Dear Colleagues- Due to wildland fire risks, Pacific Gas & Electric has placed 29 Northern California counties, including Alameda and Contra Costa counties, on a “watch” status for Wednesday and Thursday, Oct. 9 and 10. The Lab has been given a 48-hour advance notice from PG&E of a possible public power shutoff. We have been notified that a shutdown in the area could start as early as … [Read more...]

Dear colleagues, Berkeley Lab will be open for business as usual on Monday, as Alameda and Contra Costa counties continue on alert only at this time for a Pacific Gas & Electric public safety power shutoff (PSPS). PG&E has put parts of other northern California counties on a public safety power shutoff watch for the next few days as the weather is forecast to be warm with dry offshore … [Read more...]

Dear Colleagues, Pacific Gas & Electric has sent a preliminary notice to customers, including Berkeley Lab, that it might shut down electricity on Monday or Tuesday in parts of Contra Costa and Alameda counties due to dry windy conditions that meet the company's thresholds for a precautionary public safety power shutdown. This action is intended to minimize the risk of wildfires. The … [Read more...]

Dear Colleagues, Please join me in extending my heartfelt best wishes and gratitude to Environmental Health and Safety Division Director Jack Salazar, who has announced his plans to retire in the coming months, pending the search and selection of a replacement. Jack’s legacy at Berkeley Lab spans 26 years of implementation and management of EH&S technical programs in national laboratories and … [Read more...]

This message was sent to Lab managers and supervisors on August 16. Dear Colleagues, Recently, we experienced several safety incidents at the Lab that share a similarity. In these cases, work conditions changed over time, therefore, embracing a questioning attitude and verifying situational hazard controls for effectiveness would have made the difference between someone getting hurt and … [Read more...]