NIH badging statistics from HHS as of January 2, 2015 

Sponsored: 37,671  Enrolled: 37,233  Issued: 36,525*

*This figure represents 97.0% of individuals who have been sponsored.

DPSAC News reports the latest Departmental figures for NIH in the first issue published for that month.     

Board Members and the Badging Process

This article has been revised since it first appeared in the December 24, 2014 issue of DPSAC News.  

Distinguishing Between Special Government Employees (SGEs), Representatives and Federal Employees for Badging Purposes

On September 2, 2014, NIH implemented revised policies and procedures for issuing "Extended Visitor Badges" (a type of NIH Legacy badge) as part of a continuing effort to improve security at NIH. These changes were conveyed to the Administrative community via a November 3, 2014 e-mail from the HSPD-12 Program Office (see: New Extended Visitor Badge Application Policy [pdf]) and in DPSAC News articles (e.g., September 17, 2014 DPSAC News).

Each year NIH's National Advisory Councils/Boards, Boards of Scientific Counselors and Program Advisory Committees generally replace one quarter of their members. Below is an explanation of the three classifications of board members and the required level of background check for each one.

Board Members at the NIH may include the following classifications of individuals:

1)    Federal Employee - NIH Federal Employee, who has a PIV Card issued by NIH, or Non-NIH Federal Employee, who has a PIV Card issued by another Federal entity. This individual is in the NIH Enterprise Directory (NED) and subject to the requirements to obtain a PIV Card. Please note that if a federal employee already has a PIV Card, he/she will not be required to complete additional background checks to serve as a Board Member.

2)    Special Government Employee (SGE) - is a member of an NIH Advisory Council, Board of Scientific Counselors or Program Advisory Committee who receives an honorarium and/or per diem and travel benefits the same as a federal employee.

The Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, the Director of NIH, or the Director of an Institute/Center(IC) appoints these individuals to serve on an NIH Advisory Council, Board of Scientific Counselors, or Program Advisory Committee. This individual is entered into NED and the NIH Police will conduct a name check before issuing an NIH ID (Legacy) Badge. This individual is not considered a full time federal employee or a contractor.

3)    Representative - This individual is a representative of an organization outside of the federal government, (e.g., the American Lung Association), and not compensated in any way by the NIH. This individual is not in NED and is subject to a name check to obtain the NIH ID (Legacy) Badge. Please note that this individual will not be fingerprinted. S/he is not a federal employee or a contractor.

Process for Requesting an Extended Visitor Badge (Legacy Badge) for Special Government Employees (SGEs)

1. The IC Administrative Officer (AO) must enter the SGE into the NIH Enterprise Directory (NED) and sponsor the individual for an ID badge. This will notify the NIH Police that a badge has been requested.
    
2. The NIH Police will run the individual's name through the FBI Criminal Information Database.
   
   
3. The NIH Police will issue the NIH ID (Legacy) Badge to the Representative when the name check results return favorably.
    
4. If the results come back as unfavorable, the Security and Emergency Response office will contact the IC. 

Process for Requesting an Extended Visitor Badge (Legacy Badge) for Representatives  

1. The Representative fills out the Extended Visitor Badge Application form (pdf) noting that he or she is a Board Member. Please note that a PIV-trained Administrative Officer must sign as the Sponsor on the form.
    
2. The Representative submits the completed form to the NIH Police for a name check -- the same name check that is conducted for an SGE.
   
   
3. The NIH Police will issue the NIH ID (Legacy) Badge to the Representative as soon as the name check results return favorably.
   
   
4. If the results come back unfavorable, the Security and Emergency Response office will contact the IC.

A revised table showing all position classifications at NIH is now posted on the web page: NIH Badging Authority by Classification Table. (Note: only NIH staff logged on to the NIH network are able to view this page). This table identifies the badge type, the corresponding Badging Authority - DPSAC or the NIH Police Department - for each classification, and examples of positions falling within each classification.*   

Table Provides Guidance for Issuing Extended Visitor Badges 

The revised NIH Extended Visitor ID Badge Application form is posted at: http://security.nih.gov/Documents/Extended%20Visitor%20Form.pdf. 

Note: Individuals requesting an Extended Visitor Badge must submit the original form at the NIH Gateway Center or the NIH Division of Police Guard Force Operations Branch, Building 31, Room B4BE09. Processing may take up to ten (10) business days.

* The Badging Authority is the organization responsible for coordinating the necessary background check and authorizing the issuance of an ID badge. Once authorized, the Applicant will be instructed on where to pick up his or her ID badge.

Whether you are new to NED or an advanced NED user who needs to hone your NED skills, the HSPD-12 Program Office has a training program for you. These classes are designed to help beginners and advanced users quickly master NED in a hands-on computer lab environment. All classes are FREE!    

How to Enroll

The NED courses are posted on the CIT Training site where visitors can view availability for any class and receive a confirmation immediately after registering. The catalog of NED classes is posted at: http://training.cit.nih.gov/coursecatalog.aspx under "General Seminars." 

When you see a course you want to take, just click on the course name (listed in the right column of the table). You will be taken to the HHS Learning Management System (LMS) where you can register for the course online.

To log onto the HHS Learning Management System, you can use either your PIV card and PIN or your NIH credentials. If you experience any difficulties accessing the LMS, please contact the CIT Training Program at 301-594-6248 or send an e-mail to: cittraining@mail.nih.gov.     

Help Us Help You! - Know How to
Spot Common Fire Safety Hazards
in the Workplace 

Even though all facilities on the NIH Bethesda and Poolesville campuses are surveyed by the Division of the Fire Marshal (DFM) on a regular basis, fire safety hazards in the workplace can still pop up. With this in mind, 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 the more common workplace fire safety hazards before a fire incident occurs.

Below are the top 10 fire safety hazards that are frequently encountered in NIH facilities that can be easily spotted, corrected, and more importantly, prevented.      

1. Blocked or locked exit doors

Exit doors are required by fire codes to be unobstructed so that they are readily obvious in the event of an emergency. In addition, exits doors are required to be unlocked and readily available any time the building is occupied.    

2. Storage in stairwells

Stairwells are prohibited by fire codes to be used for storage or for the installation of equipment not necessary for safety. The objective is to not use the stairwell for any purpose that has the potential to interfere with its use as an exit.    

3. Fire doors propped open

Required fire doors in NIH facilities are typically doors to stairwells, mechanical/electrical rooms, and corridor doors to laboratory work areas. Fire codes prohibit the blocking or wedging of fire doors in the open position so that fire doors are always ready to serve their intended purpose -- to prevent the spread of fire, smoke and hot gases.    

4. Improper use of extension cords

Make sure all extension cords and power strips are approved by the Underwriters Laboratory (UL) and have a UL label. Sometimes extension cords and power strips that are not UL approved do not have a sufficient protective coating over the wires. Electrical shocks, burns or fires can result from using unapproved equipment.  

Do not "daisy chain" power strips with extension cords. In other words, do not hook several extension cords together to energize a power strip located far away from an electrical outlet. Electrical resistance increases with cord length and can cause overheating, leading to a fire or equipment failure. In addition, hooking several power strips together can result in an overload, which can cause a fire, trip a circuit breaker, or cause a loss of power to the electrical equipment plugged into the power strips.    

Do not use power strips or extension cords for high power loads such as microwave ovens, refrigerators or space heaters.

Power strips and extension cords are for use with low power loads such as computers and audio or visual equipment according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. In addition, inspect the wattage of everything plugged into a power strip. Add up the total wattage of all items plugged into the power strip.

Do not exceed the total electrical wattage the power strip or extension cord is rated to handle to avoid the hazards of a fire or damage to the electrical equipment plugged into the strip.    

5. Material/equipment in corridors that impede egress

A proper means of egress allows unobstructed travel at all times. Fire codes require means of egress to be continuously maintained free of all obstructions or impediments for full instant use in the case of a fire or other emergency.  

6. The use of portable space-heating devices in laboratories and health care areas

Fire codes and NIH policy prohibit portable space-heating devices in all health care areas and laboratory work areas.  

7. Flammable or combustible liquids and compressed gas cylinders in corridors

NIH Policy Manual 1361 (Corridor Utilization) prohibits the use of corridors for the storage of flammable or combustible liquids and compressed gas cylinders of all sizes. The restriction on the storage of flammable or combustible liquids in corridors is intended to eliminate significant fuel sources for a fire.

Cylinders containing compressed gases present a particular hazard because of their high pressure and can act as a missile by reaching a high speed in an extremely short period of time if the valve mechanism breaks. For additional information, please use the following link to NIH Policy Manual 1361 (Corridor Utilization): http://oma.od.nih.gov/manualchapters/management/1361/.

8. Tampering with fire protection equipment

Fire codes prohibit any person from tampering with or rendering any portable (i.e. fire extinguisher) or fixed fire protection system or device (i.e. automatic sprinklers, fire alarm system devices, etc.) inaccessible or obstructed from view and/or for proper operation.  

9. Missing ceiling tiles

A missing ceiling tile can easily allow hot products of combustion from a fire to rise through the ceiling opening and collect in the space above the ceiling. This effect can severely delay the activation time of automatic fire sprinklers that have been installed at the ceiling level. If you see ceiling tiles being removed by workers in your workplace, please remind the workers to have the ceiling tiles reinstalled in their exact location.  

10. Use of equipment with damaged or exposed electrical wiring

Do not use equipment with wiring that is damaged, including cuts or exposed wires. In addition, do not place power cords where they can incur damage during use. Damaged wiring on extension cords or power strips can cause fires and touching a single exposed wire can cause an electrical shock or burn.

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.  

To report a fire safety issue or concern directly to the DFM online, please use the following link: http://www.ors.od.nih.gov/ser/dfm/Pages/Community-Complaint-Report.aspx.

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