Biosciences
A CONVERSATION WITH BRENT HENDERSON
Jack Salazar (left), retired head of Environment, Health and Safety Division, with Brent Henderson (right) , Facilities Division head, during a 2019 Public Safety Power Shutoff event.
World class science requires world class facilities, and from the beginning the Facilities division has partnered with and supported researchers as they work to solve some of the world’s most pressing questions. The extensive and diverse Facilities team is led by Brent Henderson, who reflects here on the pride his people take in supporting the Lab’s science mission and the priorities for the division as they look at the next 90 years.
How does Facilities support the Lab’s mission?
The Facilities Division provides facilities and services necessary for the research programs to fulfill their science missions. World class science requires reliable facilities and utilities that meet the current needs of the researchers and the future needs of the science programs.
Facilities as a department have a much larger scope than many people realize. Our campus planners directly support the Lab Director and Chief Operations Officer, the science programs, and Projects and Infrastructure Modernization division (PIMD) in planning our future infrastructure, and also provide space management and environmental planning. We oversee facility engineering and design management, facility management, building system monitoring and response, utility operations, maintenance and repairs, science equipment installations, custodial and groundskeeping, hoisting and rigging, shuttle services, fleet management, cafeteria services, guest house management, transportation, shipping and receiving, and off-site facility lease management. Our scope is immense, as is our support of the Lab’s mission.
What are Facilities’ top 3 or 4 priorities today?
We have four main priorities, and it all starts with safety performance. If we cannot do our work safely, then we cannot fulfill our responsibilities to the Laboratory. We’re very focused on working with our staff to continuously improve our safety culture. A great example is that we have reduced injury rates by almost 75% over the past two years.
Right behind safety, our second major priority is supporting the Lab’s project portfolio, especially infrastructure projects. The Department of Energy has made unprecedented investments in the Laboratory’s infrastructure over the coming years. The success of these projects is dependent on our ability to provide skilled resources in a timely manner to support project activities. Facilities partners with PIMD to optimize our processes and increase staffing to support these critical projects.
Let me give you an idea of the scope we are supporting with the project portfolio. Between June 2020 and February 2021, Facilities has executed more than 237 complex Lockout/Tagouts or LOTOs. A LOTO in a nutshell is making sure any stored energy, electrical or mechanical (i.e. pressure, steam, etc.), is safely isolated prior to working on equipment. LOTOs can take several hours or days and involve multiple specifically trained people. They require advance scheduling with many departments including our science partners. So completing 237 LOTOs in the space of nine months is a massive undertaking. And that work is only ramping up.
Our third major priority is science equipment installation. Recognizing the increasing demand for reconfiguring labs or installing new research equipment, we started a new projects department in part to manage this unique work. This will allow Facilities to provide quick turnaround for these challenging projects that often enable new research and are a high priority for our program customers. PIMD will continue to manage the larger and more complex projects.
Finally, we’re committed to rebuilding key Facilities programs, including the Lockout/Tagout program which I already mentioned. These critical safety programs are important for the success of the Laboratory. Our employees deserve a program that will always protect their safety and the safety of nearby workers, and we are currently in the process of rebuilding them with involvement from internal and external subject matter experts.
Who do you partner with at the Lab to be successful?
We have many partners at the Laboratory - most of what we do involves multiple organizations working together. Our engineering, business, and crafts personnel work closely with PIMD to support construction projects and help deliver facilities that meet the needs of the users. Environment, Health and Safety (EHS) is an important partner in providing safe and compliant processes and tools for our work. The offices of the COO and CFO provide critical leadership and decision-making necessary to provide direction and resources to meet our mission needs. Security and Emergency Services (SES) is another important partner.
There are others, of course, but I would say our most important partnerships are with the research organizations. Supporting research is the reason we are all here and everything we do should in some way enable the world-class science that the Lab does for the nation and for the world. It is a great honor to serve the Lab and lead the people in Facilities who are passionate and work hard to help make our Lab a great success.