Sandia under investigation for violating COVID-19 restrictions:
https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/new-mexico/articles/2020-10-20/lab-under-investigation-as-new-mexico-deals-with-virus-surge?fbclid=IwAR3Fxt0ZG_poeg350g1EFUIRXEs6ThswFvajD56O75GNEgmuY8aKaNkBWBY
The state’s Occupational Health and Safety Bureau has opened an investigation of Sandia National Laboratories after receiving a complaint about alleged violations of the state public health order.
A letter sent Monday by the bureau and obtained by The Associated Press alleges that the national laboratory failed to comply with the health order by not limiting operations to remote work to the greatest extent practicable to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The state claims employees were ordered to cease telework and report to work in-person.
If the lab doesn't comply, the state says it's authorized to post a notice of imminent danger on lab property and assess civil penalties up to $134,904 per violation.
12 comments:
When this happened Sandia Management promptly threw their employees under the bus. They sent an all employee memo that basically blamed the employees for almost all the cases on site. The other message was that the cases are not the Lab's fault.
It is notable that Sandia has had a much larger on site workforce than either LANL or LLNL.
LANL is having everybody take low oxygen alarm training. Everybody, you have to watch a video that is the most inane thing that I have ever seen. The only point is that if you hear the low oxygen alarm get out. The whole thing makes the lab look like joke. I love the fact that they tried to call somebody. Anybody who works at LANL knows that no one responds to phone calls, because no is manning the phones and no one is ever in their office. It is sort of New Mexico thing. Official things simply do not function, so you do nothing or take action yourself. Either way you lose.
LANL is having everybody take low oxygen alarm training.
12/02/2020 8:55 AM
Question: What is the set point of these alarms at 7500 ft ASL, where the O2 level is 75% of sea level?
I thought the low oxygen alarm training video was a great idea. I can’t tell you how many times throughout life I have seen people feel compelled to “help”, “assist” or “respond” to some incident in a way that either puts themselves and others in harm’s way or just plain gets in the way of first responders. The message is when there is an alarm, follow the damn signs. You would think it would be common sense, but so many people just don’t get it. May you also follow the damn signs.
The oxygen issue is typical of LANS/TRIAD. That system has been broken for decades and is constantly false-alarming. Furthermore, the LN system in question should have been replaced years ago. True to form, the management threw the employees under the bus and are forcing the rest of us to take this ridiculous CYA training.
True to form, the management threw the employees under the bus and are forcing the rest of us to take this ridiculous CYA training.
12/03/2020 7:15 AM
The video is just out and out bizarre, it is like they took the employees and put the proverbial gun to their heads to make them confess it was all their fault and management was perfect. Most people I know who saw the video found it very creepy and just a way for management to blame the workers. It came across like some video of a American/British pilots captured in Iraq saying how sorry they are. Perhaps if you look closely you will see some sort of eye motion of gesture signaling the name of some manager.
And of course it never occurred to them that some might be remoting in to work computers that had the sound turned off. Oh well.
It’s sadly ironic seeing people gripe about oxygen alarms and the accompanying training. I guess modern LANL staff are unaware of the history of deaths at LANL because of inadequate precautions around O2-deficient conditions — specifically the two fatalities at the tandem Van de Graff accelerator. If the video is stupid, fine, criticize the video. But don’t minimize the safety issue it is trying to address.
If the video is stupid, fine, criticize the video. But don’t minimize the safety issue it is trying to address.
12/05/2020 1:42 AM
I think most people are making fun of the video and not the real safety concerns. It is clear that the video has nothing to do with safety but is a way for management to deflect blame from itself and probably hurts safety. You can say what you want but for the past 20 years the whole point of LANL management is about protecting itself and that's it. There is a reason that LANL has continued to have problems and will continue. I have seen many things change in LANL but the one constant is the poor management and the attitude that management has.
1:42 LANL staff learn about the 50yr old accident at the Van de Graaff ever single time they take confined space training. This incident was a management failure that was pushed onto the employees who were told to participate in the video charade or pack your bags. Nobody is minimizing the nature of oxygen deficient work environments. Nobody is griping about the need for oxygen alarms; they are griping about oxygen alarms that haven’t worked for decades.
The OP had nothing to do with LANL or O2 alarms.
If LANL has an issue with O2 training and alarms, then why not post it.
The video isn’t stupid, and these employees entered a room with low oxygen while the alarm was going off, which was also stupid. Hey guys, guess what, gas chambers are dangerous. When the gas chamber alarm goes off, don’t go in. Millions of people didn’t have a choice in Germany, you do. Don’t be a moron.
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