# Draft Minutes from Senior Management Evaluation 9/14/05

D. Lowenstein -- remarks at the opening of the meeting: C-AD is meeting
scientific goals, we completed SNS project on time and within budget,
the use of the NSRL facility is growing, and the Department did good
work on maintaining low injury rates. Dr. Lowenstein also expressed
disappointment about the RSVP project.

[Comments and questions in response to J. Falco's talk on Job Assessment
Forms (JAFs):]{.underline}

**Q:** N. Narain -- If an employee is out for more than 5 days (ill)
should the employee go to the clinic for evaluation?

**A:** J. Falco- yes.

**Q:** P. Pile -- The annual physical is a great lab benefit. In the
climate to save money at the lab, would it be cost effective to
eliminate the annual physical and have the employee's personal physician
perform the exam?

**A:** J. Falco -- it is a personal choice for the employee.

D. Lowenstein - In the long term, the OMC is a bargain for the physical.
The cost savings is realized in reducing long-term illness by early
detection of illness.

E. Lessard -- The physicals are comprehensive, done in a location near
work, and one has the opportunity to sit and discuss the results in
detail with a physician who is familiar with the work environment.

**Q:** D. Barton- The use of electronic forms for the JAF should be
implemented, including last years data on the form.

**A:** J. Falco - Agreement to this suggestion.

[Comments and questions in response to J. Falco's talk on Beryllium
(Be):]{.underline}

**Q:** D. Lowenstein - Any controlled group experiments for false
positive on the Be blood test?

**A:** J. Falco -- Does not have any statistics on this.

**Q:** P. Pile -- The Be testing has used many resources throughout the
lab. Why not baseline individuals before they work with Be?

**A:** J. Falco -- Testing is bound by regulatory requirements
concerning the use of experimental medical testing.

**Q:** N. Narain -- How reliable are these Be tests? There should be
some base line measurements for workers.

**A:** J. Falco -- Two tests from two different laboratories must be
positive to be considered a positive result. Base-lining employees is
limited by the regulations.

E. Lessard -- Other sources of Be exposure such as use of non-magnetic
tools should also be noted by other departments in the laboratory.

[Comments and questions from the general presentations:]{.underline}

D. Lowenstein -- The Laboratory should provide a real commitment about
fire alarm/detection upgrades.

D. Lowenstein -- The laboratory should promote positive aspects of the
environmental successes to the CAC and BER.

**Q:** D. Lowenstein -- What is the time frame for arc flash
calculations, as per NFPA 70E, for safe work distances from electrical
devices?

**A:** J. Sandberg -- The most pressing areas have a high priority, and
calculations are difficult. There is a plan to complete these
evaluations. It will take years to complete for the entire facility.

**Q:** P. Pile - How does the past activation of soil at the Linac's
BLIP Y contribute to the current tritium levels in groundwater
downstream of BLIP?

**A:** M. Van Essendelft -- Both the Linac's BLIP Y and the BLIP, which
are now both capped, may have contributed in the past to the downstream
groundwater tritium levels, although well data tends to triangulate back
to BLIP itself.

**Q:** D. Lowenstein -- When will we stop tritium monitoring after the
plume levels fall below the drinking water standard?

**A:** M. Van Essendelft -- A focused plan is being developed for 2006
for the regulators and it will address the sampling required to monitor
the g-2 plume in future years. Overall sampling strategy at Linac,
Booster, AGS and RHIC is reviewed with C-AD (Lessard and Karol) each
year and reductions in sampling frequency are likely since the
high-intensity proton program has finished and all the activated soil
areas are capped.

**Q:** D. Lowenstein -- Do external contractors have the proper
training?

**A:** E. Lessard -- Contractors who come to C-AD to perform work (e.g.,
the fax machine repair man) have been identified and their training is
reviewed.

**Q:** P. Pile: How many wells are at C-AD?

**A:** B. Lee -- Approximately 75.

**Management Review Question 1**

> Are the OSH/EMS/SA programs effective in achieving policy commitments?

-   Compliance?

-   Pollution prevention?

-   Injury/illness reduction?

-   Community outreach?

-   Clean-up?

-   Continual improvement?

> Proposed FY06 objectives and targets:

-   Continue to archive data on activated soils

-   Continue to remove PCB capacitors at Linac and Building 912

-   Continue to repair Building 912 roof

-   Continue Safety Week to obtain feedback in FY06

-   Continue OHSAS 18001 and ISO 14001 registrations

[Comments:]{.underline}

P. Williams -- Industrial hygiene surveys will need to be increased in
FY06 in order to base line BNL's workers. This is a result of a finding
from an ISM assessment.

D. Lowenstein -- BNL should capture required physical exams and the
completion of a JAF for each employee in the BTMS training database.
C-AD and BNL should encourage employees to take advantage of annual
physicals.

R. Karol - If 10 CFR 851 is implemented, it will have a significant
effect on the lab. How does the Department prepare for this and
comprehend the many regulatory requirements?

V. Lodestro -- Increased awareness of injury reduction statistics may
cause reluctance of workers to report injuries.

D. Lowenstein -- As the work force ages, work must be reviewed for
physical capabilities of the worker with consideration of ergonomic
methods to reduce potential injuries.

D. Paquette -- In order to maintain continuous public outreach, BNL
should inform outside groups about environmental success stories
concerning the Lab.

P. Pile -- Scores of monitoring wells at the lab demonstrates a concern
for the environment, comforting for the public.

**Management Review Question 2**

> Are programs effective in achieving the objectives and measures?
>
> Proposed FY06 objectives and targets:

-   Evidence points to successful achievement of most targets

-   Continue to reduce injuries toward zero

-   Improve the pre-job briefing program to help reduce errors and
    injuries

[Comments:]{.underline}

D. Lowenstein -- ISM was looking for the documentation from pre-job
briefings. Using Human Performance training to improve pre-job briefings
will be less paper intensive, will improve understanding of the task and
create fewer errors.

D. Lowenstein -- At the Laboratory level, there has been a reduction of
management oversight of new SBMS documents. The SBMS Steering Committee
has disappeared in order to speed up the process of review and
publication of requirements. However, review must be reinstated at the
highest level of management so that requirements are fully supported and
understood.

**Management Review Question 3**

> Are the OSH/EMS/SA programs adequate in terms of:

-   Identifying significant environmental aspects and impacts?

-   Identifying significant occupational safety and health hazards?

-   Resource allocation?

-   Information systems?

-   Organizational issues

    -   staff expertise?

    -   procedural requirements?

> Proposed FY06 objectives and targets:

-   ESHQ resources are at minimum to support expectations, need to
    increase productivity

-   Need to improve fire protection funding

-   Need to increase productivity by streamlining management systems

-   Continue to improve housekeeping programs

-   Need to better define C-AD/SMD ESHQ integration

[Comments:]{.underline}

D. Lowenstein -- Because there are no immediate plans for high-intensity
proton operations, the number of Radiation Control Technicians required
at C-AD have to decline. These technicians may support some of the
anticipated IH baseline work in anticipation of the ISM review in 2006
and the implementation of 10CFR851.

P. Williams -- At the Lab level, ESHQ Directorate plans on combining 4
management systems into 1 in order to increase productivity.

**Management Review Question 4**

> Are the objectives and measures for OSH and E related programs
> suitable in terms of:

-   Environmental impacts, occupational hazards and current conditions?

-   Concerns of stakeholders?

-   Current and future regulatory requirements?

-   Business interests?

-   Technological capability?

-   Internal organizational or process changes?

-   Should additional measures be established?

> Proposed FY06 objectives and targets:

-   Need performance measures to speed fire protection improvements

-   Need to establish targets for preparation for ISM review

-   Need to coordinate and closeout OSHA violations with PE

-   Need to comply with 10CFR851 if enacted

-   Need to review Skill of the Craft jobs to assure they are low hazard

-   Need to address removal of aging cable in AGS

-   Need to draft ERL and EBIS authorization documents

[Comments:]{.underline}

D. Lowenstein -- We have doubled the number of Fire Protection Engineers
from 1 to 2. What additional level of support is required to improve
fire protection?

P. Williams -- Need to identify, prioritize, and track OSHA violations
at the lab level, especially those concerning infrastructure.

J. Scott -- Defining Skill of the Craft in Work Planning is a Lab-wide
concern.

D. Lowenstein -- Aging cable removal at C-AD will be funded with FWP.

**Management Review Question 5**

> Recommended revisions to:

-   OSH policy and commitments?

-   Environmental policy and commitments?

-   Self-assessment policy and commitments?

-   Objectives and performance measures?

-   Elements of OSH?

-   Elements of EMS?

-   Elements of SA?

Proposed FY06 objectives and targets:

-   Continue to streamline SBMS management systems

-   Continue to re-enforce worker involvement and improve the C-AD
    worker self assessment program

[Comments:]{.underline}

None.