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Lloyd Gordon, putting electrical safety in the spotlight

Lloyd Gordon

Lloyd Gordon

Los Alamos National Laboratory has become a much safer place to work since Lloyd Gordon joined the then-Environment, Safety, and Health Division in 1998. The past four to five years have seen an 80 percent improvement in electrical safety at the Laboratory, he said, adding, “We now lead the country in research and development of electrical safety.”

Gordon has set new standards for electrical safety by providing leadership and technical guidance to nearly 150 group and division electrical-safety officers and by developing and delivering training to thousands of Lab workers. In addition, he helped develop the Electrical Severity Measurement Tool, which helps determine the severity of an electrical energy event based on a series of factors, such as electrical hazard, environment, shock proximity, arc flash proximity, thermal proximity, and any resulting injury to personnel. It is now used across the complex to categorize and report electrical incidents.

Gordon’s achievements recently were recognized with the 2008 National Nuclear Security Administration Management & Operating Contractor Safety Professional of the Year award.  “I’m pleased that a researcher can make such an impact and serve the complex in safety,” said Gordon, who previously won a Laboratory 2006 Distinguished Performance Award. “My goal at the Laboratory over my 10 years in electrical safety for research and development has been to change the culture of safety among my colleagues, set an example for how safety can be efficiently integrated into the research field, and provide resources for all researchers in electrical safety.”

Among his many projects was leading the development of complex-wide electrical safety tools. Fortunately, Gordon, who holds a doctorate in electrical engineering from Texas Tech University, Lubbock, had extensive prior experience working with research institutions and national laboratories.

“I saw an urgent need for improvement in electrical safety in government and university research laboratories,” he explained. “From 1987 to the early 1990s, I developed innovative electrical-safety training for researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, and Sandia National Laboratories.”

Gordon presided over the Electrical Safety Subgroup of the 30-member Energy Facility Contractors Group in 2008 and has chaired or cochaired EFCOG/DOE Electrical Safety workshops for the past five years. He also cochairs the ISA Standards Committee for High Power R&D Electrical Safety Standards and is the technical editor of the R&D sections of the DOE Electrical Safety Handbook.

 

Submitted by DOE's Los Alamos National Laboratory