congress announcing retirement and why?  It’s complicated as I think today’s leaders are finding it quite difficult to swim in a new stream where old methodologies don’t work, in other words if you don’t participate at least at consumer levels, where do you get your knowledge?  To do a simple comparison who’s going to be able to teach you how to drive a car and be more effective and personal? Would you rather learn from someone who has read books and has never driven a car or would you feel more trust and knowledge coming from someone who drives a car everyday?  This is the picture of what we have going on with the world of the “non participants”. 

“Is This All There is” One Senator Announced His Retirement at Age 54 – A Culture of Nonparticipation (Opinion)

Not only is this true in Congress but we have lobbyists who are retiring for the same reason, old methodologies don’t work the same anymore.  The danger is though is that the new lobbyists use NEW technologies and efforts and with some algorithmic math, they can make believers out of what can be a “pie in sky” and those not familiar buy in, and don’t know why they have bought in to.  We hear that in the news with healthcare day in and day out with one more OMG story banning the headlines.  

Back on track here, how do our lawmakers create laws here to protect workers that are employed by companies using the absolute latest software technologies, and I think we are back to square one, they can’t as the knowledge of what is required is not there. 

if you look at the picture here with the CEO of Goldman Sachs, what technology was used for him to research for the Senate hearings, and mind you Wall Street uses the absolute top of the hill technology everywhere as it means money.  I think he had to do a step back here to work with paper. 

This scientist was not protected and tried to bring an awareness around, but due to legal issues and so on the case may have been diluted here and maybe a trip to a research lab could have helped out. 

Ex-Pfizer Scientist wins $1.37 Million in Lawsuit Against Pfizer in Biotech Viral Exposure Lawsuit

One thing to keep in mind, these researchers are the people finding the cures for today and tomorrow.  We do need everyone to begin participating and find those who offer real information and value versus the “magpies” that only repeat.   We need some of those people who actually drive cars at the top of the helm with some real role models and very soon as we begin to look “stupid” without them.  BD 

They are the highly trained, generally well-paid employees in the vanguard of American innovation: people who work in biotechnology labs. But the cutting edge can be a risky place to work.

Many laboratories in both the public and private sectors adhere to practices in a safety manual published jointly by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health. Employees of government biolabs and others that receive federal research grants for genetic engineering are covered in part by stricter guidelines from the National Institutes of Health, and some companies voluntarily follow those guidelines. But other private industry workers are dependent on OSHA.

Mr. Michaels said that rather than trying to establish new rules for each infectious agent or for any specific hazards, he expected OSHA to eventually require employers, in consultation with their employees, to identify all potential hazards in their workplaces and to take steps to reduce them. OSHA would then have the power to cite employers for failure to adequately implement this process.

Safety Rules Can’t Keep Up With Biotech Industry - NYTimes.com

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