On Aug. 3, 2017, Frederick Bathje (BIS) received a Gold Spot Award for his actions taken to ensure the safety of a contract worker.
During preventative maintenance work on an uninterrupted power supply (UPS), a contractor attempted to access a section of the UPS that would potentially expose the worker to hazardous energy. Bathje immediately acknowledged this situation and exercised his “stop-work authority” by alerting the worker that before he could continue, he would be required to don specific personal protective equipment (PPE) and conduct necessary lockout/tagout (LOTO) measures on the UPS. Bathje explained the reasoning for the safeguards and the contractor followed his directions, returned to work with the necessary PPE and used the correct LOTO procedures.
Thanks to Bathje’s knowledge and readiness to safeguard the well-being of others, the job was completed safely.
To learn more about how you are empowered and obligated to stop any activity that is deemed dangerous, see LSM-POL-1: Safety and Health.
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 xink form 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.