Argonne’s Operations Excellence Council (OEC) provides a senior management forum to enhance health, safety and environment programs. The council supports timely, transparent and effective decision-making on operational programs. It communicates customer feedback, needs and priorities, and reviews lab performance targets and metrics. Highlights from the council’s meeting include:
Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) establishes a framework for identifying, analyzing, managing and monitoring risks. Enterprise risks generally comprise circumstances that could reasonably interfere with the lab’s ability to meet strategic or operational goals, objectives or commitments. They can also comprise circumstances that could result in financial constraint, hinder our ability to comply with regulatory requirements, or jeopardize our ability to protect personnel, the environment or the lab’s reputation. ERM is a labwide process that facilitates risk awareness, communication, prioritization and continuous improvement.
On a regular basis, the OEC evaluates risks in terms of threat, consequence, impact and likelihood. They work closely with risk managers to ensure risks are effectively mitigated to an acceptable level and they monitor risks to evaluate progress and adjust, as needed. On November 16, 2017, the OEC reviewed three risks through the ERM process:
- Integrated Information Assurance – The lab’s portfolio of work is growing in the areas of sensitive and controlled unclassified information (CUI). The threat of disclosure of this information could lead to fines, loss of funding and negative reputation with our sponsors.
- Export Security & Compliance – The lab’s portfolio of work is growing in the areas of sensitive and controlled unclassified information (CUI). Information of this type invokes compliance with U.S. Export Control regulations. Failure to meet these compliance regulations could result in significant government fines and penalties. Failure to meet or exceed these compliance regulations could result in loss of funding and a negative reputation with our sponsors.
- Attract & Retain Diverse Talent – The lab’s competitiveness to attract and retain diverse talent who are committed to Argonne’s mission of delivering new discoveries and innovations that address our nation’s needs in energy, sustainability and security will be adversely impacted without leadership and staff development that fosters a culture of inclusion.
During the November 30, 2017, OEC meeting, Julie Nuter, chief human resources officer, reminded everyone of the campaign for employees to update their emergency contact information in Workday. This is information is treated as business sensitive and can only be accessed by a few designated personnel in Human Resources, the Medical Clinic, and the Fire Department. Stuart Meredith, Regulatory Enforcement Coordinator, recommended using the cell phone apps for storing important medical and contact information accessible by emergency responders. Devin Hodge, CLS Chief Operations Officer, also mentioned the S.O.S. cell phone feature as a one-touch alarm system.
- Dan Raker, senior attorney, recognized the investigation process and analysis following a safety even at the laboratory. The analysis often includes sensitive information and the need to share the results of safety investigations with the employee population while simultaneously giving appropriate deference to employee privacy and other potential sensitivities. Dan provided guidelines in the areas of employee identities, employee medical conditions, management failures, individual employee failures, individual employee successes and investigation failures.
- Tracy Rogness, HSE business administrator, provided an overview of the 377 employee concerns reported to Safety@anl.gov since January 2016. Maria Curry-Nkansah, PSE chief operations officer, recognized the electrical concerns incidents pertaining to employees reporting exposed wires, a disconnected electrical connector, outlets in need of attention and questions about electrical safety requirements.
During the month of November, a new sidewalk from the Building 221 area to ESB and TCS was completed. Additionally, improvement efforts in compressed gas cylinders and cryogenic Dewars storage started in areas where flammable and oxidizing cylinder separation, indoor ventilation and hazard identification signage were a concern.
A report to Safety@anl.gov resulted in the 221 sidewalk project and this service can also assist with subject matter expertise.