No. 1.000 Rev. 0
Policy on Policies
2.0
Effective Date 1/1/99
3.0
Scope
The Laboratory Director has overall responsibility for establishing and maintaining Fermilab's policies. It is the policy of Fermilab to operate the Laboratory consistent with all contract requirements and commitments and to comply with all applicable DOE Orders, Federal, State and local laws and regulations. In all cases, the Directorate receives and reviews all new DOE Orders or other requirements imposed on the Laboratory, and establishes Fermilab policies. Specific responsibilities for policy development and conduct of the annual review of existing policies have been delegated to the Associate Director for Administration.
4.0
Applicability
All Fermilab policies issued by the Director have Laboratory-wide applicability. All Laboratory employees shall follow Fermilab policies that are implemented by Division/Section programs and procedures. The Directorate shall approve Division/Section programs and procedures that implement Laboratory-wide policies.
5.0
Process
Upon receipt of a DOE Directive, Order, or other outside initiative, the document shall be forwarded to the Associate Director for Administration, who is designated as the central point of contact for these documents. The Associate Director for Administration shall review the document, in conjunction with current policies and practices, for applicability at Fermilab. This includes an applicability review of the document against the Universities Research Association, Inc. (URA) contract for the operation of the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory to assess consistency with contract requirements and commitments. The Associate Director is responsible for developing a formal position on the applicability of the new directive, and determine one of three possible courses of action:
- 1.) the directive does not apply to Fermilab;
- 2.) a waiver or postponement of the directive's requirements should be sought;
- 3.) the directive does apply in whole or in part, and sets an implementation schedule and approach for the development of a policy and implementation plan.
The Associate Director for Administration, is responsible for implementing follow-up of the selected course of action. In the case of alternative 3, a policy-working group will normally be established by the Associate Director for Administration to draft the policy for review and approval.
Fermilab policies may also be internally initiated from the Office of the Director in which case the Associate Director for Administration will provide policy development guidance to a policy working group, which has the responsibility for drafting the policy for review and approval.
The policy working group assigned responsibility for a DOE Directive or internal Fermilab initiative normally prepares a plan for implementation of the Directive or initiative, and drafts a policy statement for the Director's signature. This policy shall be consistent with the Fermilab contract and existing Fermilab policies, procedures and programs.
All Fermilab policies require review and signature of the Director. Approved policies shall be incorporated into the Fermilab Policy Manual, designated by sequential number with revision number and distributed as a formal, controlled, Laboratory-wide document.
If formal procedures are needed for the implementation of a new policy, the procedures will be prepared by the responsible implementing organization. Procedures shall then be reviewed by cognizant organizations, including the Directorate, and other line organizations, and approved by the cognizant authority. Required training shall be conducted prior to implementation. The Directorate shall approve all division/section level procedures that implement Laboratory-wide policies.
Self-assessments performed, as part of the ongoing Fermilab Self-Assessment Program, shall include policy reviews to assure that actual practices or operations are consistent with the intent of the policy and any implementing procedures.
6.0
Change Process
Change requests for all policies contained in this manual are to be submitted to the Associate Director for Administration in writing for processing. All changes to this manual require the Director's signature. Revisions to Division/Section policy implementing procedures shall require the same level of review and approval as required for issuance. Requesters will be notified of the disposition of their requests at the completion of the analysis of the impact on existing policies and procedures. No others may publish or disseminate policy that has scope or effect outside their immediate area of responsibility