Role of Workers

DOE-HDBK-1148-2002

The emphasis of DOE on standards-based work represents a change in DOE culture. DOE

relies on senior management to confront and resolve the disharmony inherent in achieving this

significant cultural change. DOE's ISMS clearly establishes line managers as responsible for

safe mission performance. To achieve this, the line manager is expected to rely on staff

functional expertise for department policy, guidance, and support.

In the context of the N&S Process, senior management commitment and involvement are

crucial. For a Process application to be successful, DOE and contractor management must

provide the necessary resources (people, time, and funding). Since the N&S Process is often

resource-intensive, providing the right people may require reassignment or deferral of other

high-priority activities. This cannot be done without the strong and continued commitment of

senior management. Furthermore, the members of the Agreement Parties and the Convened

Group must be empowered to make decisions and commitments for their respective

organizations. Senior management participation with these groups is therefore essential.

Finally, a successful N&S Process application may need to draw on resources and expertise

throughout the DOE and contractor organizations, as well as possibly from outside

organizations. For example, Fermi Lab engaged the DOE and academic accelerator

community. (Reference Appendix D) Such cross-organizational participation is not readily

obtained without strong support from senior management.

6.3

Role of Workers

Effective use of the N&S Process depends upon the demonstrated skills, knowledge, and

abilities of the DOE work force. Those resources are derived from many collective years of

experience with the types of hazards that characterize the Department's diverse missions. For

many routine activities this experience has been codified in formally promulgated standards and

procedures. For other non-routine activities, guidance documents identify best practices that

while not prescriptive requirements communicate what is known at the edge of formalized

consensus standards. When the N&S Process is applied, the contemporary knowledge present

in the work force is integrated with historical knowledge found in recognized standards. For

those engaged in exploratory work design, the N&S Process encourages the integration of both

practical knowledge and all forms of received wisdom. In the standards-based approach to