The SCIP may charter working groups to evaluate a particular subject or perform evaluations.  Working groups: 

  • Operating under a specific working group charter or task approved by the SCIP (signed by the SCIP Co-Chairs);
  • Are chaired by a SCIP Core Member; and
  • May include SCIP members, supporting members, ad hoc members, subject matter experts, and other personnel necessary to complete the working group charter; and

SCIP Working Groups report back to the SCIP on the status of their progress on a routine basis.

As of June 2021, there are six SCIP Working Groups:

  • Communications
  • Community of Practice
  • Training
  • Monitoring Means and Methods
  • Contract Language
  • Safety & Security Culture Integration

SCIP COMMUNICATIONS WORKING GROUP

The Communication Working Group reviews available communication tools, methods, and best practices to determine effective approaches for communicating SCIP activities and promoting safety culture across the DOE complex.  The group seeks to reach audiences through a multitude of methods and formats.

The SCIP Communications Working Group is chaired by Jimmy Guerry, Savannah River, and the Executive Sponsor is Connie Flohr, Idaho Cleanup Project Office.

SCIP TRAINING WORKING GROUP

The SCIP Training Working Group collaborates with the DOE National Training Center (NTC) to support development and delivery of safety culture training for DOE/NNSA Federal and contractor audiences with the intent to indoctrinate new Federal and contractor leaders and employees on their roles and responsibilities to establish and maintain a positive safety culture and a SCWE, as well as how the concepts fit within the Integrated Safety Management System. DOE National Training Center courses currently include: 

  • TLP-200, Safety Culture for Senior Leaders
  • TLP-150, Safety Culture for Front Line Supervisors
  • TLP-151, Safety Culture for Front Line Supervisors (Train the Trainer)
  • TLP-100, Safety Culture for Employees

The Training Working Group collaborates with the DOE National Training Center, DOE’s Office of Chief Human Capital Officer (CHCO), and the NNSA Chief Learning Officers on how safety culture/SCWE concepts can be incorporated into existing course materials.

The SCIP Training Working Group Chair is Evan Dunne, DOE National Training Center, and the Executive Sponsor is Gabe Pugh, Director of the National Training Center, Office of Enterprise Assessments.

SCIP COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE WORKING GROUP

The CoP facilitates the exchange of information amongst DOE Federal employees and its contractor safety culture communities of practice. It is also a network comprised of local DOE employee-led groups dedicated to the continuous improvement of safety culture. 

The SCIP CoP was previously Chaired by Dave Weitzman, Office of Environment, Health, Safety and Security.  It is currently Co-Chaired by Rizwan Shah, Office of Environment, Health, Safety and Security, and Jennifer Appleton, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.  The SCIP CoP meets for a “huddle” to share information on a semi-annual basis.  Meetings are open to DOE Federal, contractor, and sub-contractor organization representatives. To be added to the meeting invite, send an email to SCIP@hq.doe.gov.

SCIP 2020 CONTRACT LANGUAGE WORKING GROUP

The Contracts Language Working Group (CLWG) was chartered in 2020 to develop a report to SCIP on their recommendations for how the Department could strategically embed safety culture requirements, expectations, and behaviors into consistent DOE/NNSA contract language. 

The CLWG coordinated and networked with safety culture practitioners and contracting specialists at DOE facilities to research and identify examples of contract language that is supportive of contractors implementing strong safety culture and a SCWE.  The CLWG also networked with contract management personnel across the complex, as necessary, to work towards the implementation of consistent safety culture language in DOE contracts. The CLWG issued their report and recommendations in August 2021. The group is currently evaluating their charter for additional areas for continuous improvement.  

Roger Grant, Environmental Management Consolidated Business Center (EMCBC) took on the CLWG Chair responsibility in December 2021, and Greg Sosson, Office of Environmental Management, has accepted the Executive Sponsor role effective March 2022 (transitioned from Jack Zimmerman, EMCBC).  Rick Denning, Idaho Cleanup Project, was the CLWG Chair for two years and will remain a working group member.

SCIP MONITORING MEANS AND METHODS WORKING GROUP

The Monitoring Means and Methods Working Group (MMMWG) is tasked to develop performance measures that that can be used to successfully monitor, or has the potential to successfully monitor, the health of safety culture. The MMMWG is focusing on specific data feed(s) for use by DOE, DOE contractor organizations, and the SCIP that support effective monitoring and measuring of the behaviors identified in DOE Guide 450.4-1C, Attachment 10, Safety Culture Focus Areas and Associated Attributes.

The SCIP Monitoring Means and Methods Working Group Report and Recommendations were accepted in January 2022. he report recommends a framework that could be used by DOE organizations and SCIP to monitor and measure the health of safety culture.

The MMMWG was previously chaired by Pamela Bailey, Environmental Management Consolidated Business Center.  The current MMMWG Chair is transitioning to Roger Grant, NNSA Nuclear Production Office, and the Executive Sponsor is Jim Hutton, Office of Environment, Health, Safety and Security. 

SCIP Safety and security culture integration WORKING GROUP

The Safety and Security Culture Integration Working Group (SSCI) is tasked to coordinate and network with security and safety culture practitioners at DOE facilities, national and international external organizations, and academic institutions that have similarly worked to develop a framework for combining common elements of security and safety culture.  The SSCIWG will identify opportunities where security and safety objectives are complimentary and organizational efforts can merge and be of benefit to the advancement of a culture of harmonized security and safety.

The SSCIWG is Co-Chaired by Lee Grassley, Office of Environment, Health, Safety and Security, and Parnell (Bruce) Watson, Western Area Power Administration.  The Executive Sponsor is John Boulden III, Office of Environment, Health, Safety and Security.

SCIP CROSSCUTING ACTIVITIES

The SCIP is also responsible for Cross-Cutting Activities identified in the SCIP Annual Plan.  SCIP leaders (the Co-Chairs and the Executive Secretary) have the primary responsibility for facilitating actions and to coordinate with various SCIP working groups actions to complete the identified goals and milestones identified in the Annual Plan.  Cross-cutting issues may include:  updating external communications (including website management of the SCIP PowerPedia and energy.gov pages), preparing for and conducting the Annual Meeting, preparing and issuing Annual Meeting Reports, updating the SCIP Strategic Plan, and providing internal and external briefings regarding the SCIP. For information on the SCIP Strategic Plan and Annual Reports, click on the following links:

SUN-SETTED SCIP WORKING GROUPS

After Working Groups fulfill their goals, objectives, and deliverables for the SCIP, the working group will sunset.  The following former Working Groups are honored for their contributions to assisting the Department in establishing/maintaining a positive safety culture.

SCIP SOLICITING EMPLOYEE INVOLVEMENT WORKING GROUP

The Soliciting Employee Involvement Working Group (SEIWG) was established in 2015.  This working group was tasked to promulgate information related to effective methods for achieving employee involvement for driving improvements in safety culture, in support of employee involvement (a key tenant of the DOE Integrated Safety Management System).  Members were:

  • Jerry Lipsky, Chair, Savannah River Site
  • Pamela Bailey, Office of River Protection
  • Carol Hennig, Idaho Operations Office
  • Cecelia Kenney, Office of Environment, Health, Safety, and Security
  • Rock Aker, Argonne Site Office
  • Julie Goeckner, Office of Environmental Management

The SCIP SEIWG promulgated the initial set of “Tools for Improving Safety Culture through Employee Involvement.”  The document has over 40 employee involvement activities and associated best practices, new ideas, useful links, and other resources. The employee involvement activities are designed to create an engaging environment, to receive worker feedback, and to measure workforce involvement.

At the July 2019 meeting, the SCIP Soliciting Employee Involvement Working Group announced that it had achieved its goals and the SCIP agreed to sunset the working group. The maintenance, feedback, and improvement efforts for Tools for Improving Safety Culture through Employee Involvement were turned over to the SCIP Community of Practice Working Group.

SCIP 2015 CONTRACTS LANGUAGE WORKING GROUP

The 2015 Contracts Language Working Group (CLWG) was established in 2015.  The working groups was tasked with reviewing contract language of selected contracts between DOE sites and contractors to determine how their provisions can affect the safety culture in which the contracted work is performed.  Members were:

  • Chip Lagdon, Working Group Chair/Chief of Nuclear Safety, Office of the Under Secretary
  • Jonathan Dowell, Deputy Manager, Office of River Protection (SCIP Co-Chair)
  • Lawrence Butler, Procurement Analyst, Office of Management
  • Douglas Dearolph, NNSA Senior Field Manager Member, Savannah River Field Office Manager

The 2015 Contracts Language Working Group the SCIP agreed to sunset the working group in 2016 following the issuance of their final report. Learn more about the 2015 Contracts Language Working Group Final Report.

SCIP 2015 SAFETY CULTURE AND MONITORING METHODS WORKING GROUP

The 2015 SCMWG was tasked to assess different  approaches for monitoring and communicating the status of safety culture implementation at the U.S. Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration facilities and offices.  The primary objective of the assessment was to examine current U.S. Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration practices regarding the monitoring and communication of safety culture implementation, in addition to examining similar practices in other organizations. The SCMWG members included:

  • Rock Aker, Office of Science
  • Josh Allen, Richland Operations Office
  • Mark Blackburn, Office of Environment, Health, Safety & Security
  • Julie Goeckner, Office of Environmental Management
  • Robert Hastings, Office of River Protection
  • Diane Sieracki, Nuclear Regulatory Commission

The SCIP agreed to sunset the working group in 2016, following the issuance of their report. Learn more about the Safety Culture and Monitoring Methods Working Group Final Report.