LANL wins first- and second-place Telly Awards

Experienced producer and team are key

May 3, 2010—The Laboratory beat out thousands of contenders to win the top Telly Award for 2010 in the safety category for its video, "Being Human - What happens before mistakes?" Another Lab video, "Stairs and Handrails," received the second-place Telly. Both videos were produced, directed, written, and narrated by Health and Safety Communications Project Leader Rob Nicholas of Industrial Hygiene and Safety.

Cream of the crop

The Telly Awards showcase the best work of television stations, production companies, advertising agencies, and corporate video departments throughout the world. Every year, thousands of contenders compete. “It’s great for the Laboratory's health and safety training to be recognized in the company of other media and video producers, such as the Discovery Channel, Univision, University of Southern California, HBO, and National Geographic,” Nicholas noted.  

What happens before mistakes

The video "Being Human - What happens before mistakes?" is the second of the series, "Human Beings." “After watching the first video, ‘Human Beings 1,’ Associate Director for Environment, Safety, Health & Quality Chris Cantwell suggested that we consider a sequel that looked at what happens before mistakes. The video shows that multitasking and splitting one’s focus can cause workplace stress and lead to mistakes,” Nicholas said. “The solution lies in identifying workplace conditions that cause stress, protecting workers from those conditions, and then making safety personal by taking care of each other.” 

Don't slip or trip

The video "Stairs and Handrails” was developed in response to Institutional Worker Safety and Security Team research that identified slips, trips, and falls as one of the major source of injuries at the Laboratory. “Theresa Cull, deputy division leader of the Industrial Hygiene and Safety Division, suggested we develop a stair safety video,” he said. "We came up with a music video spoof to remind employees to keep safe on stairways by making sure they walk each step, never run, and always use the handrail.” 

Both videos are part of the Lab’s Safety Short Program, whose overall intent is helping all of us to “take care of ourselves and each other—at work and at home," Nicholas said. Safety short topics are selected periodically throughout the year to meet people's needs and address key issues as they arise. In addition to the Lab community, Nicholas has received requests for the videos from other Department of Energy facilities and several companies. 

An expert video team

Cantwell and Cull contributed their insights as subject matter experts, and several volunteers participated in the video shoots. Additional internal and external contributors include: Warren Young and Leo Torres of Records Management/Media Services and Operations, who shot the live video; Allen Hopkins of Communication, Arts, and Services, who developed the print design; Kelly Lujan, who provided animation; Clark Morris, who edited the video; and Sid Fendley, who engineered the audio. 

Nicholas has been making health and safety videos at the Lab for 20 years. He came to the Lab with a combined background of environmental science, education, theater and film. “What has been great fun,” he explained, “is being able to combine these backgrounds to create safety videos and communications, working to promote everyone's health and safety. I feel very fortunate to be able do what I love to do.”