Our Mission:

The Office of Environment, Health, Safety and Security (EHSS) is the Department of Energy’s (DOE) central organization with enterprise-level responsibilities for health, safety, environment, and security; providing corporate-level leadership and strategic vision to establish, sustain, coordinate and integrate these vital programs.  EHSS is responsible for policy development and technical assistance; safety analysis; and corporate safety and security programs.  The Director, Office of Environment, Health, Safety and Security advises DOE elements and senior Departmental leadership, including the Deputy Secretary on all matters related to environment, health, safety and security across the complex.

Functions

  • Directs and oversees the management of EHSS operations including the pursuit of continuous evaluation and improvement of the environmental, health, safety and security posture of DOE. 
  • Promote communication between all stakeholders.
  • Assist Headquarters and Field Elements with interpretation and integration of health, safety, environment, and security policies to support planning operations.
  • Promulgates Rules and Directives to establish Departmental expectations for Worker Safety and Health, Radiation Protection, Contractor Substance Abuse Prevention, and Contractor Employee Assistance Programs.
  • Serves as advocate for the Department’s health, safety, environmental, and security programs and initiatives, including Integrated Safety Management, Integrated Safeguards and Security Management, Environmental Management Systems, Voluntary Protection Program, Federal Oversight and Contractor Assurance Systems, and the Federal Technical Capabilities Program.
  • Reports on the status of the Department’s health, safety, environmental, and security programs and the status of Departmental improvement actions to the Deputy Secretary.
  • Serves as the appointing Official for Accident Investigation Boards.
  • As requested by the Secretary, concurs in the final decision to startup, restart, or shutdown facility operations.
  • Promotes open communication between the Department offices that develop and implement health, safety, environmental and security policy and guidance and independent evaluators who examine the performance and effectiveness of those policies within the Department.  Maintains balance and objectivity in recommending policy and performance improvements for the benefit of the Department. 
  • Directs and manages the development of health, safety, environmental, and security policies and implementation guidance.
  • Provides concurrence, approval, and recommendations to the Deputy Secretary regarding requests for variations or use of alternative methods from safety, health, and environmental requirements, pursuant to the authority contained in DOE regulations and directives (e.g., 10 CFR 830, 10 CFR 835, 10 CFR 850 and 10 CFR 851).
  • Provides concurrence, approval, and recommendations to the Deputy Secretary regarding requests for variations or use of alternative methods from safeguards and security requirements, pursuant to the authority contained in DOE regulations and directives (i.e., 10 CFR 710, 10 CFR 712, 10 CFR 860, 10 CFR 1046, 10 CFR 1047 and 10 CFR 1049).
  • Serves as the Department’s Federal Preservation Officer, under section 110(c) of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), 54 U.S.C. § 306104, with agency-wide authority to support effective implementation of historic preservation programs.
  • Serves as the Departmental Lead for addressing issues relating to per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a widely used family of chemicals of increasing regulatory concern. 
  • Manages the development and implementation of corporate safety quality assurance programs.
  • Manages the DOE Corporate Operating Experience Program to provide systematic identification, collection, screening, analysis, evaluation, and dissemination of performance indicators, lessons learned, and operating experience to prevent adverse events and to expand sharing of lessons learned.
  • Provides management and oversight protection for the Department’s Executive Protection Program.
  • Serves at the pleasure of the Chair of the Executive Secretariat of the Department’s Special Access Program Oversight Committee (SAPOC), maintaining related directives and guidance, and providing oversight of Headquarters and field implementation.
  • Promotes the assessment of advanced security technologies to counter emerging threats and reduce costs.
  • Promotes the deployment of new technologies to improve security.
  • Manages the DOE Headquarters security program to protect personnel, facilities, property, classified and information under normal and abnormal (i.e., emergency) conditions.
  • Oversees the infrastructure of the Office of Environment, Health, Safety and Security in the areas of: (1) Financial Management; (2) Procurement Management; (3) Information Management; (4) Human Resources; (5) Logistic and Administrative Services;(6) Headquarters Security Vetting and (7) Strategic and Program Planning. 
  • Provides high-level leadership, oversight, guidance, coordination, advice, and to promote a strong nuclear safety culture.  
  • Facilitates collaboration between the DNFSB, DOE Chiefs of Nuclear Safety, DOE Field Elements, and Program Secretarial Offices including NNSA on matters concerning nuclear safety across the DOE/NNSA complex.
  • Develops relationships with the national and international nuclear safety community chartered with resolving issues related to the improvement of nuclear safety operations and mission reliability.
  • Develops relationships with the national and international nuclear security community chartered with resolving issues related to the improvement of nuclear security operations.
  • Responsible for seeking investments in nuclear safety workforce development, specifically in the exploration of expanded Federal, joint labor-management and university-based support for advanced science, technology, engineering, and mathematics training and collaborates with the Office of Independent Enterprise Assessment’s National Training Center and the Federal Technical Capabilities Program to develop the skilled workforce needed to support an effective waste management program as well as a viable domestic nuclear industry.
  • Manages the Employee Concerns Program which encourages the free and open expression of employee concerns and provides DOE federal, contractor, and sub-contractor employees with an independent avenue to raise any concern related, but not limited, to the environment, safety, health, security, quality and management, as well as harassment, intimidation, retaliation, and discrimination (HIRD).
  • Establishes classification program requirements under the Atomic Energy Act and E.O. 13526, Classified National Security Information.  Ensures the Department’s compliance with E.O. 13526 and Title 10 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 1045, Nuclear Classification and Declassification, through on-site classification program evaluations.
  • Serves as the Senior Agency Official for DOE under E.O. 13526, appoints Secret and Confidential Original Classifiers for DOE (not including NNSA), coordinates with NNSA on Secret and Confidential original classification delegations, when necessary and reports delegations of original classification authority to the Information Security Oversight Office.
  • Determines when RD may be transclassified to FRD or TFNI, determines when RD and TFNI may be declassified and, in coordination with the Department of Defense, when FRD may be declassified.
  • Makes the final appeal determination concerning the denial of any RD, FRD, or TFNI contained in a document requested under the Freedom of Information Act or the mandatory declassification review provisions of 10 CFR § 1045.42, coordinating with the NNSA Chief of Defense Nuclear Security for information under NNSA cognizance.
  • Makes the final internal appeal determination concerning the denial of any NSI contained in a document requested under the Freedom of Information Act or the mandatory declassification review provisions of E.O. 13526 for NSI. Ensures that the challenger is informed of his or her right to appeal to the Interagency Security Classification Appeals Panel (ISCAP).
  • Makes the final appeal determination concerning any formal classification challenges for RD, FRD, and TFNI.  Makes the final internal appeal determination for any formal classification challenges for NSI and ensures that the challenger is informed of his or her right to appeal to the ISCAP.
  • Serves as permanent Co-Chair of the Safety Culture Improvement Panel to support continuous improvement in meeting the Department’s safety culture and safety conscious work environment (SCWE) objectives across the complex and to ensure consistent leadership and focus on all aspects of DOE's safety culture initiatives.
  • Serves as Chairman of the Nuclear Safety Coordinating Committee.
  • Serves as the Department of Energy’s Designated Senior Official (DSO) for the Insider Threat Program.  Responsible for day-to-day execution, overall strategic direction and management, accountability, and oversight of the Department’s program, and will serve as the primary interface among senior leaders throughout the Department to articulate program requirements and encourage and facilitate collaboration.
  • Serves as DOE official responsible for the management and administration of the agency occupational safety and health program pursuant to the Executive Order 12196 of February 26, 1980, “Occupational Safety and Health Programs for Federal Employees
  • Serves as the Senior Implementation Official (SIO) responsible for reporting back to the Performance Accountability Council (PAC) on the Department’s Trusted Workforce (TW) 2.0 progress.
  • Supports the Office of Environment, Health, Safety and Security Headquarters (EHSS) facility safety programs, including developing and maintaining the EHSS Occupant Emergency Plan. Assists the Mission Support Operations Center to provide vital communications for use by senior management during exercises and emergencies.
  • Provides Continuity of Operations and Emergency Management support.
  • Responsible office for the EHSS Technical Qualifications Program (TQP) and DOE O 426, Department of Energy Federal Technical Capabilities