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Wednesday, July 9, 1997

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'Safety Days' slated for July 16 through 18
Student colloquium tomorrow at 1:15 p.m.
Fire-fighting operations wind down at Bandelier
Bulging drum reported at TA-50

 'Safety Days' slated for July 16 through 18

To raise awareness of and remind Laboratory employees and subcontract personnel about the need to practice safety on the job, the Laboratory is sponsoring "Safety Days" July 16 through 18.

During this three-day period, Laboratory Director Sig Hecker has mandated that all Laboratory organizations take the time required, roughly four hours, from one of these days to review safety practices and renew their committment to working in a safe manner, according to Phil Thullen of the Director's Office.

"Safety Days is for everybody at the Lab," Thullen said, noting that Johnson Controls World Service Inc. and Protection Technology Los Alamos, the Lab's two major contract agencies, also are participating in Safety Days.

Group level managers throughout the Laboratory -- including managers at JCI and PTLA -- were to begin receiving today a packet explaining Safety Days and how managers can discuss safety-related activities with employees. They also were to receive a 22-minute videotape that highlights a meeting Hecker and other Lab officials held last month to review findings of the November 1996 Chemistry and Metallurgy Research Building explosion.

Included in the packet is a letter from Hecker asking managers to "step back and think about the five steps of our Integrated Safety Management approach to performing work safely."

Hecker also asks managers to show the videotape, "CMR explosion and what we've learned," to employees. "I expect you to tailor your session to the activities of your group," Hecker wrote. "At a minimum, I expect every manager to view the video with his or her work group, discuss the questions about the CMR explosion in your leader's participants guide, and discuss what lesson you can apply to your work."

"We don't want people to get hurt. It's as simple as that," Thullen said in explaining why the Lab is taking a safety timeout during these three days. "The director has mandated that you do this," he said. "The object of [Safety Days] is to have this discussion and to make this Laboratory safe."

Thullen said managers will be expected to review the Lab's five-step safety process with employees.

July 16 also is one year since Hecker ordered all Laboratory operations to stop for employees to review safety procedures in their workplace. All employees and subcontract personnel were asked to review safety procedures and sign a statement affirming that they had reviewed their work sites and notified their managers of any potentially unsafe hazards.

"If you look at the accidents that have occurred, you generally can conclude that the five-step process wasn't followed," said Thullen, who has been charged by Hecker with overseeing the Lab's renewed emphasis on safety in the workplace.

Employees who need more information about Safety Days or about the Lab's Integrated Safety Management Plan can write to ism@lanl.gov by electronic mail. They also can go to http://www.lanl.gov/Internal/projects/ISM/ on the World Wide Web.

--Steve Sandoval

'Safety Days'
 70 employees receive disciplinary actions

More than 70 disciplinary actions have been taken against Laboratory employees and subcontract personnel as a result of safety violations from five major accidents at the Lab. The accidents date back to December 1994 when a Protection Technology Los Alamos security officer was killed during a training exercise, said Phil Thullen of the Director's Office.

The disciplinary actions, Thullen said, range from two employees being terminated to employees being replaced on a work site or being placed on leave without pay to employees not being given a pay raise.

Thullen made a presentation recently to the Laboratory Leadership Council on the Lab's Integrated Safety Management Plan. The disciplinary actions summary was part of the presentation.

"Information on safety discipline and rewards should be widely understood by the workforce," Thullen said in explaining why senior managers were provided this information. "Discipline involves managers as well as workers. We all are accountable," he said.

Thullen noted that in last fall's explosion at the Chemistry and Metallurgy Research (CMR) Building at Technical Area 3, 21 disciplinary actions were given after a review team completed its investigation into the causes of the explosion (see June 6 Newsbulletin).

His report to the LLC also noted that in the PTLA fatal shooting, 10 disciplinary actions were given.

In the July 1996 incident in which a student received severe electrical shock while working on a microwave oven, 11 disciplinary actions were given.

--Steve Sandoval

Safety Days'
Where to look for operational regulations

Do you know what and where the Lab's operational regulations are? Part of Integrated Safety Management is developing policies, Laboratory Performance Requirements (LPRs); procedures, Laboratory Implementing Requirements (LIRs); and Laboratory Implementing Guidance (LIG) that incorporate and update the old Administrative Requirements (ARs), Director's Policies (DPs), Program Requirement Documents (PRDs), Technical Bulletins (TBs), Program Elements Documents (PEDs), Laboratory Procedures (LPs) and Laboratory Standards (LSs). You can find all the current, "official" regulations on the LANL home page under "Official Documents" -- Operations Requirements/Guidance. LPRs, LIRs, or LIGs found elsewhere on the Internet are not official documents; further, keep in mind that the ES&H Manual is obsolete and has been recalled.

When it comes to safety and operating procedures, be sure you are using the most current information. If you have questions, call Robbie Robertson or Loyola Salazar at 5-4965, Al Garcia at 5-6703 or e-mail policy@lanl.gov. Robertson, Salazar and Garcia are with the Operationa l Integration Office (ESH-OIO) assigned to the Laboratory Standards Project.

'Safety Days'
Laboratory subcontractor takes safety seriously

As the Laboratory reviews and implements procedures and guidelines governing workplace safety through the Integrated Safety Management Plan, Johnson Controls World Services Inc. has put in place a number of safety measures and programs for its employees.

JCI, for example, is updating and condensing its employee safety manual, has created a Voice of the Employee program to encourage JCI employees to practice safety, and started a "Fast Fifty" awards recognition program to recognize safe work practices.

And last year, JCI hired JMJ Associates to do behavior-based safety training for JCI and Facilities, Safeguards and Securities (FSS) Division employees, according to JCI General Manager Jon "Mike" Barr.

Johnson Controls World Services Inc. and Protection Technology Los Alamos are the two largest subcontract companies that provide services to the Lab. JCNNM was recently awarded the support services contract at the Lab.

According to Barr, JMJ Associates Inc. was hired by JCI because of the company's experience and track record in improving incident and injury performance at job sites. JMJ Associates Inc. was one of the safety consultants Intel Corp. hired during Intel's billion-dollar expansion of its Rio Rancho facility, said Barr.

JMJ Associates Inc. is among other things working with JCI to identify obstacles to injury-free performance, assist in developing and implementing an action plan to improve safety, and develop a program to empower JCI employees to take responsibility for their actions and the actions of co-workers to improve the safety climate.

Johnson Controls World Services Inc. also started a "Fast Fifty" Safety Incentive Awards and Recognition program to recognize JCI employees who make significant contributions to safety.

Since the program began last Oct. 1, at least 30 individual JCI employees or employee teams have received recognition through this program, said Barr.

"There are several programs to recognize our employees," said Barr. These range from cash awards, to pizza parties for teams, to letters of commendation from JCI officials, he said. Six JCI employees, for example, received monetary awards for stopping work at a Technical Area 55 job site after live bare wires were found in a mezzanine area. The wires were a potential safety hazard to other TA-55 employees, Barr explained.

Three JCI employees, received a letter of commendation for preventing a potential accident at TA-16 during removal of pipe insulation on a condensation line.

And two JCI employees received a monetary award for stopping work on a job site at TA-3 after discovering electrical conduit that wasn't detected by a locator device.

JCI's Safety Leadership Team condensed the JCI employee safety manual to highlight key safety points and make it more user-friendly, Barr said.

And the Voice of the Employee program encourages employees to submit ideas or concerns about safety to a 10-person steering committee. JCI employees who make a submission to the steering committee receive $10. If their safety idea is implemented, they may be eligible to receive additional monetary awards. The program, according to Barr, allows JCI employees to participate in improving safety for JCI employees.

"Johnson Controls has embarked on a journey to achieve an incident- and accident-free work culture in Los Alamos. With the help of organizations such as JMJ and groups such as our Safety Leadership Team, we have already taken some big steps toward that goal," said Barr. "We will continue to do everything in our power to create a safe workplace for our employees. Ultimately, we will achieve our goals by creating a positive working environment where every employee makes a personal commitment to working safely and establishing safety as a value . . . We're not doing this because we have to or because we think that someone else is making us. We're doing this because it's the right thing to do."

--Steve Sandoval

'Safety Days'
'Tag Your Bag' campaign begins Monday

The Laboratory is holding a "Tag Your Bag" campaign July 14 through 18 at various times and places throughout the Lab. The weeklong campaign allows Lab and contractor employees to tag their backpacks, briefcases, tote bags, purses and other items as a safety and security precaution.

Doing so may prevent teams such as the Hazardous Devices Team from having to respond to "suspicious" items left in public or private areas Labwide. Although rare, if the investigating team cannot determine the contents of unattended, unidentified items, the team may decide to use remote techniques to tear the items open.

Statistics obtained from Emergency Management and response (FSS-20) show the following:

  Fiscal Year

  Total Responses

 Responses Involving Suspicious Packages

 1997 (as of July 4)

 23

 9

 1996

 33

 8

 1995

 31

 11

 1994

 20

 10

Each site will have a laminating machine for operators to laminate business cards onsite and turn them into tags. Participating employees can receive up to three tags and ties.

Those who don't have business cards can write their names, groups, mail stops and telephone numbers on a form and leave it with the attending operator. The employees will receive the tags and ties via interoffice mail within a few days. The locations, dates and times to have bags tagged are as follows:

When the campaign ends, tags and ties can be obtained through the Badge Office; employees also can request tags by writing to emrweb@lanl.gov by electronic mail and giving the above-mentioned information. For more information, call 7-6211.

--Ternel N. Martinez

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Student colloquium tomorrow at 1:15 p.m.

Laboratory Director Sig Hecker will host a colloquium for students beginning at 1:15 p.m. Thursday in the Administration Building Auditorium.

The colloquium allows students an opportunity to speak with Hecker about issues they may have regarding working at the Lab, said Mary Anne With of the Special Programs Office of the Staffing Group (HR-5).

The colloquium is open to high school co-op, undergraduate and graduate students, and postdocs, said With. Subject matter specialists also will attend the colloquium to assist Hecker in responding to specific questions from students, she said. Students won't need an escort to get into the Administration Building.

For more information, write to With at with@lanl.gov by electronic mail.

--Steve Sandoval

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Fire-fighting operations wind down at Bandelier

The Lummis Fire in Bandelier National Monument has burned 1,350 acres and fire-fighting operations are winding down, according to Emergency Management and Response (FSS-20).

Two 20-person crews were released from the fire, which was started by a lightning strike on June 27. About 40 people still were assigned to monitor the fire as of Tuesday morning -- down from more than 100 that had been assigned to the fire last week. One helicopter still is assigned to the fire.

Back-burning operations to eliminate potential fuels were successful. The fire in the lower southeast corner of Lummis Canyon is being allowed to creep toward the Rio Grande.

Management of the controlled-burn fire is to be turned back to the National Park Service today or Thursday. FSS-20 has provided Technical Area 49 for the national prescribed-burn team to use as a base for all supply and air operations on the fire. Ecology (ESH-20) also is at TA-49 providing ecology support and oversight.

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Bulging drum reported at TA-50

Laboratory Environment, Safety and Health (ESH) Division personnel on Monday responded to a report of a bulging drum containing low-level radioactive sludge at Technical Area 50.

The drum was vented and the contents are being tested to determine their nature, said Doug Tuggle of Emergency Management and Response (FSS-20).

The bulging 55-gallon drum was observed by a radiological-control technician in a work storage area behind Building 1 shortly after 10 a.m. Monday. FSS-20 was notified; personnel from Hazardous Materials and Response (ESH-10), Air Quality (ESH-17) and Hazardous and Solid Waste (ESH-19) in turn were called to the site. The Los Alamos County Fire Department also was notified and placed on stand-by while the drum was vented.

By 1:20 p.m. Monday, the site was returned to normal operating conditions. The drum will be repacked, said Rick Alexander of Radioactive Liquid Waste (EM-RLW).

--Steve Sandoval

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