Post #1928610
2026-04-14 17:42 UTC
Replies (2)
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@michcampbell@fediscience.org 2026-04-15 08:16
@rupdecat this highlights that it's not loss of one - it's the loss of many due to the retention of one bad egg (or n bad eggs...).
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@arclight@oldbytes.space 2026-04-22 13:12
@rupdecat Speaking as a non-academic, I had a supervisor come into my office and literally shout at me for 10 minutes to the extent that one of our secretaries cracked my office door open to see if I was okay. I reported him to what passed for HR at my firm, not so much for my benefit but for others (use one's older white male privilege for good). The company's main businesses were nuclear safety, runaway chemical reaction research (chemical safety), and combustability testing (fire safety). I mention this because at the time, I was running an experiment on natural circulation of hydrogen and air for nuclear waste package design (we always worry about hydrogen explosions; Fukushima showed why.) I am not an experimentalist, I didn't design the experiment, and in retrospect I am very lucky I did not literally blow myself up. A chilled work environment is corrosive to safety culture; that is well known among regulators, safety professionals, and the nuclear industry at large. It's right there under "Respectful Work Environment" in INPO 12-012 "Traits of a Healthy Nuclear Safety Culture" https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML1303/ML13031A707.pdf Nobody should have to suffer abuse to get their job done in academia, industry, or anywhere. Academia's hierarchy and inherent competitiveness make it especially difficult for younger more vulnerable researchers to report abusive behavior. I had a lot less to lose than most and it was still difficult to come forward. But it had to be done. If you have the time, read through the link above; it's short and aside from the few nuclear-specific parts it's generally applicable. It should be especially valuable for researchers working with hazardous experiments.