VCAT Pres

Tony Haym

Feb 1, 201
Commission Members

• Charles V. Shank, Sr. (Chair), Fellow, Janelia Farm Res

Center and Former Director, Lawrence Berkeley Nati

Laboratory (1989‐2004)

• Paul A. Croce, Former Vice President and Manager o

Research, FM Global (retired)

• Kenneth P. Fivizzani, Former Research Scientist, Nalc

Company ( ti d) (retired)

• Kenneth C. Rogers (vice chairman), Consultant and F

Commissioner of the Nuclear Regulatory Commissio

1997)

• William VanSchalkwyk, Managing Director of Enviro

Health, and Safety Programs, MIT

• A. Thomas Young, Former E i xecut ve Vice P id res ent, 

Martin Corporation (retired)

• Tony Haymet, Director, Scripps Institution of Oceano

and Vice Ch ll ance or – M i ar ne S i c ences, UC San Diego

• All but last members of BR I
We found

• Progress Progress in the last two years has been 

impressive and dramatic. The new NIST

Director has led what can be termed a

transformational safety initiative.

• Despite the extraordinary progress, mu

remains to be accomplished in order fo

new safety efforts to be institutionalize

b d eyon the tenure of the current NIST

Director.
We recommend recommend the following following ac

ac

• Appoint crucial crucial Associate Associate Director Director for

Laboratory Programs (and Principal Dep

• Address Address the enthusiasm enthusiasm gap in some se

management

• E bli h Establish an A di u t mech i an sm
Summary of BRCII Review Elem

Elem

• The BRCII reviewed documents provided b

prior to the site visits

• Made site visits to the Gaithersburg and B

NIST campuses ‐ Oct 12 and Oct 20, 2010

• Attended presentations by the NIST direct

other senior NIST leaders

• Made targeted lab visits• Took part in focus group discussions with t

operating operating unit lab directors directors, division division chiefs

members of the OSHE group, representatibench‐level scientists, and division safety

representatives
Focus Group Discussions

• In Gaithersburg, discussions were held with fou

groups:

– The operating unit lab directors (LDs)– Di i i v s on chi f e s (DCs)– Members of the OSHE group– Rep ese tat e resentative be cn h‐le ev l sc e t sts ientists a dn d so ivi i n 

representatives (BSs and DSRs).

• In Boulder, discussions were held with two gro

– Division ch f ie s (DCs)– Representative bench‐level scientists and division 

representatives (BSs and DSRs)
Safety culture findings

• When compared to findings of two years ago, the differen

leadership is dramatic.

• Leadership and operations have been strengthened; safet

and responsibilities have been clarified; an Executive Safe

Committee has been established established.

• A totally new safety management program has been crea

emphasizes reviews, rewrites all relevant documentation

est bli h tablishes meani fl ng u new t ii ra n ng programs for operat

• High‐quality, experienced safety professionals have been 

both sites to support the broad range of NIST’s activities.

• Safety and hazards training has become a much higher pr

new mechanisms have been implemented to make it eas

to access information information and training training resources. resources.
Safety culture ‐ continued

• The development of a genuine safety culture at NIST is cl

underway. However, that institution‐wide goal has not y

reached, and much steady effort over the months and ye

will be required.

• Laboratory Directors, in general, have not considered com

their safety systems systems and performance performance metrics metrics with those 

units in other organizations that are known to have well‐

safety cultures.

• Many members of staff hold the traditional view that pla

on par with scientific/technical activities diverts precious 

financial resources away from NIST’s central mission.

• Convincing these “traditionalists” that safety and

science/engineering can (and must) be fully integrated, w

reservation reservation, into each individual s individual’s personal personal philosophy philosophy of 

NIST remains one of the most important challenges for se

management.
Integration

• Much work has been done to establish hazard identificati

and prioritize risks presented by identified hazards.

• The initial elements of

a corresponding training program 

s

hape

a

t NIST.

• The newly established Executive Safety Committee and S

Representatives Council enable transfer of best practices 

organizational units.

• NIST organizational unit lab directors need to support the

unit endeavors.

• We note greater greater acceptance acceptance of OSHE personnel personnel by the re

re

community, and

a more productive collaboration and inte

between OSHE and lab personnel.

• NIST should seize the opportunity to grow relationships,

coll b i a

borations an

d i i ntegrations as it

d l eve ops common po

procedures, inspection and audit protocols, training conte

management during the maturing phase of safety progra

development.
Benchmarking and Metric

• The Commission encourages NIST to identify a

organizations to serve as benchmarks. Exampl

include major universities and national laborat

• NIST’s saf t e y program will i di t n ca e met ir cs th t a 

be appropriate to monitor safety requirements

these requirements have been established, saf

performance will be monitored, measured, ass

and audited.

• As the key metrics metrics, including including injury/illness injury/illness data 

entire facility, are recognized and understood b

staff, the safety culture will deepen.
To repeat:

We recommend the f ll o owing ac

• Appoint crucial Associate Director for

Laboratory Programs (and Principal Dep

• Address the enthusiasm gap in some se

management

• Establish an Audit mechanism
Desired Desired End‐State for Safety at 

• We would wish that the safety culture culture a

program at NIST would be the standard 

which all scientific scientific laboratories laboratories would

measure themselves.

• Within five years, senior science science manag

manag

should be visiting NIST to learn about s

the way that scientists scientists now visit NIST to 

about science and engineering.
Questio