Induced Voltage Discovered During Safe Energy Check

While performing a safe energy check for a lockout/tagout, alternating current (ac) voltage was found when only direct current (dc) voltage was expected. Since an ac voltage was not expected, the work was stopped to determine the source of the ac voltage.
Lesson Learned: Alternating current energy can be measured on a direct current system, due to...

Near Miss Exposure to Electrical Hazardous Energy

In preparation for demolition, workers were performing Universal/Hazardous Waste Removal in a cold and dark facility that included removal of deactivated electrical components. One worker involved in removing fuses partially opened the cover to a panel that was providing temporary power to the facility. Before the cover was completely removed, the...

EFCOG Best Practice #210 Contact Release Training

Coming into contact with an energized conductor or circuit part may cause muscle contractions which can lead to a person being unable to let go. Persons responding to incidents involving electrical contact must have training in order to act quickly and safely.
EFCOG Best Practice #210, Contact Release Training was developed based on the consensus...

Electronic Devices Pose Security Risks

The attached Operating Experience Level 3 (OE-3) document provides information about some security risks posed by electronic devices that enter Department of Energy (DOE) facilities. These items have the potential to be used to record or transmit information without authorization. Some electronic devices have features that may be used to extract in...

Health Hazards of Prolonged Sitting

According to research, sitting for extended periods of time is associated with an increased risk of developing chronic diseases, such as diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and high blood pressure. A recent analysis suggests there are 34 chronic diseases and conditions associated with excess sitting. By just adding one hour of standing increases bloo...

Evaluating the Use of Sit to Stand Workstations

As a result of an article published in April 2015 by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environment, Health, Safety & Security titled "Health Hazards of Prolonged Sitting," an increased installation of Sit to Stand Workstations occurred at Nevada National Security Site. To determine if or how users benefited from the installation of the Sit to...

Employee Ignores Peer Pressure and Reports Safety Concern

An employee performed a safety intervention with a co-worker who crossed a lockout/tagout boundary without complying with the required hazardous energy control process. The co-worker resisted the safety intervention and encouraged the employee to ignore their concern. Disregarding the peer pressure, the employee notified management and a stop wor...

Two Workers Electrocuted when Boom Crane Contacts 7,200 Volt Overhead Power Line

On the day of the incident, a material handler rigged a propane tank with a metal chain so that it could be lifted by the crane. The tank was located at the end of a row of 320-gallon capacity tanks adjacent to a fence marking the yards boundary. Just beyond the fence, a 3-phase 7,200 volt overhead power distribution line, crossed over into the yar...

Are You Wearing Your Hearing Protection?

Our hearing is one of the many things in life we take for granted. Work place hearing loss is gradual, and over time the effects can have a tremendous impact on our life at home and work. The Downtown Safety Committee at Mission Support & Test Services, LLC, created this video, with the help of the A-1 machine shop and NLV maintenance employee...

Lessons from Hydrogen Fire and Explosion in Unattended Experiment at PNNL

On September 30, 2018, a fire and minor explosion occurred in a laboratory in Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's Physical Sciences Laboratory building. While damage to the experimental equipment was significant, the damage to the lab itself was minimal. Over the course of an investigation and causal analysis, much was learned.
PNNL managemen...

The Safe Conduct of Research - Cobalt-60 Source Transfer

Battelle's Safe Conduct of Research (SCoR) principles form the foundation of PNNL's safety culture. In the third in a series of videos examining these principles in action, a PNNL project team tasked with the planning, procurement, and receipt of a highly radioactive source of Cobalt-60 shares how the SCoR principles inform their work.
From maint...

Safety Differently

Work has never been as safe as it seems today. But bureaucracy and compliance demands have mushroomed, including many imposed by organizations on themselves. And progress on safety has actually slowed to a crawl. Bureaucracy and compliance impose performance drag on our organizations, and rob us of precisely the sources of human insight, creativity...

Mechanical Door Failure Operating Experience Prevents Possible Injury

After receiving and sharing OE-3-2014-03, "Mechanical Door Failures," in March of 2015, measures were put into place at the Idaho National Laboratory to ensure that employees were not in the direct line of fire in case of door failure. On October 26th, 2015 the measures prevented personnel from being injured when a overhead door sprocket came loo...