The Centers for Disease Control has retired the community-level measurement of COVID in a community and now uses a hospitalization rate to track the spread of COVID in a county. DOE and the Lab will now use the CDC Hospital Admission Level to guide face covering and other requirements. For the past year, the Department […]
COVID-19
Expired Hand Sanitizer is OK to Use
Have you noticed an expiration date on containers of hand sanitizer in your work area? If the expiration date has passed, not to worry. It is safe to use hand sanitizer beyond the expiration date, especially if it has never been opened. If your container of hand sanitizer still has a strong alcohol odor and […]
Site-Wide Drinking Water Source Testing
Your health and safety are important to us at the Lab and we are taking steps to help ensure that all aspects of our environment at our workplaces are safe. The Lab obtains water from the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD), which supplies water to much of the East Bay. As a public water […]
Ventilation at the Lab and COVID-19
Additional attention is focused on building ventilation as more people return to physical workspaces. Recently, the White House issued the Clean Air in Buildings Challenge, providing guidelines for ventilation, filtration, and communications. The Lab is already implementing many of the recommendations in the challenge, working with Facilities, Environment, Health, and Safety (EHS), Sustainable Berkeley Lab, […]
National Nurses Week
National Nurses’ Week begins May 6 and ends on May 12, Florence Nightingale’s birthday, to honor the dedication, strength, and perseverance of nurses in the field. The Berkeley Lab community extends its gratitude and appreciation to Juan Aranda, Amelia Atalig-Smith, Rangineh Bassir, Azure Chabot, Diane Fuller and Kelly Pratt! The Lab’s occupational health nurses wear […]
Masking Continues on Lab Shuttles
Masks are still required on the Lab shuttles (and on BART as well). While Alameda and Contra Costa counties are still at low risk per the new CDC guidelines, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Marin counties have entered medium risk and the entire Bay Area is experiencing an upswing in COVID cases. Continuing the use […]
New Way to View COVID Testing Results
Beginning Wednesday, May 12, your results will now be available in the Lab’s new Occupational Health Record system at clinic.lbl.gov You will continue to schedule your COVID screening through our vendor, BasisDX. Click here for Covid Testing information, including scheduling if this is your first time utilizing BasisDx services. Please use these instructions to view […]
Plan Ahead For QEW Support When Using the SJHA System
As more of us return to work environments at the Lab, we’re discovering equipment that needs service or repair. These needs, along with ongoing maintenance and construction work, plus potential Public Safety Power Shutdowns, have increased demand on the Lab’s pool of Qualified Electrical Workers (QEW). Why would equipment repair by an outside technician cause […]
Senate Bill 1159: New Reporting Requirements
A new state law, Senate Bill 1159, requires that the Lab reports to the state all cases of employees who have been on-site and tested positive for COVID-19. The Lab is not required to report any cases of a teleworker who tests positive for COVID-19 who has not come on-site, however, the Lab strongly urges […]
Donate Unused Vacation Time to Help Colleagues Hit by COVID-19
Since the Lab announced a new Emergency Leave Donation Program last week, over 1,900 leave hours have been donated for colleagues in need of additional leave for absences related to COVID-19 circumstances. The Lab has approximately 4,000 full-time employees who have had to adapt to these times the best they can. And even with the […]
COVID-19 Emergency Leave Donation Program
Given that some Lab colleagues may have nearly exhausted otherwise available options for paid time away from work, Berkeley Lab has established a temporary Emergency Leave Donation Program to let employees assist fellow colleagues needing additional leave for absences related to COVID-19 circumstances. Employees are able to donate accrued vacation hours to a leave-sharing bank […]
Purchasing Chemicals During Safe and Stable Status
While the Lab is in safe and stable mode, orders for chemicals must be postponed unless essential to ongoing operations. Services such as shipping, receiving, and deliveries to buildings are limited, and delivered chemicals may remain unattended in the absence of staff to receive them. Please follow this Lab guidance on purchasing, ordering, and storing […]
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