[DOE LETTERHEAD]

 

August 5, 2005

 

MEMORANDUM TO DISTRIBUTION

 

FROM:            BRUCE M. CARNES

ASSOCIATE DEPUTY SECRETARY

 

SUBJECT:       Reinvigorating Integrated Safety Management (ISM)

 

The Secretary approved the Department’s 2004-1 implementation plan on June 10, 2005.  One of the central objectives of this plan is to reinvigorate ISM.  This will require significant effort and attention, and your personal involvement.  Three specific areas of ISM implementation are targeted for attention by the implementation plan:  (1) ISM system descriptions for Federal organizations, (2) work planning, and (3) feedback and improvement.  The implementation plan also provides an updated vision for fully implementing the ISM guiding principles, and a clear articulation of DOE federal responsibilities for ISM implementation.  The vision and expectations are excerpted from the implementation plan [draft Appendices F and GI and attached for your information and familiarization; these will be promulgated in a DOE ISM manual by December 2005.

Another action described in the Department’s 2004-1 implementation plan calls for each DOE site and program office with nuclear facilities to think through and document its ISM system in an ISM system description document by March 2006.

 

To ensure the necessary leadership and commitment for reinvigorating ISM at all levels throughout the DOE organization, and as described in the 2004-1 implementation plan, I am requesting that each program and site office identify an ISM Champion who will be responsible for leading ISM implementation activities at his or her office.  In selecting your ISM champions, please bear in mind the ISM principle that line management is responsible for safety.  ISM champions for program offices should be at least at the level of Deputy Assistant Secretary or equivalent.  ISM champions for site offices (including operations offices, field offices, and service centers) should be at least at the level of Assistant Manager or equivalent.  I am asking you to designate these ISM champions and inform me by August 31, 2005, so that I can coordinate overall Departmental efforts.  We will also name a Department ISM champion by that time.

 

Please provide any further feedback to me at (202) 586-2550, or have your staff provide feedback to the 2004-1 project leader, Ms. Kim Davis, at (202) 586-3771.

 

Distribution:

Linton Brooks, NA-1

David Garman, US-ESE

John Shaw, EH-1

Ray Orbach, SC-1

Shane Johnson, NE-1

 

cc:   Mark Whitaker, DR-1

Jerry Paul, NA-2

Site Office Managers

 

Requisite Environment for Effective ISM Systems