Accountability
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Personnel Accountability FAQ
What is a Personnel Accountability drill?
It is common during or after an emergency that personnel accountability be requested. The Lab uses personnel accountability for continuity of government functions in addition to life safety efforts. This type of personnel accountability establishes the whereabouts of mission- critical personnel and ensures the continued performance of essential functions. This type of accountability can also be useful when Lab personnel are traveling in foreign countries and emergencies occur in other jurisdictions.
Why perform Personnel Accountability?
Personnel accountability of those involved in the event allow emergency responders to prioritize search and rescue operations. If all personnel are accounted for it can also be used to eliminate the need for conducting a risky, but unnecessary search and rescue mission. Building Emergency Team (BET) members and leads help coordinate personnel accountability for personnel who reside within their facility.
How does Personnel Accountability work?
Should an event or emergency affect the entire site or region, a mass notification system (LabAlert) is used as a means to capture personnel accountability in a more expedient manner. These personnel accountability requests let emergency response personnel know who is on site, off site, or who may be missing and can also be used to gain safety information. This information helps identify the need for additional emergency responders.
Personnel accountability messages for a drill, exercise, or real event will be distributed via LabAlert (phone, text, and email) and possibly through the Public Address (PA) system or supervisors. It is of utmost importance that Lab personnel account for themselves if able to do so. This ensures that we have an effective mechanism for communicating with the Lab population and will also assist us with performing life safety actions.
When are Personnel Accountability drills conducted?
Typically, personnel accountability drills are conducted during the annual site exercise or the Great Shakeout earthquake drill. This allows personnel to get used to the messaging and Emergency Management to test the system prior to a real emergency. They are also conducted once per quarter as part of a DOE requirement.
Additional Questions
If you have any further questions about personnel accountability, please contact Emergency Management at: emergencymanagement@lbl.gov.
Sample Emails and Text Messages
Note: Links in emails go to everbridge.net, the Lab's vendor for emergency communications.
LabAlert Email:
Subject: Berkeley LabAlert: Personnel Accountability Drill
From: Berkeley LabAlert <labalert@lbl.gov>
Reply-To: Berkeley LabAlert <long-code@smtpic-ne.prd1.everbridge.net>
To: <person>@lbl.gov
This is a Berkeley Lab personnel accountability drill. Please respond with your status by clicking one of the following links. Responding to this message takes a few seconds and will stop further messages from this drill. In an actual emergency, this messaging would play a critical role in our emergency response efforts and could save lives. The best way to receive LabAlert messages is by cell phone. If you have not already registered your cell phone, please do so at go.lbl.gov/labalert. The links in this message go to everbridge.net, the vendor LBL contracts with to provide the LabAlert service. You can verify the authenticity of this message by visiting status.lbl.gov, reviewing the Level1 sent by the Deputy Director of Operations, Michael Brandt on Friday May 4, or calling the Operations Center at 510-486-6999. For more information or questions, please contact emergencymanagement@lbl.gov. This is a drill. 1. I am at the Berkeley Lab main campus 2. I am at a Berkeley Lab off-site location 3. I am working at a non-Berkley Lab location (including home) 4. I am on leave or not on duty
LabAlert SMS:
This is a test of the Berkeley LabAlert system. Please respond by replying with one of the following numbers.
1. I am at the Berkeley Lab main campus.
2. I am at a Berkeley Lab off-site location.
3. I am teleworking.
4. I am on leave or not on duty.
Responding to this message will stop further messages from this test. You can verify the authenticity of this message by visiting status.lbl.gov. This is a test..