The DOE Corporate Operating Experience Program facilitates the sharing of lessons learned and best practices across the DOE complex to prevent adverse operating incidents.  The program encourages a graded approach in tailoring local operating experience programs based on the nature of work, hazards, and organizational complexities.  This program includes:

Operating Experience Committee

The purpose of the DOE Operating Experience Committee (OEC) is to support line management within DOE and the DOE community in developing and sustaining effective operating experience programs so that lessons from internal and external operating experience lead to improvement in future operational and safety performance. The OEC will facilitate management and worker communications to promote the sharing of operating experiences and associated best practices for using operating experience to improve future performance.

The OEC is chartered under the DOE Integrated Safety Management Council and in conjunction with DOE Order 210.2A, DOE Corporate Operating Experience Program, which was approved on April 8, 2011.

Operating Experience Level 1, 2, and 3 Documents

Operating Experience Level 1, 2, and 3 documents communicate required actions, information on safety issues or trends of concern, and lessons learned on operating experience to the DOE complex to prevent adverse operating incidents and to expand the sharing of good work practices. The revised directive DOE O 210.2A, DOE Corporate Operating Experience Program, replaces the former Special Operations Reports, Safety Alerts, Safety Bulletins, and Safety Advisories with Operating Experience Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 documents. The content of the Safety Alert and the Safety Bulletin were merged into the Operating Experience Level 2 document.

Operating Experience Summaries

Operating Experience Summaries inform the DOE complex of additional DOE or external operating experience from which sites could benefit. Operating Experience Summaries can also consist of a compilation of informative operating experienced-based articles and lessons learned.

Operational (OPEX) Awareness Notices

OPEX Awareness Notices are developed and shared with the DOE community when Environment, Safety and Health (ES&H) trending topics and issues occur. The awareness notices are a tool used to quickly circulate non-OE level notifications. These notices are for reference and informational awareness only.

DOE Corporate Lessons Learned Program

The DOE Lessons Learned program was developed to facilitate continuous and systematic information sharing and learning across the DOE complex.

Information is shared via the DOE OPEXShare Lessons Learned database. The DOE OPEXShare database is used to collect and share lessons learned and best practices pertaining to all DOE activities.  Note:  Project Management lessons learned are still being entered into the DOE Corporate Lessons Learned database (see link below).

For further information, please contact Beverly Tucker via OPEXShare mailbox.

Safety Alerts (SAs) - ARCHIVED

Special Reports (SRs) - This corporate Operating Experience product delineates significant ES&H trends DOE-wide that may require corrective action. Action is Recommended, Applicability Determined by Recipient, Unless Otherwise Stated. SRs include Electrical Safety, Just-in-Time Reports, DOE Hoisting and Rigging activities, and A Review of Electrical Intrusion Events at DOE. These document are dated 2004 - 2010 and have been archived.

Safety Bulletins (SBs) - ARCHIVED

This corporate OE product provides information on potentially significant ES&H issues that require management awareness and/or with longer term impacts. Action is Recommended. Operating contractors should take the recommended actions, and must report back to DOE Headquarters with positive or negative findings of applicability. This document collection is dated 2005 - 2011 and is archived.

Safety Advisories (SA) - ARCHIVED

This Corporate Operating Experience Product is issued on an as-needed basis when our analysis of operating experience data shows an event or trend that warrants senior Headquarters and field manager awareness but whose safety significance does not warrant an SOR, SA, or SB. An SA highlights important environment, safety, and health issues for senior management attention and potential action. No response to an SA is required. This document collection is dated 2005 - 2011 and is archived.

Suspect/Counterfeit & Defective Items

DOE is committed to ensuring that items and components installed in safety-related or mission-critical applications meet their intended function and operability requirements. The Office of Health, Safety and Security has established a process to identify SCIs or DIs that are deemed safety-significant and broadly applicable to DOE facilities.

Lessons Learned Resources Applicable to DOE Users