• On a lanyard around your neck

• In an armband

• Clipped to your shirt, jacket, or lab coat

• On a belt loop

The Badging Office has lanyards, armbands, and three different types of clips to attach your badge. We have plenty of each type so you can choose the one that works best for you.

You can absolutely choose your own lanyard or clip, as long as it allows you to safely complete the type of work you're doing - for example, we chose to only order lanyards that break away in the back if they get caught in something.

We recommend breakaway lanyards for safety, which is why all the options you can get at the Badging Office have breakaway designs.

We’ve heard your concerns about lanyards breaking away easily. We have been testing our lanyards and will continue testing a lanyard before we hand it to you in the future so we’re sure it doesn’t create safety concerns.

Yes, you can wear your badge attached to a belt loop. The DOE Order says everyone who gets a badge must agree to "Wearing the DOE PIV credential/LSSO badge conspicuously, photo side out, in a location above the waist and on the front of the body while having access to DOE facilities. (This requirement may be modified for operational or safety reasons.)" We took your questions and concerns to Lab leadership after the first open forum in fall 2024, and they agreed that you can wear a badge attached to your belt loop if that’s what you prefer. Two of the clips we provide (the carabiner clip and the bulldog clip) would work clipped to a belt loop.

You do need to wear your badge if you are wearing a lab coat in Ames Lab buildings, but you are allowed to remove your badge in spaces where it cannot be safely worn and then put it back on when leaving that space. You can also tuck your badge into a pocket or the lab coat itself while working.

While working within Ames Lab buildings, badges should be removed in spaces where they cannot be safely worn, e.g., laboratories, machine shops, mechanical areas, etc., and placed back on when personnel exit those areas. We encourage any employees who have concerns about badge wearing impacting their safety during work activities to talk with the Badging Office and our ESH project representative to determine mitigations. We have already met with several groups for this purpose.  If you have a safety concern, talk to us – we’ll work with you on a solution.

Badges should be worn while inside DOE-owned buildings. DOE-owned buildings include TASF, Spedding Hall, Wilhelm Hall, the Metals Development Building, all Maintenance buildings, and the Sensitive Instrument Facility. It’s okay to wear your badge while walking directly between DOE-owned buildings on the ISU campus. This includes parking lots and sidewalks. If you have a safety concern, talk to us – we’ll work with you on a solution.

Employees and visitors should remove their badge or obscure it from view in ISU-owned buildings (even in DOE-leased space in those buildings), on the ISU campus, and anywhere else that is not a DOE-owned building. 

“Hiding” or “obscuring” a badge can mean taking it off and stowing it or covering it up. Good ways to hide or obscure your badge are tucking it inside a shirt, jacket, lab coat, pocket, or bag.

No, you should not wear your badge in other ISU buildings, even in DOE-leased space in ISU buildings. Many of our leased spaces in ISU-owned buildings are shared with non-Ames Lab employees, so not wearing a badge here helps protect you.

No, you should not wear your badge while walking around the ISU campus.

No, you should not wear your badge in public.

Only wearing your PIV Badge or Ames Lab Badge inside Ames Lab facilities is about keeping you, your data, your work, and your equipment secure. We want to make sure you aren’t targeted for DOE information. By wearing your badge in DOE-owned buildings, you are letting others know you are authorized to be here. By not wearing your badge in ISU buildings, you’re helping ensure you aren’t a target.

If someone is not wearing their badge while in Ames Lab facilities and this becomes a pattern, their direct supervisor is empowered to talk with them about this. If not wearing a badge is tied to a safety concern, please talk with the Badging Office, and we will involve ESH and work with you on a solution. If someone still is not properly wearing their badge after talking with their direct supervisor, their department or division director will be notified. If this still does not resolve the situation, the appropriate member of executive lab leadership will be notified: The Chief Research Officer for Research, and the Chief Operations Officer for Operations.

Safety and security of the Lab is everyone’s responsibility. If you see something, say something. Here is language you can use to talk to someone if you see them not wearing a badge.