On June 30, 2017, Leslie Nichols (FAC) received a Gold Spot Award for identifying a serious hazard and taking action to have it mitigated.
While performing regular job duties, Leslie noticed something out of the ordinary. She encountered various uncapped syringes (sharps) that had been incorrectly disposed of in a standard trash container. Upon discovery, she immediately removed the entire trash container from the area and brought it to her group leader’s attention so the sharps could properly be disposed of through Waste Management.
Thanks to Leslie’s knowledge and attention to detail, a potentially serious injury was avoided.
Safe laboratory practice recommends keeping other trash containers away from designated sharps containers to reduce the likelihood of a sharp falling into or being accidently placed in a non-sharps trash container.
Additional information about properly disposing of sharps is available on Inside Argonne.
Spot Awards give employees “on-the-spot” recognition for positive safety or quality assurance initiative. The Spot Award program offers three award levels: gold ($100), silver ($50) and bronze ($25).
If you see an employee exhibiting behavior that warrants positive recognition (e.g., safe behavior or process improvements), you can nominate that individual for a Spot Award by submitting Spot Award (ANL-758).
The form will be routed to the individual’s supervisor and division for approval. Observers may award employees from their own division or from other divisions. The cost of the award is charged to the recipient’s division.
Additional information about the Spot Award program is available on Inside Argonne.