Introduction/Administrative News
The TRADE Industrial Hygiene/Occupational Safety Special Interest Group (IH/OS SIG) Steering Committee met on July 18, 2006 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:
Tom Cornell, Fluor Hanford Inc.
Bill Frede, Honeywell FM&T
Harvey Grasso, DOE National Nuclear Security Administration, Livermore Site Office
Ralph Hinterman, ANL-E
Michael Hurshman, S.M. Stoller
Deborah McFalls, Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE)
Bruce Murdoch, ANL-E
Rob Nicholas, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL)
John Peters, Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL)
Tom Walker, LANL (represented Phil Grogin)
The following Steering Committee members notified the IH/OS SIG Chair/Coordinator that they could not participate in the meeting:
Phil Grogin, LANL
Bob Kapolka, ORISE
Dr. Daniel Marsick, DOE, EH-52, Office Of Worker Protection Policy and Programs
2nd Annual Laser Safety Officers' Workshop
The “2nd Annual Laser Safety Officers' Workshop” was held July 11-13. John Peters and Bruce Murdock attended the workshop. They reported about 60 people attended the workshop that was hosted by Chris Weilandics and Jack Preses at BNL. John reported an attempt is underway to have core laser safety training course that would be used across the DOE complex. Personnel that needed laser safety training would have the same training with an additional site-specific training module. The laser safety group has received DOE’s buy-in for the concept but is waiting for funding to support the task from HQ. How someone would receive credit for taking the training was not discussed at the meeting. Bruce has some concerns about the core training materials being purposed for this commonly used training. He would like to see all the sites have input and buy-in into the purposed training before it becomes highly developed.
Bruce reported that LANL plans to greatly expand their Laser Safety Training Program. One area to be expanded is to target 4-hour hands-on alignment training for all new users. LANL plans to incorporate this new proposed core training into their program. Sandia National Laboratories has already incorporated the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory laser safety training (Web-based) into their training program which is the basis for the proposed core training.
Ralph recommended that the SIG invite Ken Barat to join the next SIG Steering Committee call to discuss the laser safety core training initiative in more details.
DOE 851 Prototype Compliance Inspection Visit at Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Dan Marsick reported through Deborah McFalls to the Steering Committee that the DOE 851 Prototype Compliance Inspection visit at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) explored issues of building codes, legacy wastes within the labs, adequate emergency response, NTS reportable items and pressure safety. No formal trip report or citations were issued. The DOE team hoped to clarify issues with NTS thresholds, reporting and codes of record. ORNL had a discussion of the findings by teleconference on the Friday following the DOE visit. Debbie Jenkins, the ORNL PAA Coordinator, would need to be contacted for more information about their conclusions. The Steering Committee will invite Debbie Jenkins to join the committee on a future call to discuss the findings.
Future EH 10 CFR 851 Implementation Workshops
Dan Marsick reported through Deborah McFalls to the Steering Committee that Future 851 Implementation Workshops will likely not be held until the new fiscal year. The Office of Enforcement has one more prototype at the Advanced Waste Facility at Hanford in August. Four workshops in four different regions have been discussed. There is an EM 10 851 Implementation Workshop being held in July in Denver. Mike Hurshman will try to arrange to get a speaker for the August call to talk about the EM workshop. He has a staff member that is attending the Denver meeting.
DRAFT 10 CFR 851 Guidance Document
David Weitzman was not able to join in the conference call to discuss the progress on the guidance document. Since the conference call, (around July 24), the Implementation Guide for 851 became available for review and comment in the DOE Directives System. Comments on the Guide are due September 20. The following review instructions were provided for the submission of comments:
Directives Points of Contact at Headquarters Elements: Submit one set of consolidated comments to the originator of the Guide: David Weitzman, EH-52, Bldg. 270CC, Room 4050, GTN, facsimile: (301)903-7773; or Internet address: David.Weitzman@eh.doe.gov.
Send an additional copy of comments to LaVerne Fuller, ME-43, Room 4B-172, Forrestal, facsimile: (202)586-1972, or to: laverne.fuller@hq.doe.gov.
Directives Points of Contact at Field Elements: will submit consolidated comments to their appropriate Lead Program Secretarial Office. If appropriate, the package submitted by Field Elements may contain comments provided by contractors.
Contractors will submit comments directly to their appropriate Field Elements.
Questions concerning the content of the Guide should be directed to David Weitzman at (301)903-5401. Questions on the directives system should be directed to LaVerne Fuller at (202)586-1996.
Harvey Grasso noted there is a lack of information about what a baseline evaluation is in the new rule (851). He has questions about what a baseline evaluation is and is recommending that a definition about it be inserted into the guidance document. He believes it is important to include this information in the guide. Hopefully this concern can be readdressed to David Weitzman during the August conference call meeting.
Supplied Air Suit Policy
Dan Marsick reported through Deborah McFalls to the Steering Committee that he and Joel Rabovsky met with Ed Kvartek and Heather Farrer of the Savannah River Site respiratory protection office. They discussed modification of the present air suit standard to include powered air purifying suits, European equivalencies for DOE-required testing and a complex-wide orientation/vendor exhibit to air suit technology and evaluation (probably to be held at SRS in late October). Three sites are planning to request approval of new air suit designs. Under the present standard, the Site Office approves the request with the possible aid of Headquarters expertise. Joel is modifying the standard and Dan is organizing the orientation.
DOE EH Reorganization Dan Marsick reported through Deborah McFalls to the Steering Committee that he has seen congressional and DNFSB correspondence and testimony on the EH reorganization but that no official word has come down on the outcome of the related discussions. Many people think that the proposed reorganization may be modified or delayed until after the fall elections. It is believed that the new 851 rule was perceived as threatening to the contractors, who have asked DOE’s upper management for some relief on the matter.
IH/OS SIG Web Site’s Nanotechnology Section view
Deborah McFalls, ORISE, reported that the IH/OS SIG’s Web site now includes a new section that is called “Nanotechnology Health and Safety Repository.” The purpose of the new section is to promote awareness of nanotechnology safety and health issues. Subsections of the nanotechnology section include information on:
General Information
Government Policy
Nanotechnology Centers
Occupational Safety and Health Risks
Health and Safety Working Groups
Presentations
Publications
Other Resources
Upcoming Events
The remainder of the SIG’s Web will be updated to have a similar look to the new nanotechnology section within the coming month.
IH/OS SIG Steering Committee 2006 Workshop
The Steering Committee had previously agreed to hold their IH/OS SIG Steering Committee 2006 Workshop in conjunction with the suggested LANL-hosted 851Rule Implementation Workshop. Workshop plans will go forward once the date has been selected for the LANL-hosted workshop.
Future Steering Committee Conference Call Meeting The next Steering Committee Conference Call meeting is scheduled for August 22, 2006, 1:15 – 2:45 EST, conference call number is: (301)903-6167.
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
