Depending on the COVID conditions in our community, more people will return to work at a Lab site in the coming weeks. While most things at the Lab remain the same, there are changes to physical security at the Lab as explained by Blair Edwards, Senior Security Operations Manager, Security and Emergency Services

Elements: What are the three biggest changes in physical security since March 2020?

Blair Edwards:

1. The first is installing traffic and fire safety camera coverage to provide visual views into vulnerable areas of the Lab. We installed cameras that point north and south on the radio and weather towers. We also added cameras at traffic intersections to assist us with tracking unauthorized vehicles and to review traffic safety issues on the Lab’s roads.
2. The second is traffic message boards to push out security and safety messages. We use the signs to remind people of fire danger and Lab events that impact parking and traffic. The mobile message boards are also equipped with radar detection to provide warning messages if you are driving above the speed limit. They are mobile which allows us to  move them to strategic locations. As a reminder, the speed limit on all roads at the Lab is 15 m.p.h.
3. Daytime physical controls at Lab buildings have changed, with all entrance doors now opened by a badge. Your badge is already set to let you enter most Lab buildings between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. Monday through Friday. The exception to this is the buildings that require special safety training requirements. 

Elements: How will the additional cameras add to the physical security at the Lab?

Blair: The Lab has many areas that we refer to as vulnerable. They are on the ridgelines outside the fence and include places where people who are not from the Lab hang out. The cameras we installed on the radio tower can see the ridgelines; it’s looking for fire or smoke coming from the other side of the ridge toward the Lab. We can see the area below Blackberry Gate, where we recently had a grass fire. These cameras are digital with improved resolution. They allow the Site Operations Center security officer to pan, tilt, and zoom the camera. The footage is live for 12 hours. After that, if there is no activity on the camera, the video is discarded.

Elements: What about the orange traffic message boards?

Blair: You will see the orange traffic message boards at several locations. The most likely is at the Blackberry Gate. The signs are on trailers so that we can move them to different areas, such as the J parking lot, a major intersection. We plan to use them for emergency and speed messages since it is easy to change the message. The messages need to be concise since there are only eight charters per line and three lines. In addition to the signboard, the trailers are radar-capable. It sends out a ping every two seconds and will display a message based on the speed. There are four levels of messaging. If you are under 18 m.p.h., you see a thank you for driving safely message. At 18 m.p.h., you see a warning, with a stronger warning at 20 m.p.h. that tells you to please slow down. The third warning is at 25 m.p.h. that says that it is way too fast. As a reminder, the speed limit on all Lab roads is 15 m.p.h. And everyone, stop signs are not a suggestion. Please stop at our stop signs. The speed limit, stop signs, and courteous driving applies to all vehicles, including bicycles. 

Elements: What has changed about building security?

Blair: The security at the Lab is higher than what we have traditionally had in place. We have badge-in at the gates and now building badge-in at those buildings with access control systems. So if a person is inside a building, you should be reassured that the person has permission to be there. The increased building security also lets us know who badged into the building to account for them by contacting them in an emergency. Your badge is already set to allow you into most Lab buildings between 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday. The exception to this is the buildings that require special safety training requirements. 

If someone is holding the door for you, that’s fine, but still swipe your badge so we know you’re in the building if there is an emergency. 

Elements: What more do you want employees to know about physical security at the Lab?

Blair. Additional security changes are coming. Over the next year, there will be increased security measures to meet DOE requirements. 

We are repairing our fences. Fences drift with the landscape over the years, leaving gaps between gates and posts. We have 57 gates in the exterior fence line that often go nowhere. Some gates allow Lab workers to enter an area adjacent to the fence. We are posting no trespassing signs on each gate. Our fence will never make the Lab a fortress, but it needs to be secure enough that it doesn’t encourage people to walk through it. Throughout the history of the Lab, the gates might have been used to access the Lab, but no longer. There are only three points to enter the Lab, and that is at Blackberry, Strawberry, and Grizzly gates. 

MORE INFORMATION

Site Operations Center – 24/7 @ 510-486-6999

Badge appointment

Site Security

Lab commuters know Grizzly Gate is one of the Lab’s three main exit points, and while it is closed to automobile traffic did you know that bicyclists and pedestrians can still use the gate to enter or leave the Lab site?

“The Grizzly Gate is open for pedestrians and cyclists; all you need to do is contact the Security Operations Center (SOC) and they will dispatch an officer to open the gate,” said Blair Edwards, the Lab’s senior security operations manager.

The SOC can be reached by phone at (510) 486-6999 and the center is staffed all day and all week long.

Edwards explained that the Lab is working on upgrading Grizzly Gate to allow people approaching on foot or bicycle to badge in at the gate and enter without having to call the SOC. But that upgrade is pending review and when it is implemented the badge access will only be available during regular Lab operation hours, 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Click on the links below for bicycling resources at the Lab and more information about site access:

• Bicycling at the Lab
• Site Access
• Site Operations Center – 24/7 @ 510-486-6999
• Badge appointment
• Site Security

Access and badges are two of the biggest changes at the Lab that occurred in the past two years. Learn what you need to do to get through the gates (and which gates to use), and get into buildings in this interview with the Lab’s senior security manager Blair Edwards. 

Depending on the COVID conditions in our communities, more people will return to work at one of the Lab sites in the coming weeks. While the Lab’s gates will look familiar, Lab access and badge use has changed in the past two years. In this conversation with Blair Edwards, Senior Security Operations Manager, Security and Emergency Services, we looked at some of the most apparent changes that people returning to a Lab site will notice.

Elements: What are the three biggest changes in access and badges since March 2020?

Blair Edwards: 

1. The biggest change is you need your badge to access the Lab’s hill site. And when I say access that means to enter at the gate and to enter in all buildings that have access control systems. This is a really big change for those who have not been on site for two years. Of course, the Lab’s off-site locations also require badge access. 
2. The second one is site security training. We have a training class for new employees that reviews security at the Lab. Everyone is invited to take the class as a way to understand these changes. The course is SES-0200 and takes about 15 minutes.
3. The third thing is there are expiration dates on your badge. Go ahead and look at your badge. If yours does not have a date on it, you will get a notice in the next few months that you need a new badge. Your badge will continue to work without a date, so don’t worry about it. But when we ask you to come to get a new badge, make an appointment. If you are an affiliate, your badge will expire at the end of your appointment. And the badge office is open by appointment only. 

Elements: What will be different for those coming on site?

Blair:  We only have two gates for entering the Lab. Blackberry Gate is open 7/24 for all badge holders and non-badge holders such as visitors, deliveries, and construction vehicles. There is now a badge holder lane at the Blackberry gate. Strawberry Gate is only for badge holders and is an exceptional choice for badge holders, especially those whose destination is in zones, 3, 4,5, and 6. Strawberry Gate is open Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.

When you pull up to the gate, have your badge in hand and your window rolled down to hold your badge near the electronic reader. You also need to display your parking permit as you enter the gate. The security officers will be looking for parking permits, and if you don’t have one and you are eligible you can make an appointment at the badge office to pick one up. Remember to display the parking permit when you park as well to avoid a ticket. 

Grizzly Gate is not open to incoming vehicles, but vehicles, pedestrians, and bicycles can exit through Grizzly. Pedestrians and bikes can also enter at Grizzly Gate by calling the Site Operations Center at 510-486-6999.

Once you are through the gate, you will need your badge to enter buildings that have access control systems 24/7. All badge holders automatically have access to the majority of the Lab buildings during normal business hours M-F 0600am-0800pm. The exceptions are those buildings that have specific training requirements, such as Building 88 and Building 6. If you need access to those buildings, you will need to submit an access request via access.lbl.gov,  complete the required training, and have your access request approved by the security access manager (SAM).  We will be increasing access control systems installations to buildings and rooms over the next few years.

Some buildings have interior doors that have access controls. If you need access to that space, you can go to access@lbl.gov to request access to a specific space in a specific building. 

There are no changes to keys. Keys will still function if that is how you accessed a space.  If you have building keys and do not need them any longer, or have received keys from someone who has retired or left the Lab, call the SOC at 486-6999 and we can arrange to have them picked up. 

Elements: What more do you want employees to know about badges and access as they return to Lab sites?

Blair: Our culture has changed in the past two years, and at the Lab as well. The big change is the use of your badge. It is no longer something you can stuff in a drawer. You need it to get into and around the Lab.

Security and safety have always been important at the Lab, and the badge culture allows us to improve both. If there is an emergency in a building, we can see who has badged into it and send them a LabAlert message to see if they are safe. We couldn’t do that before. Using badges was also part of our COVID controls. We used badging in at the gates to control the number of people accessing the Lab and ensuring they met COVID requirements.

Using your badge for entrance into a building doesn’t mean you can’t be helpful. If you are first at a door, go ahead and badge in at the reader, and then be a good Lab partner and hold the door open for those behind you – but remind them to badge in so if there is an emergency we can account for them. By using our badges we can maintain a safe environment for our people and our resources. And we have cool lanyards in the Badge Office. Feel free to pick up one or two at your badge appointment.

There are important numbers to remember. If you ever have a problem getting into a building or a room, contact the Site Operations Center at 510-486-6999 and they will dispatch a security officer to assist you. If you are unable to get a badge appointment and need one right away, contact the Site Access Office at 510-486-4551.

MORE INFORMATION

• Site Access Office  510-646-4551 or siteaccess@lbl.gov
• Site Operations Center (SOC) staffed 7/24 at 510-486-6299 or soc@lbl.gov
• Learn more about Building and Room Access 
• Add additional building or room access to your badge
• Make a Badge Appointment
• Learn more about Site Security
• Take the new Security and Emergency Services training