A new open access library will make vital reaction safety hazard information available in the hopes of improving the safety of workers in labs and reducing repeat incidents.
CAS, a nonprofit division of the American Chemical Society that specializes in scientific information solutions, and the Pistoia Alliance, a global nonprofit that works to lower barriers to innovation in life sciences research and development, have joined forces to launch the Pistoia Alliance Chemical Safety Library platform.
The library will facilitate data sharing of hazardous and unanticipated chemical reaction information for the global research community. Researchers can access chemical safety incident information and submit new hazardous reaction data. R&D organizations can also integrate the full library content into their knowledge centers and internal laboratory safety workflows. Reaction incident information is reviewed by an advisory panel with experts from the American Chemical Society, CAS, Pistoia Alliance management and member companies and outside experts.
“We have a duty to ensure the health and safety of researchers dedicating their lives to delivering breakthrough innovations,” said Carmen Nitsche, general manager of the Cambridge Crystallography Data Centre and chair of the Chemical Safety Library Advisory Panel in a statement. “The Chemical Safety Library fulfills an important need and adds a key component to our safety toolbox.”
The Pistoia Alliance launched a prototype of this community crowd-sourced database in 2017, which currently has more than 1,000 registered users from industry, academia and government institutions.