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December
December 11 & 12,
2006
Safety Firsts
Safety Seconds
How many pounds of fuel does the new Airbus A380 need to dump for it to make an emergency landing just after takeoff?
December 12,
2006
Conserving Energy
During the Holidays
It's the time of year when residential areas are aglow with holiday lights. As you string up your lights this year, remember that a little goes a long way.
December 4 & 5,
2006
Safety Firsts
Safety Seconds
Have you ever made a mistake, almost had an injury or accident, and then told yourself how lucky you were?
December 5,
2006
Possible Travel Risks
Over the past six months, several SLAC employees have injured themselves while on travel. Being in new places doing non-routine tasks has led to pulled shoulders, injured knees, twisted ankles and more.
November
November 27 & 28,
2006
Safety Firsts
Safety Seconds
A company named Kepner-Tregoe did an intensive study of the most effective problem solvers in the case where a process is running well and then the results suddenly become unacceptable. Can you guess the number one technique used by these problem solvers?
November 28,
2006
Dosimeter FAQs
Why must SLAC Personnel wear dosimeters?
November 20 & 21,
2006
Safety Firsts
Safety Seconds
SLAC's injury rate goal from the Department of Energy is less than one injury for every one hundred people over the course of a year. What are the implications of this for an individual?
November 21,
2006
Safe Driving Tips
Thanksgiving is upon us, which means this weekend will be one of the busiest on the nation's roads and highways. The more people there are on the road, the more likely collisions are to occur.
November 13 & 14,
2006
Safety Firsts
Safety Seconds
The crash of the Concorde airliner in 2000 was entirely preventable.
November 14,
2006
Open Enrollment Ends Tomorrow
Open Enrollment, the time in which Stanford employees can enroll, review, or change their health and life benefits, comes to a close tomorrow.
November 6 & 7,
2006
Safety Firsts
Safety Seconds
Looking at all the injuries suffered by SLAC staff members reveals at least two common patterns.
November 7,
2006
How do Smoke Detectors Work?
Daylight Saving Time provides a convenient reminder for people to change the batteries in their smoke detectors. But how do smoke detectors work in the first place?
October
October 30 & 31,
2006
Safety Firsts
Safety Seconds
What does it mean for a commercial airline pilot to adhere to "sterile cockpit" rules?
October 31,
2006
Mental Health Benefits
Healthy living involves more than just taking care of yourself physically—it involves taking care of yourself mentally, too.
October 23 & 24,
2006
Safety Firsts
Safety Seconds
What's the most extreme case of inattentive driving you have ever witnessed?
October 24,
2006
Why Track Close Calls?
In 1986 the Space-Shuttle Challenger exploded soon after lift-off due to faulty o-rings. Engineers working on the shuttle had, previous to the accident, noted that that some of the o-rings used in other shuttle missions were degrading.
October 16 & 17,
2006
Safety Firsts
Safety Seconds
People who survive major heart attacks often re-start their lives with a dramatically different perspective. Why wait for the workplace equivalent of a heart attack?
October 17,
2006
Lessons Learned in a Hoist Cable Failure
At the Department of Energy Savannah River Site (SRS), workers learned the importance of following procedures and doing pre-operational visual inspections.
October 9 & 10,
2006
Safety Firsts
Safety Seconds
Most of our time is spent—and nearly all of our injuries occur—doing familiar, common, seemingly low risk activities. Is there some simple way to enhance the safety of these activities?
October 10,
2006
Stress: It Doesn't do a Body Good
If a stressful day sends you to the candy dish for relief, you are not alone. Experts tell us that our bodies are biologically programmed to crave carb-heavy food when we're under stress.
October 2 & 3,
2006
Safety Firsts
Safety Seconds
Santayana's statement that "those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it" is insufficient. Why?
October 3,
2006
Need New Wheels?
This past summer, Carpenter Shop Supervisor Aidan Metzger and his coworkers spent most of their weekends replacing damaged tiled floors in offices throughout SLAC. The floors were damaged by an unlikely culprit—plastic chair wheels.
September
September 25 & 26,
2006
Safety Firsts
Safety Seconds
In the 1980s, one government agency experienced a series of identical near-misses and then declared them all to be "normal" because nothing exploded.
September 26,
2006
Go With the Flow
Each work day, nearly 1,500 vehicles pass through the Main Gate as employees and visitors make their way to SLAC. To help keep the flow of all that traffic going and to ensure the safety of pedestrians and motorists, Security asks that drivers do one simple thing: avoid stopping on Loop Road just beyond the main gate to drop off or pick up passengers.
September 18 & 19,
2006
Safety Firsts
Safety Seconds
People often fail to learn from repeated safety accidents.
September 19,
2006
Beware Yellow Jackets
Whether they're hijacking your lunch, hovering over your shoulder, or flying straight at you, chances are you've encountered yellowjackets.
September 11 & 12,
2006
Safety Firsts
Safety Seconds
The recent commercial jet crash in Kentucky is so dramatically instructive because it is an example of a poor decision about a task that at first appeared minor but led to a devastatingly terrible consequence.
September 12,
2006
Proper Refuse Disposal
Recently, the SLAC Waste Management Group has noticed a rash of personal trash abandoned around the SLAC site.
September 5,
2006
Want to Quit Smoking? Medical Office Can Help
We all know that smoking is a big health risk—a factor in nearly 20 percent of deaths. Cigarettes alone kill more Americans than alcohol, car accidents, suicide, AIDS, homicide, and illegal drugs combined. Even so, twenty-one percent of adults, twenty-two percent of high school students and eight percent of middle school students smoke.
August
August 29,
2006
New Permit Required for Drilling and Cutting
SLAC and the DOE have identified penetrating walls, ceilings, floors and the ground as one of the activities most likely to end in an accident. In May of 2004, a SLAC worker drilled into a live 480 volt panel when making a penetration in drywall. Fortunately, the worker was not injured. As a result of the review of the accident, SLAC developed and implemented ES&H Chapter 44 Penetration Safety on August 19, 2005. This included a Penetration Permit process.
August 22,
2006
Tunnel Rescue Drills
On August 28-30, SLAC's emergency personnel will work with the Palo Alto Fire Department (PAFD) to coordinate a series of tunnel rescue drills that will involve all fire department shifts at SLAC.
August 15,
2006
Turner and LCLS Safety
With start of LCLS construction just a few weeks away, safety is a subject that is weighing heavily on the minds of everyone involved. Turner Construction Company—the primary contractor responsible for construction—is taking steps to guarantee the safety of its workers, SLAC employees, and the subcontractors who will be participating in this enormous and complicated project.
August 8,
2006
Cumulative Trauma Disorder
Most injuries occur in an instant. However, some arise gradually due to an accumulation of small stresses that may take weeks, months or years before symptoms appear. Referred to as Cumulative Trauma Disorder (CTD), these injuries are caused by prolonged muscle tension, repetitive motion, overuse, or incorrect/static posture. SLAC's workforce is by no means immune to occupational CTDs.
August 1,
2006
Non-Spill Bottle Caps
Water makes up two-thirds of all the earth's surface and 90 percent of your body mass—it's everywhere. But water can also be a safety hazard at work.
July
July 25,
2006
Beating the Heat
The current heat wave means it is time to watch for symptoms of heat stress in the form of heat stroke, sunstroke, heat exhaustion, heat rash or heat fatigue.
July 18,
2006
Main Gate Safety
Over the past few weeks, security guards have noticed an increase in vehicles unsafely passing bicyclists at SLAC's main gate. The majority of these safety concerns result from drivers not slowing down or not merging with enough care.
July 11,
2006
Staying Safe in the Klystron Gallery
The highlight of nearly all SLAC tours is the Klystron Gallery. From the visitor's alcove, the gallery stretches farther than the eye can see. As majestic as this two-mile open structure is, it contains many hazards including vehicular traffic, construction zones, radiation, fires, excessive noise, extreme levels of electricity, and even wild animals.
June
June 27,
2006
Injury Prevention Talks Produce Ideas and Energy
Nearly all work at SLAC is a collaborative effort—safety is no different. With this in mind, the lab held site-wide injury prevention meetings on Thursday, May 11.
June 20,
2006
Fire Season at SLAC
With the summer heat upon us, fire crews are training for the wildfire season. In the coming weeks, the three crews of Palo Alto Fire Station 7—located on the SLAC site—will fight simulated grassfires, practice fire engine maneuvers, and survey the area for changes in accessibility.
June 13,
2006
Ticks and Lyme Disease
Ticks are unusually prevalent this year, especially in the tall grass and brush that lines SLAC’s roads. Ticks can carry Lyme disease, so it's important to protect yourself anytime you venture off the road.
June 6,
2006
Stanford Safety Alert: Mountain Lions
In the past few years, mountain lions have become a fact of life for those of us living and working around Palo Alto and Stanford. We knew they were in the hills, but we hadn't encountered them in our neighborhoods.
May
May 23,
2006
Being Safe with Cars, Bikes and People
The weather is great and everybody wants to be out in it—walking, biking, and driving.
Here at SLAC, we share our roads and pathways; bicycles and cars on the roads, and pedestrians and cyclists on the pathways. To be safe, we have to be aware of others on our route.
May 16,
2006
What Use Are Breaker Panel Labels?
There was a serious electrical arc flash accident at SLAC in 2004, and another recently at Brookhaven National Laboratories (BNL). Both accidents involved injuries which would have been significantly less severe if correct warning labels had been posted and the workers had worn the proper Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Consequently, labels on breaker panels are appearing all over SLAC.
May 9,
2006
Site-wide Safety Discussions this Thursday
All SLAC employees and users will meet with their managers and supervisors this Thursday, May 11, to discuss injury prevention. These discussions offer employees a chance to provide feedback to their department managers and safety coordinators on how best to prevent injuries.
May 2,
2006
Site-Wide Injury Prevention Discussion
SLAC has already suffered more recordable injuries for fiscal year 2006 than it did for all of 2005. To prevent future injuries, senior management, ES&H and the Directorate would like your help.
April
April 25,
2006
ES&H Offers New Web-Based Training
Last week, ES&H Training launched a new web-based training portal.
April 18,
2006
Earthquake Safety
One hundred years ago today, San Francisco experienced an estimated 7.9 magnitude earthquake. Gas lines broke, 60 fires broke out, and the water system failed. More than 3,000 people perished and 29,000 buildings were razed in the disaster, a combination of the quake and the fires that lasted for three days.
April 11,
2006
Change in STA Annual Review Dates
The SLAC Training Assessment (STA) is the tool SLAC supervisors use to assign safety training to their employees. In addition to adding individual courses throughout the year, supervisors are required to perform an annual comprehensive review of each employee's STA. In the past these reviews were due on the same date. But having one deadline for all employees at SLAC has at times been the source of confusion and inconvenience. Based on staff feedback, this approach is being modified to accommodate the needs of the laboratory.
April 4,
2006
Wellness at SLAC
It's easy to forget that a work day should be more than simply doing your job and then going home to do everything else that needs to be done. Taking care of your health and wellness is put in the slot of "when I have time" and "outside work." However, you can do things for yourself right here at SLAC through the ES&H Medical Department's Wellness Program.
March
March 28,
2006
SLAC Employee and Medical Personnel Save A Life
Last week, the staff at SLAC's medical department and a quick-thinking coworker saved a person's life. After falling sick at work, a SLAC employee decided to bike home to get some rest. However, a coworker stepped in before he could leave and insisted that they visit SLAC's medical office.
March 21,
2006
Be Safe in the Rain
Slips, trips, and falls are some of our top hazards here at SLAC. During our current wet weather, we need to be especially careful.
March 14,
2006
Local Dispatch Answers Cell Phone 911 Calls
At SLAC, we all know to dial 9-911 from any lab phone in the case of an emergency. But what if you’re away from your desk at that critical moment? If you use your cell phone, who will receive the call?
March 7,
2006
California Waste Disposal - New Rules!
Regulations are tightening on disposal of hazardous waste including batteries, fluorescent tubes, electronic devices, thermostats and other common household articles.
February
February 28,
2006
Traffic Light Change Benefits Cyclists
A recent change in the traffic light pattern at the Sand Hill Road entrance to SLAC benefits the safety of cyclists.
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