Leon Chmielewski (PFS-BM) helped prevent possible worker exposure to asbestos. Photo by George Joch.

June 12, 2006 -- Some of this week's stories:

PFS Building mechanic stops improper removal of asbestos

Building Mechanic Leon Chmielewski (PFS-BM) helped prevent possible worker exposure to asbestos and the improper disposal of the material during a project to replace light fixtures in Building 200.

On May 4, Chmielewski was conducting electrical circuit identification and lockout/tagout in support of the project, aimed at replacing hundreds of old light fixtures with high-output, energy-efficient lighting. Chmielewski was inspecting a pinched wire that had tripped a circuit breaker.

“I knew it was old wire,” Chmielewski said, “and asbestos insulation was once pretty common. So I took it to Industrial Hygiene to be checked out.”

Industrial Hygiene analyzed the wire jacket and identified asbestos in the insulation. Project Management and Engineering was notified, and the lighting replacement project was halted. Further investigation revealed additional asbestos concerns with fixtures in another building as well.

The fixtures and wiring — several hundred feet of it — removed during the project were still in a waste bin and had not been moved from the site. PFS-Waste Management removed the asbestos-containing wires from the fixtures in the bin.

Chmielewski, who has 37 years of service at Argonne , received a Pacesetter Award for his actions that day. In addition to protecting the health of his fellow employees, he may have saved the laboratory from fines and regulatory headaches had the material been shipped off-site and improperly disposed.

“If you're not sure, have it checked out,” Chmielewski said.

Director's Safety Message

The Director's Safety Council, established in April 2006, is an integral part of Argonne 's commitment to safety, security, and quality. The council provides direction for Environment, Safety, Security and Health (ESS&H) management issues, reviews ESS&H performance to develop and promote plans and establish priorities, establishes membership for ESS&H committees, and recognizes, promotes and rewards safety culture. The council meets every other week and focuses on ensuring that Argonne is a safe workplace for its employees.

The council has recently recommended an increase in safety communications to promote awareness among laboratory employees and other site occupants. The new safety communications program is outlined in the story below.

Lab to ramp up safety communications

A safety communication push is underway at Argonne , aimed at fostering a “best-in-class” safety culture by reminding employees to consider safety in every aspect of their work.

In the near-term, employees will notice a series of posters, table tents in the cafeteria and safety-related articles in Argonne News and Argonne Today. Additional programs and events are in the planning stages.

“ Argonne has no choice but to be the leading lab for safety,” said Argonne Director Robert Rosner. “In addition to the recent, substantial changes to our safety team, we are dialing up our efforts to communicate the fundamental message: safety first. Argonne employees need to lead the way in setting an example for the national lab system.”

Future communications vehicles will include brochures and a “hot line” for employees to voice safety concerns and report successes. Supervisors will conduct thorough and regular “walkthroughs” to ensure safety measures are being followed.

“Argonne 's future success will depend in large part on its safety culture,” Rosner said. “This effort will help every employee understand his or her vital role in that success.”

Q&A: ESH/QA Director Bob McCook

There's been some misunderstanding about your role in safety and Quality Assurance (QA).

The first part of my role is to help the laboratory understand how to police itself in its safety and quality requirements. The divisions are actually accountable for safety.

The best way to think of my role is this: If I, or my staff, go out to a division and do an inspection, surveillance or assessment and find a safety or QA deficiency, there are actually two deficiencies there. One, the division's assessment process didn't find the problem, and two, the deficiency itself. I'm not supposed to find deficiencies; I'm supposed to be making sure the divisions are finding them.

If you're planning a new project, I'm the one you come to for guidance on the ES&H/QA requirements you need to think about: staffing, procedures, quality requirements, hazard controls, etc. that will be part of the activity.

Then I go to the divisions and assess whether they're fulfilling both their established requirements as well as meeting the contract safety and QA requirements. Did you do your hazard analysis thoroughly, and are you complying with the procedures and controls both you and the lab have established? Then I can provide help or guidance to those same divisions so they can correct any deficiencies in a way that prevents recurrence and provides sustainable performance.

What do you mean by “sustainable”?

What we don't want at this laboratory is a culture and compliance environment that's driven by an individual or experts. “Expert-based” is how we got here. A sustainable corrective action isn't just plugging a hole, but fixing the deficiency in such a way that the process corrects itself and then reveals the deficiencies.

What are some other aspects of your job?

I also provide independent oversight for work that is high-hazard — not just safety hazards, but high-dollar, high-credibility work. I look at the requirements, I look at the contract. I go to OSHA, I look at controls, protective equipment, pretty much everything. I'm not doing it from the perspective of the person who owns that activity. My perspective is different: the owner is concerned about cost and scheduling; my focus is on safety and quality. People learn an incredible amount about their own programs during these independent assessments.

Another aspect of my job is raising awareness. Safety is something that all employees have to think about all the time. People don't like to hear the word, but complacency is a problem. You've read the operator instructions on the machine, and you looked at the procedure when you started the project six months ago. But when's the last time you looked at the hazard analysis or the procedure for today's activities?

Think of it in this simple example: Why do pilots train repeatedly, and especially on emergency procedures? It's to make the procedures instinctive behaviors and reactions instead of thoughts to be developed for each situation. The emergency checklist steps become primary instincts and following the sequences for resolving the emergency becomes automatic. Yes, even in emergency situations, they follow a checklist. They even follow a checklist for every pre-flight or walk-around of the aircraft in preparation for going flying.

In many cases, our procedures, work packages and hazard analyses have become something that you pull of the shelf and dust off occasionally when you have to revise them. We don't use them on an individual level or daily basis. Sometimes we don't develop them for “Safe Work Controls,” but for the auditor or assessor who is going to look for it.

We need to review and review and review our procedures and work packages and hazard controls periodically. Especially if today you enter into one of the more hazardous parts of your campaign, experiment or activity. Especially if you run into a condition you did not expect or remember from the procedures or experiment plan or work package you reviewed.

You're also responsible for Quality Assurance (QA). How does that fit into the safety effort?

When you get funding for a project, that funding includes both safety and QA. Our culture should be driven by our processes and our understanding of both QA and safety.

I use the term “technical inquisitiveness.” When you're doing work, do you ask yourself questions about quality? What if the experiment and the reactions I am analyzing are dependent or impacted directly by purity of the chemical I am using? “Where did I get these chemicals from? How do I make sure they're the right purity levels? How do I control it to make sure it stays the right purity levels? Has somebody audited the vendor to make sure they're qualified and providing me the right materials or purity that I asked for or paid for?” Those are QA questions and the answers may just have impact on your results.

Some people have the attitude that safety and QA costs them time and money, and takes away from their ability to do science.

Think of how much money and time has been put into responding to DOE's Office of Assessments and Office of Enforcement, and think of how that money and effort could have been used. If a division has one accident or incident, there has to be a critique and a root-cause analysis and a corrective action plan, etc. Think of all of the costs and time that go into that.

It is and always will be more cost-effective to do it right the first time. Especially in the field of science where grants or funding are tightly managed and where the quality of the data or research results is so important.

What do you see coming down the road?

I'm going to be tied into the transition for the contract. I'm going to totally rewrite the QA program. The QA program needs to clearly establish what the requirements are, so the divisions can implement those requirements. I can give guidance, but the divisions have to figure out how to make the program work in a safe way. Divisions should be free to find ways that are cost-effective and flexible, as long as they meet the intent of the safety or QA requirements. Once the program is implemented, then it'll be my job to make sure we meet the intent and performance expectations of those established requirements.

The goal is for EQO to become a pool of subject-matter experts providing oversight of the divisions, providing advice and answers to the associate lab directors. What we're trying to achieve is self-governing oversight and assurances of our performance in safety and quality assurance.

Rosner: Divisions on the front lines of safety effort

“Divisions are best equipped to determine their own safety requirements and procedures and the Environment, Safety and Health/Quality Assurance Oversight Division (EQO) is not,” said Argonne Director Robert Rosner.

“A strong and sustainable safety culture has to come from within, from the people who know the procedures best, and that's division management and division employees,” Rosner said. “EQO provides guidance in setting up safety and QA procedures, and assesses their effectiveness, but can't step in and fix a broken system. Similarly, upper management can define the vision and goals, and provide incentives, but cannot — and should not — micromanage the safety process within divisions.”

Some divisions have tried to use EQO as a “Mr. Fix It,” Rosner said, but that's not the organization's job.

“In order to create the kind of ‘sustainable corrective actions' Bob McCook talks about, each division will have to dedicate its own, knowledgeable personnel to the task,” Rosner said. “Successful, long-term safety and QA can't be imposed from the outside, but will emerge only if division management and staff make the safety and QA process their own.”

Business leaders learn about Argonne 's capabilities

In celebration of Argonne National Laboratory's 60th anniversary, The University of Chicago hosted a Tech Forum at the Gleacher Center on May 24. Argonne 's research and development and the ways it works with industry and businesses was the focus of the forum.

Tom Rosenbaum, The University of Chicago's vice president for research and Argonne National Laboratory, welcomed the guests and introduced Argonne Director Robert Rosner, who spoke on “Leadership in Science and Technology: A Vision for a Brighter Future.” Rosner spoke on the future role and significance of the national laboratories in maintaining the scientific leadership in the world. Other speakers from Argonne included Denny Mills, deputy associate laboratory director for Scientific User Facilities, who discussed the facilities, experiments and experimental techniques available at the Advanced Photon Source (APS); and Don Hillebrand, director of Argonne's Center for Transportation Research, who discussed transportation-related research at Argonne and how industry and laboratory collaborations are meeting the nation's objectives in this field.

Argonne 's APS facilities were recognized by Jonathan Greer of Abbott Laboratories, who gave a riveting presentation on “Structure and Drug Discovery” and acknowledged that without the facilities like the APS, Abbott would not have been able to produce customized new drugs such as Kaletra. In addition, Marti Lenz, director of engine and engine systems design at Electro-Motive Diesel, Inc. spoke about the way EMD had leveraged collaborative R&D and technical expertise from Argonne for future railroad engine systems, how important it was to have access to state-of-the-art facilities and its collaboration in developing high-risk, high-reward enabling technologies for improved efficiency and reduced emissions.

Both industry speakers emphasized the major impact Argonne technologies and facilities have had on their return on investment, market impact and competitiveness with other foreign companies.

Pam J. Sydelko recognized for exemplary
employee training and development

Pam Sydelko (DIS) has been named the winner of the Workforce 2.0 Exemplary Learner Award, given to celebrate achievements in lifelong learning.

The award will be presented during ceremonies in Chicago June 14. The Workforce Chicago 2.0 award is the collaborative effort of several local organizations, including the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL), World Business Chicago and the Human Resources Management Association of Chicago (HRMAC).

Sydelko, group leader in modeling, simulation and visualization in DIS, leads teams in creating integrated computational architectures which model scenarios and support the solution of complex problems of national importance. She began at Argonne in 1989 as an assistant soil scientist in the Energy Systems division, and has progressed through the scientific ranks. She has participated in a number of laboratory-sponsored courses, including Project Management, Technical Writing for Scientists and Engineers and Program Development, as well as workshops in Leadership and Motivation, Performance Management and Styles and Strengths in the Workplace. She also was selected as Argonne's choice to attend the University of Chicago 's Executive MBA program, a degree she completed in 2004.

Geralyn Becker, HR's manager of performance development, said that Sydelko “not only takes advantage of learning herself, but as a group leader is an advocate for development, formally and informally, of the members of her group, and is a strong proponent of career planning for those people who report to her. She exemplifies the professional who is a life-long learner.”

Chief Operations Officer Adam Cohen said, “Pam is fantastic, and she certainly deserves the recognition.”

WIST hopes to involve more employees in future activities

Established in 1990, the Argonne Women in Science and Technology Program (WIST) supports laboratory goals to diversify and strengthen the scientific and technical workforce at Argonne . WIST activities are facilitated by the WIST Program Initiator under the guidance of a ten-member Steering Committee; however, the program relies heavily on the volunteer support of hundreds of Argonne employees. The program is currently seeking candidates for its steering committee.

“I'd really like to encourage people to apply for the committee,” said WIST program initiator Kirsten Laurin-Kovitz (NE). “Serving on the WIST Steering Committee provides a unique opportunity to make a meaningful and significant contribution to the laboratory effort to increase the representation of women in scientific and technical positions.” The committee was restructured two years ago to add representation by all associate laboratory director (ALD) areas at the lab. Laurin-Kovitz said this has helped to strengthen communications between the committee, ALD leadership and women at the laboratory. Openings on the committee are the result of member rotation and expansion to incorporate representation from new ALD areas.

WIST program objectives include promoting and supporting recruitment and hiring of female scientific staff at all levels; retention and professional development of female staff; and encouragement of female students to consider careers in science and technology.

Laurin-Kovitz says “WIST is not about promoting any one type of person, it's about promoting the diversification of the workforce, and anyone who agrees with that mission can and should be a part of it.”

One of Laurin-Kovitz's goals for WIST is to become more strongly aligned with the University of Chicago and its women's initiatives. “It could be a powerful partnership for promoting a climate that's good for women and minorities.”

A work environment that is good for women and minorities, she said, includes an acknowledgement that individuals have lives outside of work and that everyone's ideas and work are equally valued. Argonne is taking the right steps in this regard, Laurin-Kovitz said, with the issues and recommendations that have been discussed by the lab's work/life balance committee, for example. Argonne received a 2006 Golden Family Award from the Society of Women Engineers in recognition of its facilities, benefits and programs that encourage a balance between work and family life.

Other priorities for WIST include expanding on its highly successful student outreach programs. Next year will be the 20th anniversary of the WIST-sponsored Science Careers in Search of Women conference, which annually brings hundreds of female high school students to the lab to encourage them to consider scientific and technical careers. A follow-up mentoring program has been initiated in conjunction with Science Careers to track the conference's impact. Argonne received a 2005 Department of Energy Equal Employment Opportunity and Diversity Best Practices Award, recognizing the conference as an innovative and outstanding initiative which should serve as a model for other offices nationwide.

Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day, which pairs middle school students with mentors for a day of job shadowing, tours, activities, and presentations on engineering, had a record number of applicants this year and the goal is to increase the number of participants to 100 over the next two years.

Laurin-Kovitz hopes to involve more Argonne employees — both women and men — in these and other outreach efforts to students and to women and minorities. “There's a lot of untapped potential out there,” she said.

For more information on how to apply for the WIST steering committee or to nominate a candidate for membership, contact Tracy Ercoli (OPS) at tercoli@anl.gov by June 15. Former members can apply for consideration. More information about WIST is online at www.wist.anl.gov.

Information session to focus on emergency preparedness

Argonne 's Medical Department, Fire Department and Emergency Management Group will hold an emergency awareness information session Tuesday, June 13, in the Building 213 Cafeteria during regular lunch service hours.

The session will provide an opportunity for employees to get information on emergency preparedness and ask questions of experts. Details will appear in Argonne Today.

‘Difficult people' topic of phone seminar

CIGNA Behavioral Health Employee Assistance Program will present “Dealing with Difficult People,” a one-hour wellness seminar via telephone, on Wednesday, June 14, at 1 p.m.

Individuals have unique personalities that cause them to form their own perspectives on the world and ways of dealing with people. Some develop habits that make them difficult for others to work with. How individuals react to these “difficult people” will determine how much they enjoy their jobs and the quality of work they produce as a team.

Pre-registration for the seminar is required. Go to http://ww4.premconf.com/webrsvp and use confirmation code 2440867.