Date:      Tuesday, May 22, 2012

    Time:      1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

    Location: Building 12, Room B51

    Date:      Thursday, June 14, 2012

Badge Didn't Work to Get on Campus? Come to DPSAC!

Executive Order (EO) 10450 and HSPD-12 require all Federal employees, contractors and affiliates to have at least a level 1 NACI (National Agency Check with Inquires) investigation completed to determine their suitability to perform the duties in their position description.

For those who do not comply with EO 10450 and HSPD-12 by refusing to complete and submit e-QIP and all appropriate attachments, DPSAC will deactivate their HHS ID badge (smart card). As an AO, if someone from your area comes to you indicating that their ID badge didn't work when they tried to get onto campus, simply send the individual to DPSAC for assistance. Please do not go into NED to request a new ID badge for the individual.

According to DPSAC Director, CAPT Theresa Minter, "Employees, contractors and affiliates who do not complete a background investigation cannot be found suitable for Federal employment.   Employees could face adverse action up to and including termination as described in the table of penalties." *

* Once the AO sponsors the individual in NED, an investigation request is sent to DPSAC. If the individual fails to complete e-QIP, that person's HHS ID Badge will be deactivated. Please note that prior to an individual having his/her HHS ID badge deactivated, s/he will have received at least five (5) e-mail notifications [and sometimes as many as nine (9)]! An individual's AO and Supervisor/Project Officer will also receive e-mail notification before an individual's ID badge is deactivated.    

 STOP! Before You Change Position Information in NED...  

DPSAC is reporting an increase in the number of unnecessary changes to the Position Information fields in NED.  

In NED, Position Information is captured to determine a position's sensitivity level and to signal the appropriate background investigation that must be completed. For example, a person in the position of "biologist" has a position sensitivity level of '1' and must undergo a 'NACI'; an "administrative officer," however, has a sensitivity level of '5' and must undergo an MBI.

The position information entered into NED is sent to DSPAC so they know which background investigation to initiate. Please note that NED only collects Position Information when it is required by DPSAC. For example, people who are entered into NED and flagged as "less than six months" will not have Position Information captured as these individuals undergo a name check only through the NIH Police rather than a background investigation through DPSAC.

It is important to remember that as an AT or AO, you should not change an individual's Position Information unless it is truly required. Instances where this update is required include a promotion or a transfer to a new position, or when the information for an individual was entered incorrectly the first time.  

Please be aware that if you update the Position Information in NED and a different sensitivity level is calculated, a new background investigation request is sent to DPSAC. This new request cancels the previous background investigation and forces DPSAC to start over.

"We all have a responsibility to assure each employee and contractor has the appropriate level of background investigation completed," states DPSAC Director Theresa Minter. Please be sure that when you are making changes to an individual's Position Information, it is truly a required update.

DPSAC recommends that if at any time you have a question about the appropriate Position Information to enter for an individual, you should contact the individual's Supervisor, Project Officer or DPSAC.

Helpful Tips

NED Version 3.2 Goes Live -- NED version 3.2 went live on April 16, 2012. According to the NED Project team, this newest version of NED introduces "features requested by NIH Division of International Services (DIS) users, as well as underlying architecture changes that will allow future improvements to NED interactions with other systems, and fixes for defects identified in the current version of NED."  Detailed NED v3.2 release notes are now posted at: http://nedinfo.nih.gov/docs/relnotes/relnotes.html

View individual certificate expiration dates by IC -- the 'cert' expiration dates are posted at: http://smartcard.nih.gov/PKI_subscribers.htm. The first bullet on that page shows an NIH Smart Card Badgeholders Excel sheet (see the 2nd tab at the bottom of the spreadsheet) that includes 'Cert Expiration Date.'  

Where to go to reset your PIN -- check the Lifecycle Work Station (LWS) administrator table (posted at: http://www.ors.od.nih.gov/ser/dpsac/badge/Pages/lifecycle.aspx) to find a trained LWS operator from your IC. These individuals will be able to help you reset your PIN and/or update the digital certificates that reside on your HHS ID Badge Smart Card.

ICs that want to add LWS operators to the approved roster -- should send a written request to Richie Taffet at [email protected]. Once he has approved the request, he will forward the name(s) to [email protected] to complete the approval process, add the names to the LWS operators roster, and inform the IC that the individual is now approved to operate the IC's Lifecycle Work Station.    

Do not lend your HHS ID badge (smart card) to anyone -- lending out your HHS ID Badge (smart card) is prohibited. The issuance of the new HHS ID Badge is based on strict identity proofing and the determination of one's suitability for a specific position classification. 

A. If your IC wishes to purchase one or more LWS units, it should direct inquiries to: [email protected]. They can also be reached by phone at: 571-249-2273.

Note: The purchase agreement for these units has expired and a new one is currently being negotiated at the Department (HHS) level. In the meantime, DPSAC is working to establish a new purchasing contract and will inform the ICs as soon as it becomes available.  

Q. What is dual- or two-factor authentication?

A. With dual- or two-factor authentication, two independent items of

authentication are used to prove that the individual logging into the NIH network is an authorized user of the system.

The two items used are: (1) something the user has [e.g., the smart card (HHS ID Badge) or SecureID token]; and (2) something the user knows [e.g., the PIN associated with the smart card (HHS ID Badge)].

Safety Corner

Fire Hazard Reporting Tool Makes It Easier to Report Fire Safety Issues

This article was prepared by the Division of the Fire Marshal, ORS   

In January, 2012 the Division of the Fire Marshal (DFM), Office of Research Services kicked off the New Year with a fire safety campaign titled, "Help Us Help You! - Know How to Spot Common Fire Safety Hazards in the Workplace.

The DFM offered suggestions on how to spot, correct and prevent such fire hazards as: blocked or locked exit doors; storage in stairwells; fire doors propped open; improper use of extension cords; material/ equipment in corridors that impede egress; portable space-heating devices in labs and health care areas; flammable or combustible liquids and  compressed gas cylinders in corridors; tampering with fire protection equipment; missing ceiling tiles; and, equipment with damaged or exposed electrical wiring.

Even though all facilities on the NIH Bethesda and Poolesville campuses are surveyed regularly for fire safety hazards by the DFM, the "Top Ten" list of common fire safety hazards in the workplace still prompted substantial feedback from concerned NIH employees recognizing potential fire safety hazards.

DFM Makes Reporting Fire Safety Issues Easier  

The DFM has made it even easier for an employee to report a fire safety issue or concern. Visit the DFM website and use the anonymous "Report a Fire Safety Issue or Concern" tool at:http://www.ors.od.nih.gov/ser/dfm/Pages/Community-Complaint-Report.aspx .

You can choose to provide your name and contact information or you are welcome to issue a report anonymously. If you choose to enter your contact information, your submission will be handled confidentially.

The NIH community should not assume the DFM is aware of and/or working to correct every fire safety hazard.  

Peer responsibility plays a large part in keeping NIH facilities fire-safe. Therefore, it is extremely important for the NIH community to be able to spot and correct, or report, the more common workplace fire safety hazards before a fire incident occurs.

The Division of the Fire Marshal (DFM), Office of Research Services, greatly appreciates the ongoing assistance and support of the NIH community as our advocates for keeping NIH facilities fire safe.  

For questions or assistance regarding any workplace fire safety matter, please contact the DFM at 301-496-0487.