This is one of several interviews in a series about the changes we can expect at the Lab during 2025.

With a new chemical receiving facility scheduled to come online and a focus on strengthening Integrated Safety Management in laboratories, 2025 will be challenging and eventful for the Environment, Health and Safety Division. Elements spoke with EHS Director Maria Nappi about the division’s priorities and what we expect in 2025.

What Environment, Health, and Safety Division initiatives, projects, or priorities would you like to share with the Lab community?

One of the first things we’re doing is launching our new waste management system, which has been in the works for quite some time. It’s a collaboration between EHS and many researchers who need this system to categorize, catalog, and prepare waste for shipment offsite.

We’re also continuing to strengthen Integrated Safety Management (ISM) at the Laboratory, focusing more on OJT, or on-the-job training and support for Facilities and all the different LBNL labs.  

We’re working on rolling out “crucial conversations” training. Our inaugural group went through this excellent training to help people understand the intent and impact of their words and how others can interpret them. We will offer this training throughout the EHS organization, and then PIM and Facilities will also experience it. I think it’s a great training opportunity to provide across all of Operations.

Supporting the ALS Upgrade (ALS-U) will be a big challenge for the laboratory. Going forward, we have embedded a few EHS staff members to support the upgrade process, including their accelerator readiness and waste management portions. This is a small effort in the big scheme of things, but it is big for EHS.

I’d like more people to know that multi-divisional self-assessments are coming. We’ve discussed them in the Safety Advisory Committee (SAC) and the Division Safety Coordinator (DSC) meetings. 

Lastly, the Central Chemical Receiving Facility will finally be operational in 2025. We will no longer be using our secondary central chemical receiving facility, which will streamline operations for both Facilities and EHS and streamline the process of receiving chemicals at the Lab. Processes will be the same for users, but for us, it’s a significant step forward and will make it much easier and reduce the chances of errors. So, we’re excited about that.

How does EHS partner with other divisions and support science research at the Lab?

We have several ways. We are a “boots on the ground” organization, so we have personnel here most days, and we have liaisons assigned to all areas of the Lab to support our customers. 

One of several EHS safety groups, the Operations Support Team, covers all on-site construction and physical work. They also sometimes work with PIM, Facilities, vendors, and research. For example, they recently supported the removal of the shield wall at Building 75.

In addition, the Research Support Team works closely with Division Safety Coordinators and researchers to examine and evaluate individual experiments and processes and ensure that they are supported with any help they might need with their work planning and control documents.

We have our Health Services organization should someone get hurt or not feel well on the job. It’s convenient health care for the workers, so they don’t have to go off-site or wait for doctor’s appointments. Health Services has a lot going on, especially with cold and flu season upon us. We provide free COVID and flu shots to Lab employees; they just need to go into their health portal and sign up. We also have clinics for our Potter Street site in Emeryville. 

I meet with the division directors quarterly to discuss issues bubbling up in their organizations. They know they can put me on speed dial, and I am available anytime if they have any questions or concerns.

I have been working hard to build relationships and better understand their needs. I hope they value what we provide them.

As more people come onsite, does that present challenges for the Lab and EHS?

One of the things we’re seeing is an increase in ergonomic injuries as more people come back to the Lab. That’s something we’re seeing across the DOE complex. I think Berkeley Lab is doing better than others.

EHS always had some presence at the Lab throughout the pandemic, so with more people coming onsite, it’s almost back to normal for us, as opposed to it being a different environment and having to adapt. It’s getting closer to where we were pre-COVID.

What’s different is that we’re seeing more people take advantage of the health clinic. I think that’s because of all we’ve done to elevate the level of services, culminating with the recent Joint Commission certification. It’s giving people more service options: We did a blood pressure clinic, and we started blood drives up again.

What have been your top challenges since you became EHS Director?

It will be five years since I came to work at the Lab as EHS Director in May. I came here in a time of chaos – at the height of COVID in May 2020. The Lab was shut down, along with many other facilities in California. We didn’t know anything about COVID; fear was running high, and opinions were rampant. The Lab population and Lab leadership as a whole took it extremely seriously and put people first. It was challenging and refreshing to work with high-level leadership who cared deeply about their employees.

We had to take care of the people, and it was as if we were building the plane as we were flying it, trying to keep necessary operations going. We worked with people remotely, helping them emotionally and physically with health concerns and ergonomics.

The next most challenging thing was the creation of the New Chemical Management System, which we call CMS2.0 because it accurately accounts for and manages our chemicals. The Department of Energy mandates it for everyone’s safety. It was incredibly critical that we do it right the first time. And we did, but it’s not over. We have hit all our milestones and been diligent and transparent throughout the process, applying the reasonableness test throughout. There’s been a lot of collaboration with research, Procurement, and SES on the processes. Trying to satisfy all the requirements took some time, but we can all be proud of it. I’m very proud of the people that made it happen. I take very little credit for it. I say I just opened a few doors for people and helped streamline some things, but the people we put in place to do it just rocked it.

What do you enjoy doing when you’re not working at the Lab?

I love people. I enjoy meeting people in my division and meeting new people. I’m an avid rower—some would say I’m addicted to rowing. I love being with my kids even though they’re on opposite coasts. I also like spending time with my family and traveling throughout California.