DOE's Top Leaders Tour Hanford Cleanup Projects, Meet With Workers, Stakeholders; Recap of Total Solar Eclipse Event at Four EM Sites; And Much More!

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EM Update | Vol. 9, Issue 16 | Aug. 31, 2017

DOE Leaders Tour Hanford Cleanup Projects, Meet With Workers, Stakeholders
EM Names Robert F. Boehlecke as New Nevada Program Manager
EM Rolls Out New Requirements to Further Improve Project Management Rigor
From Idaho to South Carolina, EM Workers Behold Total Solar Eclipse History
Criticality Alarm No Longer Needed at Hanford’s Plutonium Finishing Plant
SRS Relies on Array of Robots for Liquid-Waste Cleanup
Portsmouth Site Water Treatment System Upgrade to Improve Safety, Efficiency
ORP Workers Replace Massive Wastewater Basin Cover
Hanford Site Workers Begin Preparing Grout for PUREX Tunnel
EM Commends Hanford Prime Contractor for FY16 Savings of $7.8 Million
Savannah River Site Contractor Launches Innovative Safety Video Campaign

DOE Leaders Tour Hanford Cleanup Projects, Meet With Workers, Stakeholders

EM Office of River Protection Manager Kevin Smith provides a briefing to Energy Secretary Rick Perry, center, and U.S. Rep. Greg Walden at the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant.

RICHLAND, Wash. – Energy Secretary Rick Perry and Deputy Secretary Dan Brouillette each visited the Hanford Site recently to view cleanup progress and meet with workers, elected and Tribal leaders, and other stakeholders.

“It is a privilege for me to be here today,” Secretary Perry said to a gathering of approximately 200 employees simulcast to workers at other site facilities. “The DOE’s mission here is incredibly important, and coming to this site was very important for me.”

Secretary Perry noted the important roles Hanford and other EM sites played in World War II and the Cold War.

“I hope that you appreciate the part of American history that you are engaged in,” he said during the all-employee meeting.

U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell (Washington) and Congressmen Dan Newhouse (Washington) and Greg Walden (Oregon) joined the Secretary for portions of the visit. During their respective visits, Secretary Perry and Deputy Secretary Brouillette toured several Hanford projects, including the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant, Plutonium Finishing Plant, Volpentest Hazardous Materials Management and Emergency Response Federal Training Facility, tank farms, and Waste Encapsulation and Storage Facility.

EM Richland Operations Office Deputy Manager Tom Fletcher, right, briefs Energy Secretary Rick Perry while on a tour of the Hanford Site.

Energy Secretary Rick Perry observes a demonstration of equipment and training at the Volpentest Hazardous Materials Management and Emergency Response Federal Training Facility.

Energy Secretary Rick Perry talks with reporters following briefings and equipment demonstrations at the Volpentest Hazardous Materials Management and Emergency Response Federal Training Facility.

Atop the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) Pretreatment Facility, Deputy Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette, right, and WTP Assistant Manager Bill Hamel discuss the Direct Feed Low-Activity Waste process to be used to begin vitrifying tank waste as early as 2022.

After donning the appropriate protective clothing, Deputy Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette prepares for a tour of the 324 Building, which sits atop a contaminated waste site.

In a meeting hosted by the DOE State and Tribal Government Working Group, Secretary Perry introduced himself to the leaders of the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, Wanapum Band of Indians, Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, and Nez Perce Tribe.

The Secretary listened to the Tribal leaders’ perspectives on the cultural and religious significance of many areas of the Hanford Site. The leaders told Secretary Perry their people have lived and thrived around Hanford for thousands of years. Wanapum leader Rex Buck noted that several of his ancestors were born near what is now the site of Hanford's B Reactor National Historic Landmark. Asa Washines, an elected leader of the Yakama Nation, explained that the Yakama have had a "long history when it comes to Hanford" and that "Tribal members are on the front lines" in wanting to help protect Tribal interests.

Energy Secretary Rick Perry speaks to Tribal leaders following his visit to the Hanford Site.

Energy Secretary Rick Perry shakes hands with Chairwoman Mary Jane Miles of the Nez Perce Tribe Executive Committee.

Energy Secretary Rick Perry, fifth from left, gathers with Tribal leaders and DOE representatives following a meeting in Richland, Wash.

Umatilla Trustee Board Member Woodrow Star said that the Tribes have the "experience, knowledge, and culture to help the government take care of this land," and willingness to help DOE make better cleanup decisions. Chairwoman Miles of the Nez Perce Tribe expressed appreciation for how EM’s Richland Operations Office "reached out to the Tribes and listened" to their concerns and desires for the future of Hanford.

Acknowledging his responsibility to "be a good steward" of Hanford, Secretary Perry thanked each Tribe for meeting with him. The Secretary said it will be a great privilege to work with the Tribes and added that the meeting “was the start of a long, productive relationship." The Tribal leaders conveyed their appreciation to the Secretary for taking time to visit with them.

-Contributors: Paula Call, Mark Heeter, Erik Olds, Albert Petrasek

EM Names Robert F. Boehlecke as New Nevada Program Manager

Robert F. Boehlecke

LAS VEGAS – EM has announced Robert F. Boehlecke as its new Nevada program manager effective Aug. 20.

Boehlecke will provide strategic management of environmental and waste management activities, and operations support activities involving life-cycle baseline schedules and funding. He will oversee the integration of all program contractors and activities with an annual budget of more than $60 million.

“I am excited to lead such a dedicated team of federal and contractor staff,” Boehlecke said. “The Environmental Management Nevada Program mission is important and it is my expectation that it continue to be conducted with a high degree of integrity and transparency to stakeholders.”

Most recently, Boehlecke was EM’s Nevada deputy program manager for operations, responsible for the oversight of radioactive waste management facilities, and groundwater and surface soil remediation activities at the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS).

Boehlecke’s roughly 25 years of technical experience will guide restoration efforts at more than 1,800 individual surface sites, development of a long-term monitoring network to protect the public from accessing groundwater impacted by 828 historic underground nuclear tests, and the continued safety of NNSS radioactive waste management activities. Before joining DOE in 2008, Boehlecke worked for several NNSS contractors.

Boehlecke received a master’s degree in environmental science from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies from the State University of New York, College of Environmental Science and Forestry. He is also a certified project management professional and certified environmental manager in the state of Nevada.

Boehlecke will continue to serve as the deputy program manager for operations until a successor is identified.

-Contributors: Marc Klein, Dona Merritt

EM Rolls Out New Requirements to Further Improve Project Management Rigor

WASHINGTON, D.C. – EM is moving forward with a new policy of project management requirements intended to further enhance the management and rigor of cleanup work across the complex.

The new policy, set to fully go into effect in October, intends to ensure program priorities, available resources, and contracting approaches effectively integrate to meet mission needs and achieve success. The site manager or the EM Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary will “authorize” the accomplishment of work through a set of key decisions to ensure line management support.

Under the new policy, when EM begins planning for a new or follow-on contract, the site manager will decide the proposed term of the contract. The site team will pull that “segment” of work from the site’s Lifecycle Cost Baseline. Typically, a segment will be five to 10 years in length and will be accomplished via one contract. The accomplishment of a segment will be conducted through a new Key Decision (KD) process:

KD-0: Develop the Segment’s Objective and Key Performance Measures (KPMS);
KD-1: Authorize Segment Requirements;
KD-2: Authorize Segment Execution; and
KD-3: Authorize Segment Closeout.

Success for a segment will be defined as the completion of the Key Performance Measures within 110 percent of the approved segment baseline cost as adjusted for directed changes and approved contract changes. To track performance and allow for early identification of issues, periodic progress status briefings and programmatic peer reviews will be conducted for each segment.

The new policy is meant to further strengthen EM’s management of so-called operational activities, including facility operations, environmental remediation, waste management and facility deactivation and decommissioning activities, which represent the bulk of EM’s total work scope. Also, the new policy applies to the entire EM portfolio, with line-item construction projects and certain work activities considered as capital asset projects continuing to be governed by DOE Order 413.3B, Program and Project Management for the Acquisition of Capital Assets.

“We expect further improvements in our ability to plan, execute and track performance of operational activities to ensure that work is conducted in an efficient, timely and cost-effective manner,” Acting EM Assistant Secretary Jim Owendoff said.

The new policy is the first action to originate from EM’s recently completed 45-day program review, which intends to help identify opportunities for improvement for timely action and improve the effectiveness of the EM program.

“Through continuous improvement efforts such as this, I believe our organization will continue to deliver outstanding results,” Owendoff said.

- Contributor: Michael Nartker

From Idaho to South Carolina, EM Workers Behold Total Solar Eclipse History

Workers began viewing the solar eclipse at EM's Paducah Site in Kentucky just before noon Aug. 21, with the moon completely blocking out the sun at 1:22 p.m. for just over 2 minutes.

Thousands of spectators at four EM sites witnessed day turn to night as they stood in the path of totality of the historic solar eclipse on Aug. 21.

For EM’s Oak Ridge Site in Tennessee, the event was especially significant, marking the first major public event at the East Tennessee Technology Park (ETTP), a former uranium enrichment site EM began cleaning up in 1989.

EM and its cleanup contractor, URS | CH2M Oak Ridge, worked with the Community Reuse Organization of East Tennessee and the National Park Service (NPS) to enable the “All-American Total Solar Eclipse” public viewing event at ETTP.

About 1,000 people attended the NPS affair symbolizing ETTP’s transition from a restricted government facility to a multi-use industrial park. EM is scheduled to complete cleanup there in the early 2020s, and the site will be home to more new businesses, historic landmarks, and conservation lands.

EM’s Paducah Site in Kentucky was one of four EM sites in the 70-mile-wide path of totality directly below the moon's shadow, joining the Idaho, Oak Ridge and Savannah River sites.

A view of the total solar eclipse in Idaho (photo courtesy of Aaron Kunz, Idaho Public Television).

Employees at the Savannah River Site (SRS) in South Carolina filed outside of work to enjoy the eclipse. The site was 99.9 percent in totality and one of the last locations in the U.S. to view the rare solar phenomenon.

Drew Fairchild, a flowsheet engineer with SRS liquid-waste contractor Savannah River Remediation (SRR), said he appreciated observing the first coast-to-coast eclipse in the U.S. in 99 years with coworkers.

“Seeing a solar eclipse alongside other liquid-waste peers provided a rare team-building experience,” Fairchild said.

Carol Hunter, an SRR principal safety and health specialist, was glad she witnessed the once-in-a-lifetime event.

“I was thankful to be able to view such an amazing sight,” she said. “The next eclipse is so far in the future that none of us know if we will have this opportunity again.”

Kaitlyn Haupfear, an SRR field procurement engineer, said viewing the eclipse was indescribable.

“It was great to see so many people in our nation stop to share such a beautiful moment together,” Haupfear said. “What made the event even better was that I was able to share the experience with my coworkers and my dad, who is also an SRR employee.”

SRS employees look up at the eclipse. In the background is the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF), the nation’s only operating vitrification facility that converts high-level radioactive waste into a glass form safe for long-term storage.

The eclipse’s path of totality over EM sites.

People from around the world traveled to Idaho to experience the historic happening, and DOE’s Idaho National Laboratory — an EM cleanup site — was closed that day to accommodate traffic.

Idaho Cleanup Project contractor Fluor Idaho shifted its work schedule that week for 1,800 EM workers from Monday-Thursday to Tuesday-Friday to reduce traffic, anticipating hundreds of thousands of people for the eclipse viewing in Idaho Falls, a city of about 60,000 people.

DOE Idaho employee Mark Brown said such planning helped ensure safety for eclipse viewers.

"Aside from the spectacular image of the moon crossing the sun’s face and the incredible, surreal environmental changes that are part of a total solar eclipse, it was reassuring that the planning and preparation for this event ensured an incident-free day,” Brown said. “It was a rare event to see and experience, and something that I and my family will never forget.”

-Contributors: Colleen Hart, Danielle Miller, Dylan Nichols, Ben Williams

Criticality Alarm No Longer Needed at Hanford’s Plutonium Finishing Plant

Workers use a crane to lift hazardous waste from the third floor of the Plutonium Finishing Plant. Removing the waste for shipment to the site’s regulated landfill is one of the final tasks before the facility is ready for demolition.

RICHLAND, Wash. – EM’s Richland Operations Office (RL) is close to transitioning from deactivation activities to full-scale demolition at the main processing facility of Hanford’s Plutonium Finishing Plant (PFP).

For years, workers decontaminated the facility, removing contaminated, prohibited, and hazardous items to prepare for demolition.

With that work nearly complete, and remaining residual radioactive fissile material reduced to low levels, RL shut off the facility’s criticality alarm system (CAS). Watch a video on the CAS deactivation here.

The CAS went online in 1981, preceded by earlier systems at PFP. The CAS would alert employees of a criticality, or unplanned nuclear reaction, requiring immediate evacuation. Such an event is no longer possible due to the years of hazard reduction inside the facility.

“With safety as the primary concern, workers have done an outstanding job bringing us to this point, where a criticality is no longer possible,” said Tom Teynor, EM project director for PFP demolition.

Duane Mullen, Plutonium Finishing Plant engineer, turns the key to permanently shut off the facility’s criticality alarm system, representing significant radiological hazard reductions inside the facility and one of the last steps before the facility’s demolition permit can be issued.

Contractor CH2M HILL Plateau Remediation Company (CH2M) will continue removing waste from the facility and isolating water lines before the demolition permit can be issued and full-scale demolition can begin.

“This is the end of more than 20 years of a lot of hard work from a lot of people that have come and gone through the years, and they’ve all played their part,” PFP Shift Operations Manager Scott Swett said.

Teardown of the main processing facility — the last of four main PFP buildings to be demolished — began in July when workers demolished a small annex built onto the original structure in 1991. They also tore down the Americium Recovery Facility. Demolition is underway on the adjacent Plutonium Reclamation Facility. The ventilation building is demolished with the exception of a large ventilation duct that once connected it to the main building; the duct will be removed with the main processing building.

“The PFP team is the best in the business,” said CH2M Plutonium Finishing Plant Closure Project Deputy Project Manager Kelly Wooley. “We’ve done a lot, and we have a lot more to do. But as always, we won’t proceed until we can do it safely.”

-Contributor: Destry Henderson

SRS Relies on Array of Robots for Liquid-Waste Cleanup

AIKEN, S.C. – Remote operations are crucial to worker safety in hazardous cleanup at the Savannah River Site (SRS).

Savannah River Remediation (SRR), EM’s liquid-waste contractor at SRS, relies on robotic technology to reduce hazards and improve operations in several liquid-waste facilities. Robots have cleaned debris in remote cells, retrieved samples in underground waste tanks, and repaired leaks to a vessel that evaporates wastewater.

They are essential to reducing the risk of radioactive waste to SRR workers, SRR President and Project Manager Tom Foster said.

“Robots provide an unmatched capability to work in radioactive environments that otherwise wouldn’t be possible,” Foster said. “Using these devices to accomplish remote work means the workers’ exposure is reduced, keeping our people safe.”

A two-foot tall robot cleaned up debris in the Defense Waste Processing Facility.

A close-up of the Defense Waste Processing Facility robot.

Cleaning DWPF Melt Cell

SRR asked EM’s Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) for robotic help to clean the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) melt cell. Radioactive debris remained after Melter 2 was removed for replacement in May. The melter produces a glassified waste safe for disposal.

SRR and SRNL chose a two-foot-tall robot used by law enforcement for bomb disposal and hostage situations. SRNL modified the device for remote deployment in the cell, attaching tools to gather and package the debris for disposal.

“SRNL's mission is to deliver advanced technologies that can accelerate Cold War legacy cleanup across the DOE complex,” SRNL Director Terry A. Michalske said. “We are proud to support SRR's ability to use robotic technology to help keep workers safe and get the job done.”

Savannah River Remediation modified a robot named G.I. Joe to retrieve tank waste samples.

Tank Sampling

After workers remove waste from a tank to the extent practical, residual waste is sampled to determine regulatory compliance. Retrieving samples from the bottom of a one-million-gallon underground waste tank is a challenge. SRR modified a robotic crawler named G.I. Joe to better obtain waste samples than past robots used for sampling.

An engineer uses remote controls and cameras to maneuver the robot. G.I Joe grips a device for scooping the samples and places them in a retrieval basket, which is sent to the laboratory for analysis.

This duo — a robotic arm and base — worked together to repair leaks in a radioactive vessel.

Repairing 3H Evaporator

A dynamic duo of robots helped fix leaks in one of two evaporators that reduce tank waste volume.

SRR and subcontractor AREVA attached a robotic arm to a robotic base and modified them to detect and repair leak sites in the 3H Evaporator vessel. The arm is widely used in the automotive industry and the base is used in demolition work.

The arm held tools to remove the lagging and insulation around the vessel, a camera for inspecting the leak sites, and an ultrasonic probe to measure the thickness of the vessel walls surrounding the leak sites. Two operators manipulated the robots remotely via real-time video.

“These robots were instrumental in identifying the leak sites on the evaporator,” said Bill Barnes, the evaporator recovery manager. “Going forward they will continue to be instrumental in the repair methods.”

The robots are commissioned to weld a cap to repair the leak site and prepare the evaporator for operations.

-Contributors: Colleen Hart, Jamacia Jimerson

Portsmouth Site Water Treatment System Upgrade to Improve Safety, Efficiency

Workers removed the two 2,000-pound containers of liquid chlorine at the X-611 Water Treatment Facility at the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant.

PIKETON, Ohio – EM recently modernized a 60-year-old treatment process at the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant, improving the safety and cost-effectiveness of the site’s potable water system.

Workers replaced two 2,000-pound containers of chlorine at the X-611 Water Treatment Plant with a liquid bleach system.

The new treatment system reduces hazards: If the bleach would spill in the event of an accident, it would be much less dangerous than a gaseous chlorine release from the previous system that could trigger an area emergency.

Portsmouth Site Lead Joel Bradburne of EM’s Portsmouth/Paducah Project Office (PPPO) said the measure makes sense from a safety and cost perspective.

“We are always looking for continuous improvement when it comes to the safety of human health and the environment,” Bradburne said. “This is an example of how we saw an opportunity to improve safety, and it’s also a cost savings.”

Tom Martin, with the site’s deactivation and decommissioning prime contractor, Fluor-BWXT Portsmouth LLC (FBP), said the old chlorine containers were part of site emergency drill and exercise scenarios.

“One of the major considerations was our safety basis (evacuation zones and Emergency Operations Center drills),” Martin said. “The biggest risk has been the two 1-ton chlorine containers that we used to treat our water. By replacing them, we’re able to reduce the evacuation zones and our contingency planning for the water treatment facility.”

Fluor-BWXT Facility Manager Doug Davis (left) and employee Carl Faub complete paperwork to approve the cylinder for transport.

The new system blends a 12.5-percent bleach solution with water down to a 6-percent solution similar in concentration to household bleach. It is added to the water supply at a 1-percent concentration.

“The chlorine gas was a very reliable system, but this one is safer, as reliable, and more automated. The flow meters calculate the flow and automatically add the bleach,” FBP Facility Manager Doug Davis said. “Now you can set the flow meter and it will automatically increase or decrease the pumping of bleach into the system. The water has to have contact with the bleach for at least six hours to kill organisms.”

The X-611 treats approximately 1.8 million gallons of drinking water a day.

The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency approved the new system last year.

-Contributor: Michelle Teeters

ORP Workers Replace Massive Wastewater Basin Cover

Workers unroll a panel of a new wastewater storage basin cover at Hanford.

RICHLAND, Wash. – Workers at the Hanford Site recently installed a new cover for a wastewater storage basin as long as a football field and nearly twice as wide.

The EM Office of River Protection tank operations contractor Washington River Protection Solutions replaced a more than 20-year-old cover for the basin at Hanford’s Liquid Effluent Retention Facility (LERF).

Wastewater contaminated with radioactive and hazardous materials generated by Hanford cleanup is stored in three large basins at the LERF until it can be treated for disposal. Each basin is permitted to hold up to approximately 8 million gallons. The covers for the other two basins — both about 20 years old — are scheduled for replacement in the next few years.

The covers help prevent birds and other animals from spreading potential contamination, and keep foreign materials out of the wastewater that could affect its processing. The new cover, made of polyethylene synthetic rubber, is resistant to chemicals, temperature extremes, and ultraviolet light.

-Contributor: Jerry Holloway

Hanford Site Workers Begin Preparing Grout for PUREX Tunnel

Workers insert probes through existing risers on top of PUREX Tunnel 1 to check conditions inside of the collapsed tunnel. Visual and radiological conditions inside the tunnel will support grout placement.

RICHLAND, Wash. – Workers have begun stabilizing a partially collapsed waste storage tunnel on the Hanford Site.

EM’s Richland Operations Office (RL) and contractor CH2M HILL Plateau Remediation Company (CH2M) intend to add grout to Tunnel 1 adjacent to the Plutonium Uranium Extraction (PUREX) Plant in coming weeks. The tunnel partially collapsed in May 2017.

The grout will improve tunnel stability, provide additional radiological protection, and increase durability while not precluding future remedial actions or final closure decisions. RL has used grout to fill parts of other buildings and facilities successfully in the past. It can be effectively implemented at a reasonable cost.

Trials are underway to ensure the grout formulation selected for placement in Tunnel 1 is engineered appropriately for flowability, strength, and cure time.

Workers are using existing ports to check conditions inside the tunnel. Their analysis will support safe and compliant grout placement.

Trials of engineered grout with different properties are underway. CH2M recently awarded a subcontract to Richland-based Intermech, Inc., to place the grout. CH2M and Intermech will conduct mockups to train workers to lay the material safely.

Approximately 6,000 cubic yards of grout are needed to fill the 358-foot-long tunnel currently holding eight railcars containing legacy radioactive plutonium processing equipment. Workers are set to finish placing grout by the end of December.

-Contributor: Destry Henderson

EM Commends Hanford Prime Contractor for FY16 Savings of $7.8 Million

Frank Salaman, BNI manager of procurement and subcontracts for the WTP Project, displays EM’s letter recognizing the company for its more than $7.8 million in federal cost savings.

RICHLAND, Wash. – EM lauded an Office of River Protection prime contractor for achieving federal cost savings of more than $7.8 million in procurements and subcontracts in fiscal year 2016 (FY16).

Ralph Holland, head of EM contracting activity, thanked Bechtel National, Inc.’s (BNI) Waste Treatment Plant (WTP) Project team for its commitment to EM’s Strategic Sourcing Initiative (SSI). The contractor saved $7.1 million in the SSI, the second-highest FY16 total of all participating EM prime contractors.

“The success of the SSI depends on you and you are doing an outstanding job,” Holland says in a letter to BNI.

Holland noted that efficient and effective taxpayer stewardship has never been more important.

“WTP-BNI is highly commended for your valued support in the success of the EM SSI and the continued achievement of the EM mission,” the letter says. “Your efforts serve as an example of excellence across the DOE complex.”

EM realized a total SSI savings of $59.4 million in FY 2016, surpassing the target savings goal of $36.8 million.

The initiative applies an organized, systematic, and collaborative approach to acquire commonly used goods and services. It enables EM contractors to partner with companies to develop optimal solutions, share best practices, and create a strategic sourcing community.

“EM prime contractors working together to leverage common commodities, thus enabling pricing and processing efficiencies, is critical to achieving the ultimate goal of maximizing taxpayer value for every dollar spent,” Holland says in the letter.

Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS), the management and operations contractor for the Savannah River Site, took first place in SSI FY16 savings with $7.8 million. Read the EM Update story on the SSI savings of SRNS and liquid-waste contractor Savannah River Remediation here.

BNI’s $7,841,000 exceeded the contractor’s FY16 goal of $3.1 million by 152 percent. The savings resulted from BNI’s strategic negotiations with vendors and use of EM-sponsored eProcurement and eSourcing tools, which allow contractors to obtain bids from different suppliers via an online portal.

It was the second consecutive year EM commended BNI for surpassing its SSI goal. The contractor saved $3.4 million in fiscal year 2015.

-Contributor: George Rangel

Savannah River Site Contractor Launches Innovative Safety Video Campaign

Savannah River Remediation Industrial Hygienist Sally Starling monitors two construction workers wearing physiological monitoring devices in the Savannah River Site Tank Farms.

AIKEN, S.C. – The Savannah River Site’s liquid-waste contractor has launched a new safety video campaign.

The roughly two-minute-long videos in Savannah River Remediation’s (SRR) Safety 120 program feature company experts discussing safety topics as workers engage in related work activities.

SRR frequently implements new safety-focused technologies and programs, and this campaign is a fresh way to remind employees of the safety advancements.

In the first video, SRR Industrial Hygienist Sally Starling discusses a heart rate monitoring technology SRR uses to help determine if workers experience heat strain. This technology provides data to industrial hygienists and monitoring that allows intervention before a worker sustains a heat-related illness.

SRR has monitored nearly 200 activities since April 2017 and has asked some workers to slow down or pause work to allow their heart rates to recover.

Moving forward, SRR Environmental, Safety, and Health Programs Manager Kevin Smith plans more videos on topics such as electrical safety, chemical vapor awareness, and environmental issues.

“We believe videos shot in our own facilities, featuring our own employees, have the potential to have greater impact on the audience than a few paragraphs or a well-done PowerPoint presentation,” Smith said. “By keeping the videos brief, concise, yet informative, we hope to capture the attention of the workforce more effectively than traditional communication methods.”

Click here to see the inaugural video.

-Contributor: Ashley Dernberger

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