The national labs are learning organizations, and this year’s theme was “Learning from Experimental Planning,” with a focus on mechanical safety. The theme included seminars on Cryogen Safety: Ensuring Safe Operations, featuring speakers from SLAC and Fermilab, as well as Hazard Recognition in Worker-Planned Work, with speakers from Berkeley Lab and BNL. In a new feature, the Lab’s SES Division, in partnership with ATAP, organized a Safety During Emergencies Fair on Friday, June 13, 2025.

 

 

 

Multi-Lab Safety Week in less than a minute

Facilities Division Director Brent Henderson said, “The opportunity for Facilities staff to participate with ATAP in Multi-Lab Safety Week was incredibly beneficial. We focused on improving the housekeeping of our technical spaces, and everyone actively contributed.”

He added, “The equipment room tours were particularly impactful, helping our leadership to focus on hazard mitigation in areas where their teams spend the most time. The event speakers were also fantastic; we especially appreciated the insights shared on cryo safety best practices from other organizations. And the Safety During Emergencies fair, organized by the SES Division in partnership with ATAP, significantly enhances Lab personnel’s readiness for unexpected events. For instance, being prepared for situations like administering CPR to a colleague or responding to an earthquake can make all the difference.”

The Safety during Emergencies Fair was highly interactive and brought perspectives and advice from experts. A shake trailer allowed employees to experience a Richter 6.9 earthquake, similar to the Loma Prieta quake that struck the Bay Area in 1989.  A go-bag station demonstrated how easy it is to be prepared with essentials when you have to move quickly and decisively. Hands-on demos of fire extinguisher use, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), the automated external defibrillator (AED), and the use of Stop the Bleed kits highlighted various preparedness measures. For engaging fun, a safety-themed escape room involved searching for clues. A passport stamped at each of these stations made participants eligible for prizes.

A Safetygram from the Facilities Division gave a thematic start to each day.

“Preparedness is vital for the safety of our entire Lab community, and it starts with each one of us,” said James Nunez, head of Berkeley Lab’s Emergency Services Department. He added, “During the Multi-Lab Safety Week, employees had the opportunity to practice life-saving skills that could make all the difference in an emergency. This hands-on training helps ensure that every individual on site is better equipped to respond during a crisis, strengthening our overall resilience as a workplace.”

“Thanks so much for the partnership with ATAP – I know my teams really enjoyed putting on the event to support MLSW!”

Scenes from the 2025 Multi-Lab Safety Week

As in previous years, Multi-Lab Safety Week was an all-hands, all-hazards event that featured ongoing learning and educational opportunities. ATAP programs scheduled times that work best for them.

ATAP-specific focus areas included ongoing learning and education, as well as housekeeping, which offers all the safety and efficiency benefits of clean and organized workspaces.

  • Ongoing learning and education:
    • Completing overdue and upcoming training
    • Learning from the safety-themed seminars
    • Attending the Safety During Emergencies Fair
  • Housekeeping:
    • Reviewing work practices and organizing work areas
    • Completing workplace cleanup and conducting self-assessments
  • Participating in cross-divisional management walkthroughs and having peers review labs, shops, and offices

“ATAP’s partner organizations saw the benefits as well. “Our Facilities Division team made an effort to engage with the ‘Learning from Experimental Planning’ theme, especially concerning mechanical safety”, said Henderson. “It served as a valuable reminder for us all take a moment to think about safety in our day-to-day tasks. We were encouraged to see a high level (~80%) of engagement among our staff, whether they were reviewing Safetygrams, attending seminars, or performing housekeeping.”

Henderson added, “It was a meaningful opportunity to collaborate with our lab partners, and we’re hoping to build on these insights moving forward.”

Honoring the Top Performers of Multi-Lab Safety Week 2025

The success of Multi-Lab Safety Week relies on everyone’s effort, but each year, some stand out for their exceptional dedication and quality contributions. To foster an ongoing awareness of safety culture and to maintain momentum, we recognize individuals and teams for their outstanding safety and organizational effort.

Individual Achievement: Yilun Xu and Neel Vora

Credit: Karen Russell/Berkeley Lab

The 2025 individual award, which recognizes helpfulness to others during Multi-Lab Safety Week efforts, was presented to Research Scientist Yilun Xu and Scientific Engineering Associate Neel Vora, both from ATAP’s Berkeley Accelerator Controls & Instrumentation (BACI) Program. It marked Yilun’s second win; he received the same honor in 2023.

Team Achievement

Credit: Karen Russell/Berkeley Lab

The awards were both a figurative and a literal clean sweep for the BACI Program as team honors recognized their performance in work-area cleanup and their commitment to workplace safety. Their tasks involved areas where a wide variety of activities involving radiofrequency and laser apparatus are taking place. They were chosen for this honor by division management after final walkthroughs and reports from all the teams. The 2025 team honorees are Dan Wang, Wei Liu, Gang Huang, Tianhuan Luo, Neelay Fruitwala, Salah Harb, Dillon Merenich, and Qing Ji.

To Learn More …

The 2025 Multi-Lab Safety Week featured expert presentations on important safety-related topics. We encourage you to review these slides and maintain the momentum throughout the year.

We plan to organize another event in this popular and successful series for 2026. In the meantime, here’s to another year of conducting state-of-the-art science safely!

 

 

For more information on ATAP News articles, contact caw@lbl.gov.
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