Employee Environmental, Safety, Health Concerns & Differing Professional Opinions Programs

-> IMMEDIATE DANGER TO LIFE SAFETY OR THE ENVIRONMENT

•  Call 911
•  After calling 911, call SLAC Security 650-926-5555 (ext 5555 with an on site phone)
•  Then, notify your supervisor
•  See SLAC's Environment, Safety & Health (ESH) Manual, Chapter 37: Emergency Management for additional procedures, guidelines, contacts, and resources

Note: This is applicable to all workers (i.e., staff, users, subcontractors).

-> CONCERNS THAT ARE NOT AN IMMEDIATE DANGER

Workers have the right to express concerns related to environment, safety, health, and security. SLAC has established procedures for all workers, including subcontractors and users, to report without fear of reprisal: hazards; incidents; and job-related injuries, illnesses. Additionally, you are encouraged to make recommendations about appropriate methods to control these hazards.

1. Bring your concern to your supervisor or manager and/or your ESH Safety Coordinator 
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2. If you are uncomfortable doing that, or you need independent support, please use our ESH Help Form or call 650-926-4554, contact the ESH Employee Concerns Hotline at 650-926-4641 (anonymous reporting), or call the Chief Safety Officer, Ian Evans, at 650-926-2192.  
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3. If you believe your concerns have not been adequately addressed and further escalation is needed, you can utilize Stanford University Resources:
   •  Stanford University Office of the Ombuds
   • Stanford University Ethics and Compliance Helpline: 650-721-2667 or anonymous submission
4.  You may also report concerns directly to the Department of Energy (DOE):
   •  SLAC SSO Site Office Employee Concerns Contact, Tom Rizzi, and/or the DOE Site Office Employee Concerns Program: 800-676-3267 (see below for more info on the program)
   •  Inspector General Hotline: 800-541-1625 or by email ighotline@hq.doe.gov 

-> AREA SPECIFIC CONCERNS

• Medical: Call SLAC Occupational Health Center at 650-926-2281 or visit their office Mon-Fri, 8am-5pm in Building 28, Room 11; After Hours: closest Emergency Dept. at Stanford-900 Quarry Rd. 650-723-5111
• Security (non-emergency): 650-926-2551 (Call 650-926-5555 for emergencies after calling 911)
• Radiological: Call Radiation Protection Field Operations at 650-926-4299 (same number to request a field survey) or After Hours Duty Technician: 650-504-3364
• Training:  Email at esh-training@slac.stanford.edu
•  Waste, Fraud, and Abuse: DOE Anonymous Hotline: 1-800-541-1625

DOE Employee Concerns Program

The DOE ECP which encourages the free and open expression of employee concerns and provides DOE federal, contractor, and subcontractor employees with an independent avenue to raise any concern related, but not limited, to the environment, safety, health, and management.

THE DOE ECP IS DESIGNED TO:

•  Encourage open communication;
•  Inform employees of the proper forum for consideration of their concerns;
•  Ensure employees can raise issues without fearing reprisal;
•  Address employee concerns in a timely and objective manner; and
•  Provide employees an avenue for consideration of concerns that fall outside existing systems.

The Deputy Secretary of Energy in his August 3, 2021 memo states that, ‘The Department of Energy (DOE), including the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), established the Employee Concerns Program (ECP) to encourage the free and open expression of Federal, contractor, and subcontractor employee concerns; to provide an independent and formal avenue to raise those concerns; and to support a safety culture where employee concerns can be promptly identified and resolved without fear of reprisal or retaliation.’

EMPLOYEE RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Energy Department employees and any contractor or subcontractor fulfilling DOE's mission have the right and responsibility to report concerns relating to the environment, safety, health, or management of Department operations. Free and open expression of Energy Department Federal and contractor and subcontractor employee concerns is essential to safe and efficient accomplishment of the Energy Department's missions.

EMPLOYEE CONCERNS REPORTING PROCESS

Employees are encouraged to report concerns to their immediate supervisors, or to Department field, headquarters, or contractor employee concerns programs within their own organizations, or to offices responsible for dealing with the particular subject matter of the concern.

DOE field and headquarters employee concerns offices are available to assist employees in determining the appropriate program to which a concern should be addressed and, when necessary, to itself take action to investigate and seek resolution of the concern.

The Headquarters Office of Employee Concerns will complement the various programs established to receive and evaluate employee concerns by assisting in the review of certain concerns when a more appropriate avenue does not exist for a final resolution.

Confidentiality is a cornerstone of an effective ECP and the investigation of concerns. Recognizing that some individuals will come forward only if they believe their identities will not be disclosed, the protection of confidential sources is a significant factor in ensuring the voluntary flow of information.

DOE ECP RELATED DOCUMENTS

• DOE O 442.1A, Department of Energy Employee Concerns Program
• DOE G 442.1-1, Department of Energy Employee Concerns Program Guide
• DOE Employee Concerns Program Statement
• Contact List for Reporting Employee Concerns

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONTACT:

employeeconcernsprogram@hq.doe.gov

DOE DIFFERING PROFESSIONAL OPINIONS

DOE has established a variety of work processes for its employees (including DOE Federal, contractor, and subcontractor employees) to raise concerns so that they can be assessed and appropriate actions taken. Employees are to use these processes to resolve issues at the lowest possible level. In rare cases, an employee may decide that despite those efforts, there remains a concern about a technical issue with potential for a significant impact on environment, safety or health. If you have such a concern and have tried unsuccessfully to ensure that it is adequately addressed through lower-level processes, please consider whether you should file a Differing Professional Opinion (DPO) using the DPO process (web link below) and as described in DOE O 442.2 Chg 1 (PgChg), Differing Professional Opinions for Technical Issues Involving Environmental, Safety, and Health Technical Concerns. If you decide to file, please read the DPO process in the link below, complete the suggested form and the relevant information, and submit your concern to the appropriate DOE DPO Manager.

•  The DPO Process Description
•  Submit your DPO
•  Send to the appropriate DPO Manager

An ESH Employee Concerns poster version of this information is available. 

For further information see the DOE Directives, Guidance, and Delegations.