Berkeley Lab

ATAP and Engineering Safety Day, 29 March 2017

           
 

On March 29, ATAP and Engineering Division personnel matrixed to ATAP held our first joint Safety Day. Our all-hands, all-hazards, all-day effort made very substantive improvements throughout our area. Workspaces are organized and efficient, desks have earthquake refuge space underneath, and thanks to some intrepid volunteers, even the microwave ovens in the breakrooms are clean!

The qualitative benefits are easy to understand, but as scientists and engineers we yearn for the quantitative. Just a few highlights of the tangible results:

  • 33 obsolete or malfunctioning computers, now being processed out through the property accounting system
  • 13 rolling bins and 3/4 of a dumpster of paper and cardboard
  • 22 hoppers, rolling bins, barrels, and pallets of excess equipment and miscellaneous scrap and salvage
  • 6 hoppers, machine carts, and boxes of e-waste
  • 1 cargo container filled with still-needed items that were not in active use
  • 0 accidents and injuries — the best statistic of all, a testimonial to a good job of using appropriate personal protective equipment and staying within our training and physical capabilities

After an intense morning of clean-up came an afternoon of safety assurance. Fifteen QUEST teams assessed our workplaces; then 20 senior people performed walkthroughs with the help of 11 locally knowledgeable escorts.

The QUEST teams identified some 200 action items that are being tracked to completion. Further walkthroughs are already in progress to assign and prioritize actions and verify completion.

Thank you again for all the hard work. We look forward to another year of doing great science and engineering with the safety, efficiency, and sense of pride that comes from a tidy and well organized workplace.

 
         
 

 


This is the original Safety Day announcement and resources page.

Wim Leemans   Please mark your calendars for this “all hazards, all hands, all day” event!

With safety as our top priority, ATAP and the Engineering Division* will hold a joint Safety Day March 29th, 2017. This will take place throughout our workspaces in Building 46, 46B, 47, 53, the 58 complex, the 71 complex, 77 and 77A.

*Engineering staff matrixed to ATAP.

Henrik von der Lippe

Safety Day is a chance to step aside from our busy routines and take a fresh look at the tidiness, organization, and safety of our offices, labs, shops, and common areas.

PLAN OF THE DAY

● 9 AM – All-hands meeting, 50 Auditorium● 9:30 – Noon – Workplace cleanups

● Noon – 1 PM – Lunch break

  ● 1-3 PM – QUEST team workplace assessments● 3-4 PM – Management walkthroughs

Assignments, checklists, and other resources are provided below.

 

SAFETY DAY CHARGE


All Hazards, All Spaces

The primary emphasis will be on tidiness, reduction of clutter, quake readiness, proper storage and labeling of chemicals, etc. in office, lab, and shop spaces. However, anything in and around our buildings is fair game. Keep your eyes open and look for trouble!

Facilities janitorial staff will be available to replace the full bins when it occurs. ATAP and Engineering admin staff will be points of contact if bins need emptying.

Things that we can take care of immediately (and safely, staying within our skill sets) we will fix on the spot. Problems that are not feasible to fix immediately, and larger-scale suggestions that call for time and money and planning, will be officially noted and scheduled for later action.

All Hands
We expect everyone in ATAP,** and matrixed Engineering staff, to join in unless travel has already been scheduled or illness prevents participation, so please block out March 29 on your calendar and plan on being part of the communal effort.

**Advanced Light Source Accelerator Physics staff will participate in the ALS Division’s Safety Day instead.

All Day
This will be an all-day stand-down for everyone who reports to ATAP or is matrixed to us. The only work we will perform that day will be cleanup, QUEST walkthroughs, and other tasks relevant to environment, safety, and health.

An entire day devoted to safety may seem like a lot — but it is less than 0.5% of the work year, and we all have to do our part to keep work areas clean and safe for science.

WHAT’S NEXT?

We’ll be back in touch from time to time. In the meanwhile, you can get ready by saving the date (Wednesday, March 29, 2017) and glancing around your workspace with fresh eyes: What can be better organized, sent to Excess or recycling or the trash; or improved?

If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact either:

● ATAP EHS&S Coordinator Pat Thomas (PMThomas@lbl.gov), 510-486-6098 or 510-599-5579.

● Engineering EH&S Coordinator Marshall Granados (MGranados@lbl.gov), 510-486-7915 or 510-470-0450.

SAFETY DAY RESOURCES

Downloadable Safety Day poster (PDF).

Disposal Locations

Here are the Safety Day recycling and disposal locations at each of our buildings.

Note that “e-waste” — anything with soldered components inside — should be separated from general salvage. People will be on hand to assist at the e-waste locations, and to advise on where things should go in general. They will help account for anything that is tagged with a DOE property number, which includes all desktop or laptop computers and most smart devices.

Shredding bins are provided for recyclable paper that you think might contain sensitive information. Other paper (magazines, catalogues, cardboard…) can go in the regular recycling bins.

Assignments

Final QUEST Team Assignments, 1-3 pm
Revised March 28 at noon.

Final Management Walkaround Assignments, 3-4 pm
Revised March 28 at noon.

 

Guides and Checklists


Final ATAP and Engineering Clean-up Guide

All 37 pages, including information on how to perform Safety Day tasks safely, who to contact for more information or help with special problems, and extensive topic-specific guides to dealing with specific items of EH&S concern that you might encounter during cleanup. Revised March 28 at noon.

   Management Walkaround Checklist
   Just page 4 (the checklist for management walkarounds) of the ATAP and Engineering Clean-Up Guide. Revised March 28 at noon.

New QUEST Checklists

   5.3.1. Checklist for Offices (8 March 2016): .doc , .pdf

   5.3.2. Checklist for Labs (8 March 2017): .doc, .pdf

   5.3.3. Checklist for Shops (8 March 2017): .doc , .pdf