PODCAST | Workplace safety at Los Alamos: Home of the atomic bomb

What is it like to be a senior EHS officer at the remote Los Alamos National Laboratory in the New Mexico desert? Los Alamos is home of the atomic bomb and the Oscar-winning film, Oppenheimer.

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In this episode of Dave Johnson's Wide World of Safety podcast series, we find out. Our guest is Mark Hansen, PE, CSP, former president of the American Society of Safety Professionals, and a Fellow of ASSP, the organization's highest honor.

Hansen describes his work at Los Alamos — the challenges, best practices, mandatory PPE, training, technology and leadership values that go with managing safety and health while cleaning up legacy contamination and packing and shipping hazardous waste in a 10-year, $1.7-billion Department of Energy contract. Welcome to one of the world's most secretive, heavily guarded, unique workplaces.

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Dave Johnson was chief editor of ISHN from 1980 until early 2020. He uses his decades of expertise to write on hot topics and current events in the world of safety. He also writes and edits at Dave Johnson’s Writing Shop LLC and is editor-at-large for ISHN. Find him at https://www.facebook.com/Dave-Johnsons-Writing-Shop-101316571547263/, and on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/daveljohnsoneditor/.