FAQ: Z Number

Q.

What is a Z number?

A Z number, is a number assigned to ANYONE at the Laboratory who meets at least one of the following conditions:

• is paid, reimbursed, or does work on behalf of the Laboratory;
• is to be issued a badge with his or her name on it - this applies to all worker categories and to all visitors;
• requires GET because they will be on site for 10 days or more within a one year period;
• needs network access to Laboratory computer systems;
• has a clearance tracked in the Laboratory's Clearance System;
• must have a dosimetry badge;

A Z number will be assigned to employees, subcontractors, those in special programs (e.g., guest scientists, associates, GRAs), vendors, and visitors, if they meet one or more of the conditions listed above.

A Z number, once assigned, is a permanent attribute of an individual in the Laboratory's personnel database. No person should ever have more than one Z number. Even if someone leaves the Laboratory and returns (perhaps as a visitor) decades later, the Z number identifies that person.

Q.

How is a Z number requested and assigned?

A Z number first must be assigned and an EIS (Employee Information System) record created before a person can benefit from the above-listed services (e.g., receiving a security or dosimetry badge, obtaining access to Laboratory computer systems).

The Group responsible for the individual (e.g., the employee's Group or the Group hosting a visitor) can request a Z number using Lab Form 1782 (Request to Create or Update an EIS Record formerly Z Number Assignment Request). For many worker categories, however, assignment is handled by specific Laboratory organizations and the interested Group need not initiate a request.

Once the form is completed and submitted, it is automatically sent electronically to the persons responsible for the category of individual selected on the form. It is important to select the correct category, if the request is not to be misdirected. For a complete list of those with primary responsibility for each category, go to the Z Number Assignment Table. The individuals actually assign the Z and created the personnel record in EIS, based on the information furnished by the Group. A Z number cannot be assigned until all data that is indicated as mandatory has been provided by the requesting organization.

Q.

What is the relationship of Z number assignment and badging?

Most individuals who are assigned a Z number also need to be badged. However, there are some individuals who do not require a badge. It is important to emphasize that getting a Z number does not automatically mean someone needs to be badged.

The Badge Office uses several badge request forms and these must still be used.

Q.

What can go wrong with badging if the Z number assignment process is not done correctly?

Several problems occur that impact badging. The most common problem stems from the Badge Office being unable to badge if certain mandatory personnel data is incorrect or missing - the most significant being Social Security Number (SSN), date of birth (DOB), and citizenship. If an EIS record has not been created (and it cannot be created if mandatory fields are missing), the Badge Office will be unable to issue a badge. While individuals have a right to withhold their SSN, Laboratory and DOE requirements may result in denial of a badge.

Another problem is that the EIS currently does not permit searching by SSN, which is the best way to uniquely identify an individual. Since the system only permits searching by Z number and by name, some people are inadvertently assigned more than one Z number, because they furnish their names in very different ways each time they are input into Laboratory systems. It is important for Groups to use only full legal names and avoid nicknames, to minimize the occurrence of multiple Z numbers for the same person. Every effort is made to ensure that no Z number is assigned to someone previously assigned a Z number.

Failure to keep an individual's personnel data updated can affect badging someone correctly or may even prevent badging that person at all, until the record is corrected.

The LANL Badging System relies heavily on accurate and complete information in your EIS Record. Missing or erroneous information can cause you to be badged incorrectly or prevent your being badged at all, so it must be corrected prior to badging. Click here for complete details on how to get your record fixed so that it is complete and/or current.

Q.

Are V numbers and ICN numbers still assigned?

No. With the implementation of the new Z number assignment procedure in mid-1997, only Z numbers are now used for all identification purposes. Any active V numbers were converted at the time of the changeover to Z numbers. Those who had active non-Z number-type ICN numbers can continue to use these numbers to access the ICN.

Q.

If I have questions or need help, whom can I turn to?

For questions or problems concerning the EIS, call the CIC-6 Help Desk at 5-4444, then select the appropriate option. For questions about specific categories of workers, contact the person listed in the Z Number Assignment Table who has responsibility for that category. For questions relating to badging, contact the Badge Office at badge@lanl.gov or 7-6901.

Q.

What is the history, background and origin of the name Z number?

In the 1940s, as the Laboratory moved from military to civilian administration, security was handled by the Zia Company. When the Zia Company first began assigning security identification numbers at the Laboratory, the numbers were called "Z numbers" after the company's name. Over the course of time and usage, Z numbers, by that name, have become widely integrated into the Laboratory's business processes, including supporting applications, forms, etc.

In recent years, Z numbers have been adapted to serve purposes beyond their original intent or meaning. For example, numbers in the 700000 and 800000 series were assigned to off-site users who needed access to the Laboratory's ICN or to visitors whose clearance from elsewhere needed to be recorded at the Laboratory. This use of Z numbers for extended purposes was not coordinated and revealed the need to revisit the meaning, use, and processes for assigning identification numbers at the Laboratory.

In response to this need, S-6 and CIC-13 established a Working Group that reviewed the purpose for assigning Z numbers. The group concluded that the Z number was more than a security-based identification number and that a title that better reflects the use of the number would be a worker identification number or "WIN." However, response to the proposal to change the name would force numerous changes in Laboratory applications, processes, and culture, and that the cost of making such changes outweighed the benefits associated with the new term. Furthermore, the use of Z numbers was expanded to include U.S. and foreign national visitors, so the concept of a "worker" number quickly became obsolete.

In order to balance these various concerns, the term "Z number" was retained, though it now is used as a unique Laboratory identifier for a wide variety of purposes.

The recommendations of the Working Group led to implementing a centralized process for assigning Z numbers, in mid-1997.