Safety Culture and Integrated Safety Management
Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) is committed to performing work safely in the operation of the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE). ORAU supports the Department of Energy (DOE) policy of using management systems to integrate safety into work practices at all levels.
ORAU requires all workers to participate in the development and implementation of safety management systems. "Safety" in this context encompasses environment, safety, and health (ES&H), including waste minimization and pollution prevention.
All ORAU programs and departments actively pursue continuous improvement, and the addition of Integrated Safety Management (ISM) concepts further strengthens this institutional culture. ORAU has accepted the ISM concept by contract under DOE Acquisition Regulations (DEAR) Clause 970.5204-2 and DOE Policy 450.4, Safety Management System Policy.
ORAU has adopted DOE’s guiding principles and core functions of ISM on a corporate level and in all the individual program/department ISM plans. These flexible guidelines are tailored to the nature of the work and the severity of the hazards and environmental risks encountered in individual situations. ORAU line managers incorporate ISM into management and work practices at all levels to ensure that safety is an integral part of day-to-day activities and is not the sole responsibility of ES&H professionals.
These principles and functions form the basis of ORAU’s culture and have been incorporated into the ORAU Quality Assurance Plan and the ORAU Emergency Preparedness Plan.
Guiding Principles
ORAU endorses the guiding principles, as described by DOE and the Oak Ridge Office (ORO):
- Line management responsibility for safety: line management is directly responsible for the protection of workers, the public, and the environment.
- Clear roles and responsibilities: clear and unambiguous lines of authority and responsibility for ensuring safety is established and maintained at all organizational levels and for its subcontractors.
- Competence commensurate with responsibilities: personnel are required to have the experience, knowledge, skills, and capabilities necessary to discharge their responsibilities.
- Balanced priorities: managers must allocate resources to address safety, as well as programmatic and operational considerations. Protection of workers, the public, and the environment is a priority whenever activities are planned and performed.
- Identification of safety standards and requirements: before work is performed, the associated hazards must be evaluated, and an agreed-upon set of safety standards and requirements will be established to provide adequate assurance that workers, the public, and the environment are protected from adverse consequences.
- Hazard controls tailored to work being performed: administrative and engineering controls are tailored to the work being performed to prevent adverse effects and to mitigate hazards.
- Operations authorization: the conditions and requirements to be satisfied before operations are initiated are clearly established and agreed upon.
Core Functions
ORAU policies and procedures incorporate the five core functions, as defined by DOE. These are the key elements that support the program/department ISM plans. Managers incorporate these functions into daily work activities:
- Define the scope of work: missions are translated into work, expectations are set, tasks are identified and prioritized, and resources are allocated.
- Analyze the hazards: hazards associated with the work are identified, analyzed, and categorized.
- Develop and implement hazard controls: applicable standards, policies, procedures, and requirements are identified and agreed upon; controls to prevent/mitigate hazards are identified; and controls are implemented.
- Perform work within controls: readiness is confirmed and work is performed safely.
- Provide feedback and continuous improvement: information on the adequacy of controls is gathered, opportunities for improving the definition and planning of work are identified, and line and independent oversight is conducted.