Monday, Feb. 8, 1999
An informational, question-and-answer meeting has been scheduled for Wednesday so employees can ask questions about the new draft HEERA-like policy. The meeting will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. in the Administration Building Auditorium. The draft HEERA-like policy is on RevCom for employee review and comment. Employees can access the policy at http://hazel.lanl.gov/rcg2/LANL.html.
TA-53 placed in stand-down mode
Technical Area 53 at the Laboratory has been placed in stand-down mode in the wake of several safety incidents that have occurred there this year.
Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE) Division Director Roger Pynn ordered the stand-down, which also affects employees from the Physics (P) and Engineering Sciences and Applications (ESA) divisions and the Accelerator Production of Tritium Project people who work in that area. The stand-down means that all experimental and other research work is halted until the respective groups re-evaluate the hazards associated with their work and ensure that they perform such work safely. Approximately 460 Laboratory employees are affected by the action.
The stand-down also affects those scheduled to use the beam at the Manuel Lujan Jr. Neutron Scattering Center. The center is a Department of Energy user facility that attracts about 400 researchers from industry, universities and other federal laboratories annually.
Pynn briefed employees on his stand-down decision during an all-hands meeting held Friday morning in the Louis Rosen Auditorium at TA-53. "I don't want anybody to be hurt," he told the audience.
The incidents that have occurred this year include the following:
None of the incidents has resulted in any injuries, although one of the water leaks resulted in a Laboratory employee receiving external contamination of Tungsten-181 on his hands and pants. The employee suffered no adverse effects and Lab investigators currently are trying to determine specifically how the employee became contaminated.
Pynn said before Thursday's incident, he already was concerned about the earlier five incidents and earlier this week had ordered beam delivery suspended pending an oral report from an ad hoc investigating group on whether there were any root common causes. "With the exception of the two water leaks, the group could not find any root common causes," he said.
Pynn also said because each group deals with different activities and therefore has different work environments, each group will be responsible for developing a plan for evaluating its work areas for safety. "We hope to have the formal processes for performing these evaluations and approving them in place by today [Friday]," he said.
The LANSCE division director said he expects activities to resume operations on a case-by-case basis. "You need to convince yourselves that you can perform the work safely," he told the audience.
--Ternel N. Martinez
Community blood drive begins today
The Los Alamos Community Blood Drive begins today and will continue through Friday at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church Parish Hall, 3700 Canyon Road in Los Alamos. Hours are from noon to 7 p.m. today and Wednesday and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. The blood drive is sponsored by the Civitans, RSVP and Los Alamos Red Cross.
United Blood Services welcomes blood donations from those age 17 (some restrictions may apply) to 79, weigh at least 110 pounds, have not donated in the past eight weeks and currently are in good health. Donors must show identification containing a given name and one of the following: date of birth, social security number, UBS assigned donor number or photo of donor.
Those who donate four times in 1999 will receive a free T-shirt from United Blood Services. For more information, contact Louise Hassman at 662-8923.
Commuters may encounter delays on I-25
Laboratory employees who use Interstate 25 to travel to and from Los Alamos may encounter delays beginning Monday as a contractor begins bridge repair work for the state Highway and Transportation Department.
A. S. Horner Construction Co. of Albuquerque is completing some maintenance work on the I-25/NM 14 bridges and overpass at the Cerrillos Road exit, said Miguel Gabaldon of the state road agency.
During the day, one lane of southbound I-25 will be closed for about a quarter-mile on each side of the overpass, and the ramp from southbound I-25 to Cerrillos Road will be closed during the second week of the scheduled work.
Weather permitting, the work should be completed by Feb. 19, said Gabaldon.
The contractor will work from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and have signs and other traffic control devices in place to alert motorists to the work.
Motorists can use the I-25/St. Francis Drive or I-25/NM 599 exits to avoid the construction area.
Some 500 Laboratory employees and subcontract personnel live in Bernalillo and Sandoval counties south and west of Santa Fe. Many of them travel Interstate 25, then U.S. 84-285 to work daily.
The Lab allows managers to use flex-time scheduling, but employees should plan on delays and adjust their schedules accordingly.
Santa Fe and points-south employees interested in joining a van pool can call 988-7433 or 294-5718, or check the "Commuters Corner" online.
Threat of ballistic missiles focus of colloquium Tuesday
Stephen Cambone of the National Defense University in Washington, D.C., will present a Director's Colloquium at 1:10 p.m. Tuesday in the Administration Building Auditorium. In his colloquium, titled "The Threat of Ballistic Missiles From Other Countries," Cambone will discuss the implications of emerging ballistic missile threats and the U.S. policies -- including changes to intelligence capabilities, the roles and missions of U.S. offensive forces and programs for ballistic missile defenses -- that must be reviewed and revised to meet them. The colloquium is open to Q- and L-cleared badgeholders only.
Exhibit opens Tuesday in celebration of Black History Month
In celebration of Black History Month, the African American Diversity Working Group is presenting an exhibition of photographs titled "Pioneers of the American Southwest: 1880-1950."
Shiame Okunor, director of the Charlie Morrisey Research Hall of the University of New Mexico, will speak at the exhibit's opening Tuesday from 3 to 5 pm in the Jemez and Cochiti rooms of the Oppenheimer Study Center. The exhibit depicts moments in the lives of early African American settlers who were among the many pioneers of the American Southwest. These pioneers created new lives, vibrant communities and made important -- yet little known -- contributions to the legacy of the American Southwest. Many African Americans settled in New Mexico when New Mexico was not yet a state. This exhibit was created as a tribute to the pioneering spirit of thousands of African Americans who settled the frontier, making it their home and a home for so many others who have followed.
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Draft HEERA-like policy available
for review -- Question-and-answer session slated for Feb. 10