Sandia National Laboratories, California Interdisciplinary Team (IDT) Review Process of Proposed Site Projects and Activities

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Sandia National Laboratories, California
Interdisciplinary Team (IDT) Review Process of
Proposed Site Projects and Activities

• Gary Shamber, Manager, Environmental Management
• November, 2006

Sandia is a multi program laboratory operated by
Sandia Corporation, a Lockheed Martin
Company,for the United States Department of
Energy under contract DE-AC04-94AL85000.
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Set The Stage the problem.

• In 1992 a new Facilities manager was frustrated
  with the ESH review of facilities projects.
  ESH review was considered somewhat of a
  check-the-box exercise after design was
  essentially complete.
• Review was conducted in series by routing the
  design package.
• 3 to 6 week review time was not uncommon.
• Sat in queue to be reviewed by those who
  ultimately had no interest or input.
• Not uncommon to get conflicting
  requirements/input.
• For important projects or those on a tight
  schedule we would walk them through.
• If a significant ESH issue was identified that
  had not been considered, it sometimes
• required the engineer to redesign
• negated purchased material
• affected an established project schedule

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The proposal

• Lets get all the ESH SMEs together in one place
  at the same time each week.
• Lets get the facilities project managers to come
  to this group and discuss their projects during
  the planning stage.
• Lets make the reviews short by not attempting to
  solve issues. Instead.
• Lets identify the issues that will need to be
  resolved and those individuals who will need to
  be involved to resolve them.

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IDT Was Born
1992
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Immediate Results

• Time dedicated to project reviews reduced by
  gt50.
• Eliminated conflicts of ESH feedback.
• Quality of facilities project planning improved.
• Improved partnership between ESH and Facilities.

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There were growing pains

• What needs to be reviewed by IDT?
• Should IDT be voluntary or mandatory?
• Whens the right time to present a project /
  activity to IDT?
• What about project issues other than those
  related to ESH?

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What needs IDT review?

• Any new project or activity of significance.
• Generally anything non-routine.
• Changes to a routine process.
• Examples facilities projects, maintenance
  procedures, new lab experiments, new programs,
  site activities (celebrations, open house, Earth
  day, etc.)

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Voluntary or mandatory?

• Initially IDT was voluntary. We wanted to offer
  an alternative review process and through time
  demonstrate that it was in the customers best
  interest to use it.
• Later, IDT was made mandatory for all facilities
  projects.
• Eventually, IDT review was made a mandatory site
  practice for all projects.

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Whens the right time to come to IDT?

• Good time is.Once you thoroughly understand what
  needs to be done and how you would like to do it.
• Before you complete a design.
• Before you commit to a schedule.
• Before you issue a contract.
• Before you purchase material.
• Large or long duration projects should perform
  multiple IDTs at key stages.

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Project issues other than ESH

• Many projects have issues that bridge between
  ESH, facilities and security (adjacencies,
  safety v security design, changes in space
  allocation and ownership, scheduling).
• Facilities and security were added as permanent
  members of IDT about 3 years ago.

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IDT Today

• The IDT provides a one-stop shop to obtain
  preliminary and interim ESH, Facilities and
  Security review of projects and activities.
• IDT is also offered as a forum to review proposed
  ESH-related corrective actions or discuss
  organizational ESH compliance, issues or
  difficulties.
• The IDT consists of subject matter expert
  representatives from all Environmental, Safety
  and Health (ESH) subject areas, Facilities and
  Security.
• IDT serves as a NEPA trigger.

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IDT - Desired Outcome

• Surface and clarify the significant ESH,
  physical security and facility issues (safety
  design, adjacencies, construction safety,
  traffic, capabilities) associated with a proposed
  project.
• Provide guidance to the customer for further
  project / action development.
• Identify the SMEs who will need to work with the
  customer in follow-up meetings or interactions to
  resolve the issues, get approvals, completing
  permits, etc.

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IDT Process

• Requests are made to the IDT Point-of-Contact any
  time.
• IDTs are scheduled for Thursday mornings.
  Special or urgent requests are accommodated.
• Primary IDT SMEs or the designated backups
  attend.
• 10-30 minute presentation is conducted by
  requester. Covers what/where/whens of the
  project/action, how they are planning to execute
  it, what they perceive as the ESH issues.
• Presentations are recorded in case any SME needs
  to later review a particular comment or
  discussion detail.
• At the end of each presentation each SME in turn
  surfaces any issue and indicates whether they
  will need to be further involved.
• Presenters receive a report by COB Monday
  identifying the issues and who will need to be
  involved to help the customer resolve the issues.

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IDT process continues to grow.
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Challenges

• Some customers come to IDT looking for blanket
  approval.
• Expensive for simple or benign projects/actions.
• Thresholds when to engage IDT are subjective.
• Customers coming to IDT late in project
  development.

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IDT Residual Benefits

• Keeps ESH, Security, and Facilities SMEs
  knowledgeable of upcoming site projects/activities
  .
• Creates a cross functional learning environment
  and teamwork among IDT members.
• Improves ESH, Security, Facilities visibility
  and customer relations.

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IDT Customer Feedback(FY2005)
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Sample Feedback Comments FY06

• Not sure if I have approval to continue.
• Great process value.
• Painless great.
• Quick, and not over-burdensome.
• Unclear when to involve IDT.
• Great system, works well.
• Meeting discussions were great.
• Professional straight forward.

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Case Study 1

• A facilities project was presented to IDT to
  modify a high pressure test building that had
  been on the site demo list for some time. The
  discussion exposed a much larger program.
• The line customer was requested to present to
  IDT. Several line customers participated.
• It was discovered that the proposed test facility
  project was but the initial step of a much larger
  site program to do large quantity hydrogen work
  in not only the test facility but other buildings
  as well.
• There was also evidence of a space conflict
  between several organizations due to the project.
  

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Case Study 1

• IDT worked with the line customer(s) to
  coordinate many of the program issues
• The safety design basis of the test facility was
  reviewed to assure it could handle the expected
  explosive potentials.
• Safety analysis performed on the work to be
  performed in the other facilities.
• Adjacencies were considered.
• Building safety systems were coordinated.
• Investment monies were found to make the longer
  range facility modifications.
• The space issues were resolved in a systemic and
  satisfactory manner.

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Case Study 2

• SNL/CA was planning its 50th Year Anniversary
  celebration.
• An IDT was performed that resulted in
• Modification of several demonstration projects
  because of safety concerns to the public.
• Underground electrical scans/surveys in areas
  where tents were to be installed.
• Coordinated contingency and emergency response
  planning.
• Health stations for visitors (expected hot
  weather).
• Coordination of temporary utilities (water, gas
  powered electric/generators, etc.)

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• Questions?