The meeting commenced at 2:35 p.m.
VPP Application Presentation to DOE-HQ
Vern Madson mentioned that the trip to Washington D.C. went very well, and that DOE was pleased with the concept of the online application. The team who traveled to D.C. (Vern, Todd Hart, and Pat Wright) gave an overview of PNNL's VPP and then provided a tutorial of the application. Some of the users had computer glitches, and the team was able to help them straighten out the problems. Many DOE Information Technology staff members attended and had various questions about the online application, and Pat was able to answer all of their questions.
VPP Newsletter Status
Jeanie Dixon reported that the Porcelain Press subcommittee was given the go-ahead to post the newsletter in all of PNNL's facilities, with the exception of the public areas. EESB and ETB were posted on Monday, but the remaining buildings are on hold due to the holders being back ordered by Boise Cascade. The rest of the holders are expected to arrive later this week. Once they arrive, the subcommittee will get back together to finish putting magnetic tape on the holders, inserting the newsletters, and posting the buildings. Jeanie mentioned that any volunteers would be appreciated. It was also mentioned that the janitorial staff, who were originally going to place the updated newsletters in the holders once the system was in place, were now not going to make the updates for us. We will have to do this ourselves. Drue Collins passed around a sign-up sheet for committee members to sign and write down the buildings that they could help with. Some of the members (Janice Haney, Jeanie, Jim Roberts, and LaVon Clement) recorded multiple buildings surrounding the building were they are located. This will be a big help. Vern also mentioned that we need a backlog of issues so that we are able to post every two weeks. Drue assured him that this would happen once we get the system into place, but getting all of the holders up is a big job.
Safety Expo
John Reck reported that preparations for the Safety Expo are proceeding smoothly. The Expo committee's plans through 2005 are "sealed in concrete." John also reported that Roby Enge allowed John to purchase Expo shirts for the event. There will be free admission and parking to the event -- this was specifically mentioned because last year the public was not aware of this and had some concerns. John mentioned that all help is needed for 2- to 4-hour shifts. The Expo is scheduled for May 1 - 3, 2001, and Tuesday, May 1 is designated as Family Night.
Dyncorp and PTH Achieve STAR Status
Vern reported that both Dyncorp and PTH have achieved STAR status, the first on the Hanford Site to do so. An article about this achievement was in last week's Tri-City Herald. Harry Pettingil of DOE-EH was onsite last week to present them with the STAR flag.
DOE Onsite Evaluation
Larry Musen reported that PNNL's VPP is picking up speed. An onsite review team will need to be established by March 16; this group will be comprised of staff from DOE-EH and SC, the DOE-RL, other Hanford contractors, and OSHA. Mary Ann Showalter will need to help with getting these individuals access to the application via Webgate. An Application Evaluation Review will be conducted by the evaluation team during the weeks of April 2 and 9, and then we will need to draft an Application Evalution Report (AER) that notes our weaknesses and strengths. During the week of April 16, DOE-HQ will review the AER, and once it is approved, the onsite review can occur. The onsite review is scheduled for roughly the week of May 7, but this is the earliest it will be scheduled. The review will last four days, and during this time the evaluators will need to interview one-fourth of PNNL staff. A report needs to be drafted and sent to DOE-HQ by the following Tuesday, and DOE-HQ has 30 - 45 days to finalize the report and make a determination on whether we achieve STAR Status. Larry mentioned that one person needs to be assigned to coordinate staff interviews; this is a very big and important job as the interviews last approximately 15 minutes for staff members and 1 hour for managers, and the interviews are conducted all day for the four-day period. The team will work from approximately 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. each day.
VPP Budget
Russ Meicenheimer reported that the budget, which was approved by management in the September/October timeframe, is 95% spent due to the costs associated with the application. Roby will be getting more money for the effort, stating that this is his #1 priority for mid-year. Roby also mentioned that spending was higher this year, as this is a critical year, but funding will be lower in subsequent years. He is currently trying to justify the numbers. We will know how much more funding we receive by March 22 or 23. Most of this money will be spent on application "tweaks," IT time, etc.
VPPPA Region X Conference
The VPPPA Region X Conference is scheduled for May 9 - 10, 2001, in Sunriver, Oregon. Vern mentioned that due to the aforementioned budget concerns, attendance to this conference will be cut back, especially on the Facilities and Operations side. John Reck will be attending for Environment, Safety and Health. Nancy Isern and Elwood Lepel have also expressed interest in attending, so Todd Hart will be talking with them to see if it is feasible.
Fluor Federal Services Evaluation
Pat Wright and Vern will be participating in this evaluation. Vern will be taking part in the Employee Involvement portion.
CHG Annual VPP Self-Evalution
Russ Meicenheimer reported that he participated in this evaluation. The schedule was pretty intense; Russ indicated that he conducted 55 interviews (the other participants conducted 55 - 60 interviews) with CHG staff, each interview lasting from 15 - 30 minutes. The results indicated that due to recent management turnover, management leadership at CHG is weak.
Random VPP Badge Card Program
Mary Ann Showalter reported that back in November, we handed out the ice scrapers and badge cards. Now it is time to see if staff are actually wearing these cards. Mary Ann handed out baggies with six badge cards and about 20 chocolate coins to the committee members and asked them to conduct informal random badge card checks among the staff in their buildings. If the staff member is wearing their badge card, give them some chocolate as a "reward," but if they are not, give them a badge card (and some chocolate) and explain that the onsite review is coming up and the card can be used as a quick reference guide.
