Employee ESH Concerns

The Employee ESH Concerns Program applies to all workers at SLAC, including SLAC Staff, Users, subcontractors, etc. 

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

Do you have an Environment, Safety, Health or Security Concern?

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 hazards, incidents,  and job-related injuries or illnesses, all without fear of reprisal. Workers are also 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 
  2. If you are uncomfortable doing that, or you need independent support, please: 
    • use our ESH Help Ticket Form or call 650-926-4554 
    • report anonymously through the ESH Employee Concerns Hotline at 650-926-4641   
    • or call the Chief Safety Officer, Ian Evans, at 650-926-2192
  3. If you believe your concerns have not been adequately addressed and further escalation is needed, you can utilize Stanford University Resources:
  4.  You may also report concerns directly to the Department of Energy (DOE):
direction signs with the labels of help, support, advice, and guidance

Area-Specific Concerns

  • Emergency: Call 911, then call 650-926-5555 
  • Medical: Call SLAC Occupational Health Center at 650-926-2281 or visit their office in Building 28, Room 11. See their website for details of current hours and where to go after-hours.
  • Security, non-emergency: 650-926-2551 
  • Radiological: Call RP Field Operations at 650-926-4299 or After Hours Duty Technician: 650-504-3364
  • Training:  Email esh-training@slac.stanford.edu
  •  Waste, Fraud, and Abuse: DOE Anonymous Hotline: 1-800-541-1625

Stop Work

Every worker performing any work in or on facilities managed by SLAC has the authority and responsibility to stop work for conditions that threaten imminent danger. SLAC considers no activity to be so urgent or important that its standards for environmental protection, safety, or health may be compromised. Employees have the right and responsibility not to perform tasks or activities they feel pose undue risk to themselves, co-workers, or the environment. Stop work actions take precedence over all other priorities and procedures. 

(From ESH Manual Chapter 2: Work Planning and Control)

DOE Employee Concerns Program

The DOE ECP 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

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.

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