A task force created to review how to standardize and bring about consistency of operations across the Laboratory by studying the outcomes of the suspension of normal work operations recently completed its report.
A major element of the Operations Task Force report recommends realigning the “Responsible Division Leader” (RDL) concept. The RDL has been responsible for setting up procedural, operational and physical constraints in order that researchers can conduct work safely and securely. The charter of the Operations Task Force was to enhance the capabilities of the RDL to make their job easier and more effective.
The task force report defines the RDL’s support needs, clarifies the RDL roles responsibilities, authorities and accountability and determines the set of operational tools that an RDL needs to fulfill his or her job. The most significant outcome of the task force study is the realignment of the RDL.
“The revision of the RDL role will improve consistency, ensure operational performance, reduce safety and security incidents and allow for cost-efficient implementation of best management practices in support of [Los Alamos’] mission,” said John Bretzke, acting Operational Efficiency project director.
The task force found that there are currently 18 different RDLs assigned responsibilities for nearly 1,000 buildings throughout the Laboratory, said Bretzke. There are nine facility management units that support engineering, maintenance and other property management issues. The study found that there is often a limited connection between the FMU and the RDL and that each RDL manages his or her facilities independently of one another, Bretzke explained. The study also showed that there are no formalized position descriptions or training programs, no standard approaches for organizing support staff, a lack of operational work procedures throughout the Laboratory, no career path and no standard budget mechanism for funding, he said.
To fix such problems, the study suggests an overhaul of the current structure. The study recommends reducing the 18 responsible division leaders to between eight and 10, with additional support staff. They would then employ a support staff, the size of which would depend on the organization and facility.
To assist the responsible division leader in performing his or her job, the report said standardized operational support organizations (OSOs) must be established by each responsible division leader to provide the primary operational support and expertise to all work activities. These OSOs provide operational support expertise deployed from the institutional support organizations to support each of the operational functional areas relevant to the work performed in the facility, said Bretzke. Operational functional areas include experts from industrial hygiene, industrial safety, radiation protection, maintenance, engineering, environmental protection, quality assurance, training, conduct of operations, issues management and corrective actions, information management, document and records management, security, authorization basis, emergency management, desktop support, packaging and transportation.
For the short-term, the study recommends that RDLs report either to division leaders or to associate directors, an option that the AD will determine for his or her directorate.
In the longer term, once the RDLs are firmly established, the task force suggests a directorate be established solely dedicated to facility operations.
The study lists the necessary tools for the responsible division leader, some of which include updated facility tenant agreements; updated customer service agreements; a funding tool; and a formal training and qualification program.
Details and the timeline for implementing the new facility management model are still being discussed.
