Introduction/Administrative News The TRADE Industrial Hygiene/Occupational Safety Special Interest Group (IH/OS SIG) Steering Committee met on September 29, 2005 through a conference call meeting. IH/OS SIG Steering Committee Chair Ralph Hinterman, Argonne National Laboratory-East (ANL-E), facilitated the meeting in which the following Steering Committee members/guests participated:
Ken Barat, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL)
Tom Cornell, Fluor Hanford Inc.
Bill Frede, Honeywell FM&T
Harvey Grasso, DOE National Nuclear Security Administration, Livermore Site Office
Phil Grogin, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL)
Ralph Hinterman, ANL-E, IH/OS SIG Steering Committee Chair
Lowell Howard, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Bob Kapolka, Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), IH/OS SIG Steering Committee Advisory Chair
Dr. Daniel Marsick, DOE, EH-52, Office Of Worker Protection Policy and Programs
Deborah McFalls, ORISE, IH/OS SIG Coordinator
John Peters, Brookhaven National Laboratory
Rob Nicholas, LANL
Deborah McFalls reported that ORISE is expecting new funding from the SIG’s DOE sponsor in FY2006 to support the IH/OS SIG and the DOE TSL Index. SIG and TSL Index activities will be limited somewhat until the funding is received in-house at ORISE in the new FY.
News from Laser Safety Officer Workshop SIG Member Ken Barat briefed the committee on news from the Laser Safety Officer Workshop that was held at LLNL, August 3-5, 2005. About 90 people attended the workshop. The workshop focused on helping laser safety officers in a research setting. Besides presentations, there were several panel discussions on core topics:
DOE Special Operations Report
Universal Laser Safety Training/Reciprocity
Laser Safety at User Facilities
Distribution of Lessons Learned/Laser Safety Officer Networking
Laser technology updates were given by researchers to help laser safety officers have a better understanding of how they work. Vendors from the three major laser safety calculation software companies presented information on the key elements of their programs.
Committee members can request a copy of the presenters’ overheads through an E-mail request to Ken Barat ( barat1@llnl.gov). The SIG will also look into getting the overheads placed on a Web site for broader distribution to the DOE community.
News from the 2005 Voluntary Protection Programs Participants' Association (VPPPA) Annual National Conference Committee Advisory Chair Bob Kapolka attended the 2005 VPPPA National Conference, August 22-25 in Dallas, Texas. About 2,500 attended the conference. There was a focus on the VPPPA Mentoring Program that utilizes the knowledge and resources of Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) sites to mentor interested sites in their pursuit of VPP and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Challenge pilot program. The goal of the workshop was to better prepare mentors for the process and to share best practices and other tricks of the trade. For potential VPP worksites, the VPPPA offered the VPP Application Workshop which included information on:
How to put together the major components of a VPP application
How to write a VPP application
Other VPP sites best practices and ideas
An annual self-evaluation is required to be in place before the submittal of the application for VPP and annually thereafter. This workshop provided a detailed approach as to how to perform an annual self-evaluation, as required by OSHA.
The workshop agenda can be accessed at: http://www.vpppa.org/Conference/listing.cfm. The presenters’ overheads are available to VPPPA members only on the Web site. Bob will see if he can retrieve the overheads to share with the committee. Information on how to become a member is also on the Web site.
Distribution of Electrical Lessons Video During the August Steering Committee Conference Call meeting, the committee approved for distribution as a SIG product the Electrical Lessons video developed at LANL by Committee Member Rob Nicholas. The video examines three recent LANL electrical incidents and their lessons learned. The video will be distributed in the near future as new SIG-sponsored funding permits. The related guidance document will be made available through the Web.
Distribution of Nested-The Nested Safety and Security Committee Process Video During this conference call, the Steering Committee approved for distribution as a SIG product, the LANL Nested-The Nested Safety and Security Committee Process video. These materials demonstrate the LANL Nested Safety and Security Committee process. The materials initially came from the DuPont Corporation through the National Safety Council. LANL adapted the materials for their site’s use. Committee members asked that the sample meeting agenda, templates, and checklists noted in the video be made available through a Web site. This video and the Electrical Lessons video would be distributed at the same time in DVD format.
General Discussion Ralph Hinterman reported that his site has received from DOE, a 15-page questionnaire that is related to the upcoming DOE 851 Rule, Chronic Beryllium Disease Prevention Programs: Worker Safety and Health. The questions focus on the status of certain areas that may be addressed in the new ruling. DOE is seeking information on the possible cost of compliance to this new ruling for the DOE sites.
Future Steering Committee Conference Call Meeting The next Steering Committee Conference Call Meeting is scheduled for November 10, 2005, 1:15 – 2:30 EST, conference call number is 301/903-6013.
For additional information, please contact: Deborah McFalls, IH/OS SIG Coordinator
Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education
P. O. Box 117, MS 10
Oak Ridge, TN 37831-0117
