Safety Programs


West Valley Safety Statistics (updated as of August 29, 2005)
The West Valley Demonstration Project (WVDP) safety statistics continue to remain good.  For calendar year 2005 the Total Recordable Case Rate (TRC) is 0.2 and the Days Away, Restricted, Transferred Rate (DART) is 0.0.  Compare this to the general industry TRC of 6.1 and the DOE TRC of 2.3.  The site has not experienced a lost time injury for approximately 2.75 years. This equates to more than 3,388,600 safe work hours.
 

Voluntary Protection Program (VPP)

The new national model of government regulation is patterned on the successes of programs such as the Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP), which is administered by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Department of Energy (DOE).

The White House, Office of the Vice President, September 26, 1995
The Department of Energy (DOE) recognizes that true excellence can be encouraged and guided but not standardized. Therefore, to promote excellence in occupational safety and health protection, DOE initiated the DOE Voluntary Protection Program (DOE-VPP). This program closely parallels the Voluntary Protection Programs of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The VPP, adopted by OSHA on July 2, 1982, has demonstrated that cooperative action among government, industry, and labor can achieve excellence in worker health and safety.

DOE-VPP identifies areas where DOE contractors and subcontractors can go beyond compliance with DOE Orders and OSHA standards. The program encourages the creative stretch for excellence through systematic approaches and cooperative efforts involving managers, employees, and the Department at DOE sites.

DOE-VPP is designed to apply to all contractors in the DOE complex and encompasses production facilities, research and development operations, and various subcontractors and support organizations. Requirements for participation are based on comprehensive management systems, with employees actively involved in assessing, preventing, and controlling the potential health and safety hazards at the site.

In keeping with the OSHA VPP philosophy, participation in DOE-VPP is strictly voluntary. Additionally, any participant may withdraw from the program at any time.

The purpose of DOE-VPP is to recognize and promote excellence in contractor occupational health and safety programs. These programs, composed of management systems for preventing and controlling occupational hazards, not only ensure that DOE Orders are met, but go beyond requirements to provide the best feasible health and safety protection at that site.

The management systems also provide strong incentives for participants. Since initiating its Voluntary Protection Programs in 1982, OSHA has had more than 100 industry participants. These companies have enjoyed many benefits from their participation, including:

  • Fewer employee injuries;

  • Decreased worker compensation payments;

  • Decreased litigation costs relating to worker injury;

  • Fewer OSHA noncompliance findings;

  • Improved employee morale;

  • Improved communication between management and employees;

  • Increased employee and management involvement in health and safety related matters;

  • Increased productivity and profits; and

  • Positive public relations.

DOE-VPP participants, currently there are six, enter into a new relationship of trust with DOE, in which health and safety problems can be approached cooperatively, as long as DOE is convinced that the contractor or subcontractor is acting in good faith.

By approving an applicant for participation in DOE-VPP, DOE recognizes that the applicant is providing, at a minimum, the basic elements of ongoing, systematic protection of employees at the site. The symbols of this recognition, provided by DOE, are certificates of approval and the right to use flags showing the program in which the site is participating.  More importantly, DOE will provide participating contractors with the opportunity to work with the agency in the resolution of health and safety problems. Each approved site will have a designated DOE staff person to handle information and assistance requests from DOE contractors. 
Safety Management Systems provide a formal, organized process whereby people plan, perform, assess, and improve the safe conduct of work. The Safety Management System is institutionalized through Department of Energy (DOE) directives and contracts to establish the Department-wide safety management objective, guiding principles, and functions.

The Department is committed to conducting work efficiently and in a manner that ensures protection of workers, the public, and the environment. It is Department policy that safety management systems shall be used to systematically integrate safety into management and work practices at all levels so that missions are accomplished while protecting the public, the worker, and the environment. Direct involvement of workers during the development and implementation of safety management systems is essential for their success.

The DOE safety management system establishes a hierarchy of components to facilitate the orderly development and implementation of safety management throughout the DOE complex.
The safety management system consists of six components:
1.) the objective
2.) guiding principles
3.) core functions
4.) mechanisms
5.) responsibilities
6.) implementation
The objective, guiding principles, and core functions of safety management identified below are used consistently in implementing safety management throughout the DOE complex. The mechanisms, responsibilities, and implementation components are established for all work and vary based on the nature and hazard of the work being performed.
Component 1  - Objective of Integrated Safety Management
The Department and Contractors must systematically integrate safety into management and work practices at all levels so that missions are accomplished while protecting the public, the worker, and the environment. This is to be accomplished through effective integration of safety management into all facets of work planning and execution. In other words, the overall management of safety functions and activities becomes an integral part of mission accomplishment.
Component 2 - Guiding Principles for Integrated Safety Management
The guiding principles are the fundamental policies that guide Department and contractor actions, from development of safety directives to performance of work.

Line Management Responsibility for Safety - Line management is directly responsible for the protection of the public, the workers, and the environment. As a complement to line management, the Department's Office of Environment, Safety and Health provides safety policy, enforcement, and independent oversight functions.

Clear Roles and Responsibilities - Clear and unambiguous lines of authority and responsibility for ensuring safety are established and maintained at all organizational levels within the Department and its contractors.

Competence Commensurate with Responsibilities - Personnel possess the experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities that are necessary to discharge their responsibilities.
Balanced Priorities - Resources are effectively allocated to address safety, programmatic, and operational considerations. Protecting the public, the workers, and the environment is a priority whenever activities are planned and performed.
Identification of Safety Standards and Requirements - Before work is performed, the associated hazards are evaluated and an agreed-upon set of safety standards and requirements is established which, if properly implemented, will provide adequate assurance that the public, the workers, and the environment are protected from adverse consequences.

Hazard Controls Tailored to Work Being Performed - Administrative and engineering controls to prevent and mitigate hazards are tailored to the work being performed and associated hazards.

Operations Authorization - The conditions and requirements to be satisfied for operations to be initiated and conducted are clearly established and agreed-upon.

Component 3 - Core Functions for Integrated Safety Management
These five core safety management functions provide the necessary structure for any work activity that could potentially affect the public, the workers, and the environment. The functions are applied as a continuous cycle with the degree of rigor appropriate to address the type of work activity and the hazards involved.
1. Define the Scope of Work - Missions are translated into work, expectations are set, tasks are identified and prioritized, and resources are
    allocated.
2. Analyze the Hazards - Hazards associated with the work are identified, analyzed and categorized.
3. Develop and Implement Hazard Controls - Applicable standards and requirements are identified and agreed-upon, controls to
    prevent/mitigate hazards are identified, the safety envelope is established, and controls are implemented.
4. Perform Work within Controls - Readiness is confirmed and work is performed safely.
5. Provide Feedback and Continuous Improvement - Feedback information on the adequacy of controls is gathered, opportunities for
    improving the definition and planning of work are identified and implemented, line and independent oversight is conducted, and, if
    necessary, regulatory enforcement actions occur.

Component 4 - Integrated Safety Management; Mechanisms
Safety Mechanisms define how the core safety management functions are performed. The mechanisms may vary from facility to facility and from activity to activity based on the hazards and the work being performed and may include:
 
Departmental expectations expressed through directives (policy, rules, orders, notices, standards, and guidance) and contract clauses.
Directives on identifying and analyzing hazards and performing safety analyses.
Directives that establish processes to be used in setting safety standards.
Contractor policies, procedures and documents (e.g., Health and Safety Plans, Safety Analysis Reports, Chemical Hygiene Plans, Process Hazard Analyses) established to implement safety management and fulfill commitments made to the Department.

Component 5 - Responsibilities for Integrated Safety Management
Responsibilities are clearly defined in documents appropriate to the activity. DOE responsibilities are defined in Department directives. Contractor responsibilities are detailed in contracts, regulations and contractor-specific procedures. For each management mechanism employed to satisfy a safety management principle or function, the associated approval authority needs to be established. The review and approval levels may vary commensurate with the type of work and the hazards involved.

Component 6 - Implementation of Integrated Safety Management
 Implementation involves specific instances of work definition and planning, hazards identifications and analysis, definition and implementation of hazard controls, performance of work, developing and implementing operating procedures, and monitoring and assessing performance for improvement.

 Enhanced Work Planning is a process that evaluates and improves the program by which work is identified, planned, approved, controlled, and executed. The key elements of Enhanced Work Planning are line management ownership; a graded approach to work management, based on risk and complexity; worker involvement beginning at the earliest phases of work management; organizationally diverse teams; and organized, institutionalized communication.

Enhanced Work Planning cannot be imposed on line management. Line managers who accept responsibility for safety, health, and quality assurance must sponsor it. Successful EWP projects are characterized by managers with a positive attitude about safety and quality, who seek out the organizational support necessary to implement EWP tenets and have the leadership skills, knowledge, and authority to use EWP to improve their programs.

Varying levels of hazards and hazard control dictate that not every work task requires the same degree of rigor in planning and execution. EWP helps sites develop criteria for determining which tasks can be performed better, faster, safer, and cheaper by relying on the skill of the craft. For example, tasks such as routine maintenance may benefit from team planning to facilitate coordination of resources but do not require the same degree of scrutiny as complex, nonroutine tasks.

"Worker" refers to everyone with a role in accomplishing the work. The unique perspective of line workers injects reality into the work management process as no other member of the planning team can. Furthermore, the quality of work performed often parallels the degree of ownership experienced by workers. Workers' morale improves when their opinions and expertise are demonstrably valued.

Work management teams consist of planners, engineers, workers, safety and health professionals (including radiological control specialists, if appropriate), training professionals, and line managers.

Time and money can be saved by building upon existing, successful programs. Sites that are initiating pilot projects benefit from the programs and lessons learned at sites with existing, successful EWP programs. Sites ready to extend their pilot project to additional areas on-site can share strategies and approaches with other sites in similar circumstances. Programs, procedures, software tools, and training courses are freely shared among EWP sites to minimize duplicative efforts and maximize resource utilization.

Enhanced Work Planning is more than merely planning by committee. It is more than just reengineering maintenance procedures. It is more than using a single software tool to help determine safety risks or communicate occupational medicine or industrial hygiene considerations, and it is more than merely streamlining work package authorizations.

EWP is the amalgam of the many processes and tools noted above that will enable sites to achieve work results faster, better, safer, and cheaper. As new strategies and approaches are proven successful, and in keeping with best management practices of fostering continuous improvement, EWP is ever changing. Ongoing communication and networking are critical to ensuring that sites experience the full benefits of Enhanced Work Planning applied to all work performed within DOE.

The Enhanced Work Planning (EWP) process can be an integrating mechanism for ISM and provides an execution strategy for direct implementation of ISM goals at the activity level. DOE sites across the nation have designed and implemented a process to address the core functions of ISM: define the scope of work, analyze the hazards, develop and implement the "right" controls, perform the work, and provide feedback to improve the process. This is the Enhanced Work Planning process. The EWP process has demonstrated that it is an effective tool for integrating multiple requirements and accomplishing change at DOE sites. EWP has proven to be an effective mechanism in achieving increased safety and cost avoidance from more efficient, streamlined work control process.