Re: Pursuit of Excellence

["Kim D. Merritt" <k.merritt@larc.nasa.gov>]

As another former Navy nuke I would like to add the following 

comments:  The Navy can succeed in the way it runs its program because it 

has a captive work force.  12 hour days are not the exception but rather 

the norm, so having enough time and bodies is generally not an issue.  If 

you don't have enough bodies you just extend the working hours to make up 

for it.  The other reason is that they have absolute control over their 

people, you can't quit if you think what you are doing is ridiculous and 

are working way to many hours (for pathetic pay).  Nuclear power plants 

(and other employers) don't punish mistakes by locking somebody into their 

office for 45 days and keeping half of their paycheck or by making them 

continue to work at the plant as a parking lot stripe painter.  Other 

industries may look with envy at the Navy's record and try to emulate 

portions of it, but they should never expect to be able to replicate 

it.  It simply is not compatible with a civilian operating environment.



Pursuit of excellence is a good thing but one has to balance what is gained 

against what you are spending to gain it.  We are an OSHA VPP Star site 

which means that we have entered into formal agreement with OSHA to 

implement a safety program that goes above and beyond what is required in 

the reg's.  When they did their recertification audit they would complain 

if an aspect of the program merely met the requirements rather than 

exceeded it.  Does our certification mean that we are safer than we were 

before it?  Since our injury/illness rates were already low, improvements 

are hard to pick out of the background noise.  But we do have a nice flag 

flying out front to show how good we are.







>I am not trying to say that numbers do not matter.  The point is that, 

>over the years we have been driven to seek better numbers at the expense 

>of better programs.  This worship of the U.S. Navy program, by DOE, INPO, 

>DNFSB, and others, drives many of us to spend a lot of time and effort on 

>so-called priorities that have no place (or at least a limited place) in 

>some facilities and operations.  A diversion of resources to absolutely 

>prevent releases and contamination spread has a place on a submarine, 

>where some necessities, such as instrumentation, education, and air, are 

>limited.  Maybe these things are not so important in a laboratory, or 

>hospital, or remediation site.  Maybe not even in a power 

>plant.  Unfortunately, it is the religion now - you cannot even question 

>it.  Resources are limited.  Unfortunately, there is little wiggle room 

>for professional judgment as to where the time and money go.  Program 

>enhancements take a back seat to blind adherence to the creed.

>



Kim Merritt, RRPT

Radiation/Laser Safety Officer

NASA Langley Research Center

Hampton, VA

(757)864-3210

<mailto:k.merritt@larc.nasa.gov>



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