Best Practices at Ames Research Center

Presented By: David King, CIH

March, 2013

Best Practices at Ames Research Center

1. Management Leadership

– Ames Safety Accountability Program (ASAP)

– Crane and Lifting Device Safety

2. Employee Involvement – Ames Safety Awards Program (ASAP II)

3. Hazard Analysis –Extreme Environments Review Board

4. Training – Short Term Employees

5. Hazard Control –Electrical Remote Operators

6. Emergency Preparedness – Medical Emergency ResponseTeam

Management LeadershipTop management as well as ALL management accepts responsibility for and sets an example of safe and healthful behavior in the work place.

Examples:– Participating in inspections (in the ARC wind tunnel facilities, all of the

division chiefs and branch chiefs inspect together)

– Following the safety procedures when walking through facilities

– Presenting safety topics at all-hands meetings

– Making time in staff meetings for safety concerns to be heard

Management LeadershipTop management leaders set the tone and build a culture where doing the right thing is expected

– The ARC Center Director attended a Code Q staff meeting to reinforce the message that he expects staff to speak up when they have a concern, so that management can make informed decisions when risk is involved.

– The ARC Director of Programs and Projects communicates this message to his employees: There is no tolerance for unsafe behavior for civil servants or contractors

– The ARC Executive Leadership participates in safety events (Stand Down Day, Center activities)

Management LeadershipSupervisors’ Safety Metrics

Ames Safety Accountability Program 1. Inspections – 12/year

2. Safety Meetings – 6/year

3. Hazard Correction

4. Required Safety and Health Training

5. Required Medical Examinations

FY00FY01

FY02FY03

FY04FY05

FY06FY07

FY08FY09

FY10FY11

FY120%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Performance Summary FY99 - FY12

Safety Training Monthly Safety Meetings Monthly Safety Inspections

Hazard Correction Physical Exams

Fiscal Year

Per

cen

t C

om

ple

ted

Management LeadershipASAP Metrics Trend from 2000 to 2012

Management LeadershipThe Role of Management Leadership in Crane and

Lifting Device Safety at ARC• The Lifting Device and Equipment Manager is supported by a Lifting Device

Safety Committee, which is chartered to ensure that the requirements of the lifting safety program are understood by all owners of lifting hardware.

• The Lifting Device Safety Committee was chartered by the Executive Safety Committee, with insistence that all Directorates have at least one member on the committee

• The Lifting Device and Equipment Manager manages the crane and lifting device safety program, including compiling an inventory of lifting hardware, scheduling periodic maintenance of lifting hardware, and use of a checklist for approval of critical lifts.

• Committee members coordinated the implementation of the inventory and tagging of lifting hardware in their organizations.

Management LeadershipIFO Report Commendation

“The ARC LDE Program has greatly improved its effectiveness since the previous 2008 ARC IFO Safety Assessment.”• By systematically implementing the LDE Program throughout ARC, Personnel

and Asset Safety has been increased and risks have been reduced. This improvement is evident by the interviews conducted throughout ARC, where Operators demonstrated thorough and comprehensive knowledge of program requirements and effective implementation of lifting hardware control.

• The documentation reviewed and the inspections performed at ARC show that the Training Program is effective with Operators understanding and retaining the material provided, bolstering safety and productivity.

• The LDE Committee employee involvement and ownership has greatly facilitated this achievement at ARC.

Employee Involvement Employee Participation

Employees are encouraged to participate in safety without fear of reprisal or discrimination through:

– reporting issues at bi-monthly safety meetings

– having open discussions with mangers

– joining safety committees and teams

– developing safety topics for presentations and meetings

– participating in wellness campaigns

– serving as designated safety POCs

10

Fall Protection in the Unitary Wind Tunnel

An example of an employee-led safety improvement – a bridge fabricated and installed by shop employees to reduce trip hazard

Employee Involvement Ames Safety Awards Program (ASAP II)

FY 2003-FY2012

  # Recognized# of

NominationsIndividual Awards Team Awards

Total $ Awarded

FY03 241 85 32 25 62,950.00

FY04 129 52 27 13 29,700.00

FY05 99 42 26 8 19,490.00

FY06 76 41 16 6 26,885.00

FY07 50 27 19 7 24,580.00

FY08 57 36 18 7 37,445.00

FY09 67 35 18 10 20,000.00

FY10 79 26 15 7 20,000.00

FY11 104 27 20 6 20,000.00

FY12 84 39 28 8 18,675.00

TOTALS 986 410 219 97 $279,725.00

Aeronautics Directorate employees receive ASAP II awards

Center Operations Directorate employees receive ASAP II awards

Hazard Analysis • Hazards are analyzed and controlled through:

• standard operating procedures with job hazard analysis

• laboratory safety plans

• ergonomic assessments

• reviews by special technical safety committees

– Radiation Safety Committees

– Biosafety Committee

– Extreme Environments Research Review Board

Hazard Analysis Extreme Environments Research Review Board

• The Extreme Environments Research Review Board’s goal is to assure all NASA Ames affiliated field research is conducted in a manner that will maximize protection of the scientific researcher while allowing efficiency of observation and a means of collecting data in unique field locations in a safe manner.

• The Extreme Environments Research Review Board has the authority to: review, approve and monitor all off-site field conditions that lack the infrastructure commonly available to support NASA researchers and / or that may expose the field team to unique occupational hazards not typically encountered in domestic, urban, or laboratory field research activities.

• The board has authority for final authorization to proceed.

Hazard Analysis Extreme Environments Research Review Board

• Thirteen projects were reviewed in 2012 supporting 14 deployments.

• Special skills training support, e.g., (diving, wilderness first aid, techniques development, and hazard management) was provided

• The 2012 NASA Headquarters IFO Safety Audit report commended the EERRB for the support and training provided to field research teams.

Hazard Analysis Extreme Environments Research Review Board

• The Planetary Lakelander (PLL) deployment is an example of the breadth and complexity of the deployments.

• PLL deploys at Laguna Negra (33o37’25” and 70o03’35W) in the Central Andes of Chile. The lake is located at 2,700 m elevation in the region of the Echaurren glacier, 50 km east of Santiago, the capital city of Chile.

Extreme Environments Research Review Board

• A) Planetary Lakelander camp on a south shore terrace overlooking Laguna Negra;

• (B) Light inside the domes at night.

Hazard Analysis Extreme Environments Research Review Board

• The circles marked A-C are large geodesic tents for the working area:

• A, is the engineering tent/workshop where final assembly of the probe will take place. It was also the command center for communication and safety;

• B. General physical sciences working area.

• C. Biological sciences working area. The camp had electricity provided by 3 generators.

Hazard Analysis Extreme Environments Research Review Board

• The EERRB is the overview of the project's safety plan, medical certifications, training requirements and compliance.

• The Board provides support for the development of these elements into a final plan for the project.

View of the south shore and macrophyte on the shallow shelf. This is the area sampled by the biology team

Training Ames Safety & Health Training

• Supervisor’s assign training based on knowing the type of work being performed, and the hazards associated with some jobs

• Employees can register for classes and view their training history on line

• SATERN web-based training is available for many classes

Training Short term employee training

• Ames Research Center has an influx of nearly 700 students during the summer, many of whom are assigned to help in laboratories.

• The ARC Education and Public Outreach Division collaborated with the Safety division to ensure that student interns receive adequate safety and health training before beginning potentially hazardous work.

• In most cases, a two-day orientation to the Center was provided during the arrival week. A safety orientation briefing is included in the agenda with a 30 to 45 minute time allocation.

• At the initial briefings, a registration desk was staffed in the briefing location to provide an opportunity for students to register for the additional classes needed, such as lab safety bootcamp.

• Mentors were assigned to each student, to ensure that additional task specific training is provided as needed.

Training Task specific training for students– Code TSS

encourages safe behavior among student interns, using a training checklist and designated PPE storage

Training checklist

Cubby for glasses

Training Communicating Safety Culture to Students

ASL encourages safe behavior among student interns, by posting lab safety rules and violations. Violators of safety rules must sing at safety meetings.

Hazard Control Electrical Safety

• System study arc flash hazard analysis process is partially complete. Our study is complete from our main substation to the first main panel board to all buildings. Labels are installed for this phase of our analysis.

• As an interim control, we have purchased and received one medium voltage remote racking cart and 10 low voltage remote charging and operating mechanisms, that allow switchgear to be operated remotely. We are in the process of selecting new remotes to be purchased based upon hazard analysis results

Emergency Preparedness Medical Emergency Response Team

• The Medical Emergency Response Team (MERT) is in its sixth year of operation in 2012. The team consists of about thirty NASA Ames Civil Servant and contractors. These volunteers have received basic medical training to provide medical assistance to their co-workers in the event of a large scale disaster affecting the Ames campus. Each team member has basic first aid and CPR/AED training, with many receiving certification Wilderness First Aid. In addition to the core training requirements, MERT members participate in routine training sessions to review and practice hands on skills like bleeding control, splinting and moving patients.

• MERT was significantly restructured in 2012. These changes better define the scope of practice for the group within the Center’s emergency management structure. Under the new operations plan, team members are better supported by Ames Health Unit medical professionals during patient care activities. This will help the team function more efficiently and effectively in the delivery of emergency patient care.

Voluntary Protection Program

STAR : Safety through

Accountability and Responsibility

Best Practices at Ames Research Center align with the four major VPP elements

1. Management Leadership and Employee Involvement Ames Safety Accountability Program (ASAP)

Crane and Lifting Device

Ames Safety Awards Program (ASAP II)

2. Hazard Analysis Extreme Environments Review Board

3. Training Short Term Employees

4. Hazard Control Electrical Remote Operators

Medical Emergency Response Team (MERT)

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THE END

Impact of Best Practices

• Are the methods we employ effective in reducing mishaps?

33

FatalitiesDisabling Injuries

Lost Time MishapsLost Time Injury Rate = 0.0

All Other OSHA Recordable MishapsTotal Case Incident Rate (TCIR) = 0.52

Close Calls

SafetyMeetings

SH & ETraining

SafetyInspections

PhysicalExams

Hazard Correction

0

0

6

21

Pro-Active

Civil Service SafetyStatistics for CY10

CY2010 BLS: TCIR = 1.2, LTIR = 0.5