Over the past several years, the Laboratory has seen the importance managers and workers play in accepting responsibility for performing work safely. The same can be said for Security & Safeguards.

One of our security enhancements was the development of a more robust badging system accompanied by new color-coded security badges. The new security badges, however, are of little value if not properly displayed on LANL property (including LANL leased facilities), or removed when off LANL property.

According to DOE policy, the badge must be displayed above the waist with the photo-side facing forward. Too often, employees are failing to properly display their security badge. Badges are often turned around, hidden by other items hung with them, or not displayed at all. These conditions are unacceptable.

The Laboratory has a second concern that has to do with wearing security badges off LANL property. This is because the general public has no "need to know" who is a security badge holder, his or her name, the clearance level of the badgeholder , or if the badgeholder is in PSAP. Too often, LANL badgeholders forget that they should not wear their badges anywhere off LANL property where the general public may observe them. This includes not only local restaurants, the post office, grocery stores, gas stations, the library, financial institutions and retail stores but any location where non-Laboratory people can be found. (However, this does not preclude badgeholders from showing their badges for a moment for official business purposes while off LANL property.)Additionally, we need to keep in mind that there are members of the public who may take specific note of LANL employees or contractors simply because they are wearing a badge. In other words, we may become targeted as an object for closer scrutiny and perhaps even some degree of verbal or physical action. As a result, wearing the badge outside LANL property could become a personal safety as well as a security issue.

Each badgeholder must fulfill his or her individual responsibilities regarding the wearing of badges,. Badgeholders should also be aware of others who may wear their security badge in an off-LANL location, or conversely, are not properly displaying their badge on Laboratory property. We all should feel free to approach such individuals and ask them politely to properly display their badge or remove their badge from view, as the case may be. Generally, they will react with an apology and take appropriate action. However, approaching and advising personnel on such matters should always be done with tact, and in a very low-key manner. Verbal or physical confrontations should be avoided. To recap, we should all be aware of the proper wearing of our security badges, and take steps to ensure others and we do so.

NOTE: The above information was originally contributed by Michael Grimler, S-2, for a Newsbulletin feature.

Also see:

• Badge holder responsibilities
• Who does not require a badge
• DOE/OLASO Memorandum on wearing badges