Tuesday - January 16, 2007

LCLS Launches "Dashboard" Website

Click on image to view the LCLS Dashboard

by Brad Plummer

Construction for the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) has been gathering steam over the last few months, transforming the familiar landscape of SLAC under the press of excavators and dump trucks. Now you can track construction progress on your desktop computer using the new, interactive LCLS Dashboard.

Designed by SLAC's InfoMedia Solutions, the LCLS Dashboard is the first interactive tool of its kind at the lab, giving users a detailed breakdown of the major components of the LCLS. To use it, simply click on menu items or on any of the components to monitor construction as it progresses toward first light in 2009.

The LCLS Dashboard joins the Bird 1 and Bird 2 webcams in giving users a way to watch the construction action as it happens. The new Dashboard will open in your browser and can be accessed from on site or off site. If at first the Dashboard fails to operate, try downloading the latest version of the Adobe Flash Player plugin.  (Off-site users click here.) 

Lock Out Tag Out

by Alison Drain

Most SLAC employees need to be aware of the preventive Lockout/Tagout procedures in place to prevent accidents. Lockout/Tagout is most commonly, but not exclusively, used on electrical equipment. "There are all kinds of hazards here at SLAC besides electrical ones," Bill Kroutil, SLAC Deputy Electrical Safety Officer said. "The purpose of Lockout/Tagout is to control all hazard sources, no matter what kind they are."

One thing many Lockout/Tagout hazards have in common is stored potential energy. Kroutil explained, "Capacitors, like those in circuit breakers, store electricity which can give a shock. Similarly, water and gas systems and mechanized equipment can also store enough potential to do harm."

Lockout/Tagout procedures must be used when an employee performs maintenance or service on any equipment with energy sources, including those with stored energy. This includes water, hydraulic and gas systems, along with mechanical hazards like power saw blades, engines and elevators in need of maintenance.

The Lockout/Tagout policies and the Electrical Safety Guide enable each department or group to develop its own procedures. An important part of the program is that every worker potentially exposed to the hazardous energy must have his or her own lock with one unique key. Ostensibly, applying locks and tags to valves and other hazards prevents unauthorized operation or tampering with the equipment. An authorized worker’s red lock secures the hazard control point, along with a personal tag that reads, "Danger," and "My life is on the line."

But even after a lock is affixed, the burden of safety still falls to the individual worker along with the rest of the SLAC community. "It's everyone's job to adhere to the Lockout/Tagout warnings and refrain from tampering with secured systems," Kroutil said, "Workers creating safe working conditions is paramount at SLAC."

For more information, see Lockout/Tagout Program Information on the ESSG site

Contact the Electrical Safety Support Group with questions about Lockout Tagout policies and procedures.

Ribbon Cutting Ceremony Inaugurates New Sidewalk

by Alison Drain

Keith Hodgson (center) cuts the ribbon during the sidewalk's opening ceremony. Also pictured, from left to right, are Project University Technical Representatives Paul Staudenmaier and Kayon Louie, Head of CEF John Weisend and sidewalk Project Manager Felix Adikara. (Image courtesy of Diana Rogers.)

Crisp winter air gusted past bundled SLAC employees as they stood in front of Parking Lot D Friday for a ribbon-cutting ceremony inaugurating SLAC's newest sidewalk.

"Sidewalks like this are an important part of safety and comfort at SLAC," Acting Director Keith Hodgson said. "It's great to finally celebrate this construction."

Sidewalk construction began in December and was finished last week. The new sidewalk runs along the entrance road's eastern side, near the Stanford Guest House. The project also installed two disabled parking spaces in the cafeteria parking lot. The installation of additional pathways is planned for fiscal year 2007.

SLAC Personnel Dosimetry Program Once Again Gets the Green Light

by Brad Plummer

Last Wednesday, Acting Director Keith Hodgson accepted the DOE's Laboratory Accreditation Program (DOELAP) certificate, which renews for two years the accreditation for SLAC's dosimetry program.

Whether trained to the level of GERT, RAD Worker (RWT) I or II, many SLAC employees rely on dosimeters to monitor and thereby minimize their radiation exposure levels. The DOELAP accreditation process can take up to six months, but the system ensures SLAC employees receive the best radiological personnel monitoring program possible by using the accredited dosimeters from competent vendors.

A special thank you to DOE Site Office Acting Site Director Aundra Richards and colleagues for continued support. And congratulations to all those at SLAC who helped with the DOELAP accreditation process!

Events (see all | submit)

• January 16: (12:30 p.m.) Experimental Seminar: Evidence for Single Top Production at the DZERO Experiment

Access (see all)

• Building 40 construction
• Alpine Gate & PEP Ring Road closed
• Gates 17 & 30 open 24-7
• Research Yard bisected

Announcements
(see all | submit)

 Lab Announcements

• Apply to the 2nd CERN-Fermilab Hadron Collider Physics Summer School
• Staff Professional Development Courses
• New Publication: ESH Manual, Chapter 5, Industrial Hygiene

Community Bulletin Board

• Folk Singer John McCutcheon - Fremont Concert Jan. 15th

News (see all | submit)

• Diamonds are Forever...and Apparently from Space Discovery Channel