LLNS may have excluded the wrong people in last VSSOP? The exclusions were based on outdated job categories and related skills. ULM are now thinking that in the future, job categories and functional areas will have to be re-defined. The next VSSOP/ISP will be based on the new categories and functional areas. The questions I have are: 1) Why didnt they think of that before the transition. It seems like their style is “change things as you go”. Planning is out the window! 2) Who will give input on the new changes? The next RIF apparently is going to be more lucrative than the VSSOP. Depending on the length of employment, a RIFed person, not only gets their 1 week pay per year of service but also from 30 to 120 days notice, essentially 30 to 120 days pay. Please feel free to comment on the rumors or add new ones you actually heard.
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Livermore Discloses Beryllium Exposure
Oh yeah, someone apparently neglected to inform HC that 8 feet isn't the absolute service ceiling for beryllium dust in a turbulent industrial environment. GSE is going to absolutely rape LLNL/LLNS!
The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California is set to face a federal investigation into its potentially unsafe handling of beryllium, a toxic metal used in producing nuclear weapons, the Contra Costa Times reported Sunday (see GSN, Feb. 4).
Federal inspectors are expected to examine beryllium work at the site in September, following an independent investigation last month.
The inspections came in response to five incidents in which Livermore employees made contact with the metal, sometimes without their knowledge. In one of the cases, the laboratory took five months to inform 178 contract workers that they had been exposed during a retrofit project in one facility.
A small number of people exposed to the material develop beryllium sensitivity, a condition that leads in up to two-thirds of cases to potentially lethal chronic beryllium disease. Some research has linked an increased likelihood of developing the disease with continued exposure to the metal after a person is diagnosed with sensitivity.
The U.S. Energy Department offers beryllium sensitivity checks to current and former employees. Between 50 and 60 personnel connected to one of the incidents have requested checks, and a small portion of those people have tested positive for sensitivity (Betsy Mason, Contra Costa Times, July 6).
The list keeps growing. The reality is that if you worked in a building that at any time did weapons work,you may have been exposed to Be.
Considering the PR, I would strongly recommend everyone request to be tested for Be. It doesn't take much to get compensated.
Yeah, I'll bet!
How much is being fatally poisoned worth to me? Vs what LLNS/DoE thinks. Oh wait, I know how much they think I was worth.
I traveled to work for years via bus, breathing diesel fumes and lousy Livermore air. Was exposed to notable doses of carbon monoxide from generators placed just upwind of building air intakes. Worked in machine rooms that had sand build up on top of racks. Other rooms that were laden with dust left over from construction. The building coordinators claimed the places were clean and safe. Oh yeah.
Would bet good money I would test positive for Be. Fat lot of good any compensation would be now.