Center for Human Reliability Studies
The Center for Human Reliability Studies (CHRS)—a program at the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE)—was designated a U.S. Department of Energy Center of Excellence in 1986. Since that time, the subject matter experts at CHRS have supported DOE in its efforts to ensure a reliable workforce and a safe and secure environment.
Because this is a universal need for both government and private industry, ORISE has shared its expertise with a variety of organizations. Our personnel can adapt the basic elements of human reliability into a program tailored specifically for any organization concerned with the safety and security of sensitive materials and information.
The work and expertise of ORISE focuses on:
Human Reliability
ORISE helped DOE to implement its Human Reliability Program, published a document on detecting unusual behavior, and conducts workshops on developing and implementing human reliability programs.
Personnel Security
ORISE provides subject matter expertise on personnel security processes, procedures, issues, and concerns. This work includes legal and technical reviews of current and proposed policies and regulations as well as research.
Security Awareness Special Interest Group (SASIG)
The SASIG is one of several SIGs managed by ORISE to facilitate and encourage the exchange of ideas, techniques, and resources among a unique network of DOE and DOE contractor personnel. The SASIG serves as a forum for open communication, discussion, and resolution of safeguards and security awareness issues of concern to the DOE community.
Occupational Medicine
ORISE assists DOE in the medical assessment component of its Human Reliability Program. Our experts have also consulted in the areas of workplace violence awareness, employee assistance programs, and general occupational medicine.
Workplace Violence Awareness
ORISE developed both a computer-based and a traditional classroom orientation on workplace violence awareness for DOE.
Additional areas of expertise include:
- Legal research related to employment, privacy, and reliability issues
- Personnel security, including detecting and mitigating insider risk
- Counterintelligence
- The access authorization adjudication process
- Clinical, social, organizational, and industrial psychology
- Empirical research and statistical analyses
- Review of reliability issues in the published scientific literature
- Instructional media and support for reliability education programs