EM Update | Vol. 12, Issue 1 | Jan. 7, 2020

• Oak Ridge Set to Make History in 2020
• EM Awards West Valley Contractor 69 Percent of Fee for Fiscal 2019 Period
• College’s Nuclear Program Provides Pipeline for Hanford’s Future Workforce
• Oak Ridge's UCOR Earns 97 Percent of Fee for Fiscal 2019's Second Half
• Hanford Uses In-House Oil Treatments to Eliminate Waste, Save Money
• Paducah Site Cleanup Workers Achieve One Million Safe Work Hours
• Students Explore “IT for a Day” at Savannah River Site
• SRS Training Helps Stop Suspicious Items From Entering Supply Chain

Oak Ridge Set to Make History in 2020

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. – 2020 is set to be a historic year for DOE’s Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management (OREM).

Crews are scheduled to complete major cleanup at the East Tennessee Technology Park (ETTP) and begin multiple demolition projects on high-risk excess contaminated facilities at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and Y-12 National Security Complex (Y-12).

The end of major cleanup at ETTP this year marks the first removal of an enrichment complex in the world. ETTP also is the first former Manhattan Project site where EM will complete cleanup.

The work at ETTP closes a chapter that began in 1943, but it opens new ones that include opportunities for the community. Together, OREM and cleanup contractor UCOR are converting the site into a multi-use industrial park, national park, and conservation area.

To date, OREM has taken down facilities spanning 12 million square feet, transferred more than 1,200 acres for economic development, set aside more than 100 acres for historic preservation, and placed more than 3,000 acres in conservation for community recreational use.

Final touches are being made to the K-25 History Center set to open early this year. The 7,500-square-foot facility shares the stories of workers who helped build and operate the site.

OREM also is completing projects that commemorate the value of past work conducted at ETTP. Early this year, OREM is set to open the 7,500-square-foot K-25 History Center, featuring stories of the workers who helped build the site, operate the facilities, and end World War II and the Cold War.

“This year, employees will achieve our ambitious goal at ETTP and initiate significant demolition projects at Y-12 and ORNL,” OREM Manager Jay Mullis said. “Our progress is enabling new chapters for former government-owned land, enhancing safety, and supporting DOE’s scientific research and national security missions in Oak Ridge.”

This year also ushers in big changes at ORNL and Y-12 as OREM and UCOR address facilities on DOE’s high-risk excess contaminated facility list.

Crews are set to demolish the two remaining structures associated with Building 3026. These structures are located in the heart of ORNL’s central campus, adjacent to the construction site for a new $95 million research facility. This project opens land to future research missions.

DOE’s Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management is demolishing two remaining hot cells from Building 3026. The project removes high-risk structures located in the heart of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s central campus.

Workers will begin tearing down five remaining Biology Complex buildings in 2020. The structures are on DOE’s high-risk excess contaminated facility list.

At Y-12, workers will begin tearing down five remaining Biology Complex buildings. This project removes significantly deteriorated facilities that present numerous structural hazards, clearing space for future national security missions.

A skilled workforce enables OREM to maintain momentum for the year ahead. As work comes to an end at ETTP, crews will transition to Y-12 to prepare for deactivation activities in massive Manhattan Project and Cold War facilities, specifically Alpha 2 and Beta 1.

“We are excited to have such a meaningful accomplishment on the horizon, and we are eager to begin new projects that will continue Oak Ridge’s transformation,” Mullis said. “We are looking forward to a very strong year that will make a visible and meaningful difference.”

-Contributor: Ben Williams

EM Awards West Valley Contractor 69 Percent of Fee for Fiscal 2019 Period

An aerial view of the West Valley Demonstration Project Site.

WEST VALLEY, N.Y. – EM’s West Valley Demonstration Project Site cleanup contractor recently earned nearly $323,000 of an available award fee of about $467,000 for its performance during an evaluation period of March 2019 through August 2019.

EM releases information relating to contractor fee payments — earned by completing the work called for in the contracts — to further transparency in its cleanup program.

The contractor received "very good" ratings for safety, health, and quality management, and business administration; and "good" ratings for project management, and environmental and regulatory compliance.

Noteworthy achievements by CH2M HILL BWXT West Valley (CHBWV) during that period include:

• Continuous business administration support, including a commitment to the local community, timely public communications, contract deliverables, and use of DOE procurement tools.
• Good planning and partnering associated with infrastructure improvements, ancillary structure disposition, and removal of other facilities.
• Surpassing 100,000 work hours without a lost-time accident or illness, and demonstrating a positive emphasis on safety improvements, quality assurance, emergency management, and security.
• Continued partnering with DOE on radiological controls.

CHBWV's notable accomplishments in performance were offset by noted needs for improvement in work planning and control; estimation of waste volumes; and communications between organizational units.

View the fee determination scorecard for CHBWV here.

College’s Nuclear Program Provides Pipeline for Hanford’s Future Workforce

Steven Kirschenmann, left, a training specialist in the operations and maintenance training department at Washington River Protection Solutions, demonstrates lubrication principles of oil-based lubricants to Columbia Basin College (CBC) students James Longmire, center, and Austin Silveira during a hydraulic and fluid flows class. Kirschenmann also is an adjunct professor in the nuclear technology program at the CBC.

RICHLAND, Wash. – A nuclear technology program at an area community college helps the EM Hanford Site’s tank operations contractor maintain a stream of qualified applicants attracted by challenging and well-paying careers.

“It definitely prepares you to work out here,” said Cindy Torres, who is finishing up a Washington River Protection Solutions (WRPS) internship while completing a program in applied science in nuclear technology through Columbia Basin College (CBC). “The program focuses on how systems and components operate and what you need to learn to be safe and successful at Hanford.”

Finding qualified technicians is important to the current and long-term success of the Hanford tank farms cleanup mission, according to Ricky Bang, EM Office of River Protection tank farms program division director.

“The standards needed to do the work and stay safe here are high,” Bang said. “This is not a job where a person can walk in off the street and start immediately. There is a lot of training to teach people about the radiological conditions and to keep workers safe. We have specialized equipment workers use in the tank farms. There are regulations, policies, and practices that need to be followed, and you can only learn that through extensive training.”

The program offers several one-year certificates, and two-year degrees in nuclear operations, radiation protection, and instrumentation.

“The students are eager to learn,” said Steve Kirschenmann, a WRPS training instructor. “This program is producing highly educated people who can step right in and get to work.”

Garrett Wilz started work at WRPS almost four years ago after completing the CBC program.

“It gave me a head start because I learned all the core fundamentals — math, chemistry, mechanical, electrical,” Wilz said. “The course material covers pumps, valves, operating systems, and working in radiological areas.”

WRPS helped kick-start the program several years ago through financial support and scholarships. Most of the instructors are WRPS employees who teach evening classes.

-Contributor: Hal McCune

Oak Ridge's UCOR Earns 97 Percent of Fee for Fiscal 2019's Second Half

UCOR employees advance the cleanup of high-priority excess contaminated facilities, such as this mercury removal project in the Alpha 4 building at the Y-12 National Security Complex.

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. – EM recently awarded Oak Ridge cleanup contractor UCOR $20.4 million for its performance from April 2019 through September 2019, amounting to 97 percent of the available fee.

The Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management (OREM) issued its fee determination scorecard for UCOR for the six-month period of fiscal 2019 after completing its evaluation of the contractor. EM releases information relating to contractor fee payments — earned by completing the work called for in the contracts — to further transparency in its cleanup program.

The contractor received “excellent” ratings for project management and business systems, and regulatory and stakeholder activity; a “good” rating for operations management; and “high confidence” for cost and schedule incentive, according to the scorecard.

UCOR had several significant accomplishments:

• Identified cost savings that extended the purchasing power of funding to accomplish additional cleanup at the East Tennessee Technology Park.
• Advanced the cleanup of high-priority excess contaminated facilities, which is reducing risks and making valuable land at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and Y-12 National Security Complex (Y-12) available for future missions.
• Provided strong support to the Mercury Treatment Facility construction project, which provides vital infrastructure key to future cleanup success at Y-12.
• Hosted approximately 180 on-site regulatory visits and inspections without any identified violations, permit infractions, or reportable releases.
• Received numerous awards for safety performance, including the National Safety Council Safety Achievement Award, continuation in the DOE Voluntary Protection Program as a “STAR” site, and the Star of Excellence Award.
• Exceeded DOE subcontracting goals for small business, including women-owned, HUBZone (Historically Underutilized Business Zones), and service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses.

OREM also noted areas for improvement. As UCOR ramped up deactivation activities in the Biology Complex, there were opportunities to enhance elements of its temperature extremes and confined space programs. And more effective planning by the contractor can improve efficiency related to maintenance activities on aging infrastructure at ORNL.

View the fee determination letter and the full scorecard here.

-Contributor: Ben Williams

Hanford Uses In-House Oil Treatments to Eliminate Waste, Save Money

Mission Support Alliance substation electrician Matthew Starkey, left, and environmental compliance officer Mike Demiter perform oil reconditioning on a transformer in the 200 West Area.

RICHLAND, Wash. – Electrical utility workers at the Hanford Site have begun using a system that reconditions, or purifies, used oil, reducing environmental waste and saving money — an estimated $2.5 million over the next five years.

Hanford contractor Mission Support Alliance (MSA) recently purchased an oil processing cart to process old electrical transformer oil to make it like new again. As the site’s services provider, MSA is responsible for maintaining Hanford’s electrical utility systems, including maintenance and operations. There are more than 700 electrical transformers on the site, each containing between 300 and 12,000 gallons of oil.

“The Department of Energy and our contractors are committed to finding new ways to protect the environment and save taxpayer dollars,” said Sean Madderom, manager of the EM Richland Operations Office electrical program. “By eliminating oil waste and extending the life of electrical transformers, we expect to see near-term and long-term cost savings.”

Rick Boarder with MSA’s electrical utilities program emphasized the importance of oil reconditioning.

“Degraded oil can cause breakdowns, outages, and other system failures — all of which would negatively impact cleanup work. Not only are we able to protect this vital infrastructure through oil reconditioning, we’re reducing waste. It’s a win-win,” Boarder said.

While many third-party vendors specialize in oil reconditioning, it can be difficult to coordinate the necessary electrical outages with a vendor’s schedule at Hanford. Performing the work in-house with specially trained employees reduces costs and ensures the work can be performed as needed.

With the new oil processing cart, MSA will be able to recondition and reclaim transformer oil an unlimited number of times — for the lifespan of each transformer. The 4,500-pound oil processing cart is about the size of a 6-foot-by-8-foot trailer and can be easily transported. Using the cart, technicians hook up to a transformer, then filter and heat the oil to remove impurities.

MSA first used the oil processing cart on two transformers in Hanford’s 200 West Area. After use, oil samples showed positive results.

-Contributor: Renee Brooks

Paducah Site Cleanup Workers Achieve One Million Safe Work Hours

PADUCAH, Ky. – Deactivation and remediation workers with Four Rivers Nuclear Partnership (FRNP), the prime cleanup contractor at the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant (PGDP), recently surpassed one million work hours without a lost-time accident or illness.

“Accomplishing one million safe work hours requires workers to stay focused on the tasks and pay attention to details,” said Jennifer Woodard, Paducah Site lead for EM’s Portsmouth/Paducah Project Office. “EM is focused on safety, and we intend to send workers home each day in the same condition in which they arrived at work.”

Four Rivers Nuclear Partnership workers load debris from the recent cleanout of the C-740 Material Yard, one of the site’s largest storage yards.

Workers at the Paducah Site are given authority to stop work when they feel it cannot be performed safely. This is a key component of the site’s Integrated Safety Management System (ISMS). ISMS is a five-step method that calls for defining the scope of work, identifying and analyzing hazards, developing and implementing hazard controls, performing work within those controls, and providing feedback for continuous improvement.

“The health and safety of our employees and subcontractors is our number-one priority," FRNP Program Manager Myrna Redfield said. "Our goal is to have zero incidents, which means zero injuries, accidents, and unplanned events. This goal can be achieved only with the commitment of every member of our team putting safety first.”

Approximately 840 employees work for FRNP, which was awarded its EM contract in 2017. PGDP is located on a 3,556-acre federal site where uranium enrichment operations were conducted from 1952 to 2013. DOE began cleanup at the site in 1988. Deactivation of the uranium enrichment facilities began in 2014.

-Contributor: Dylan Nichols, Jessica Vasseur

Students Explore “IT for a Day” at Savannah River Site

AIKEN, S.C. – During the inaugural “IT for a Day” career tour held recently, local high school students met with information technology (IT) and human resources employees to learn about working at the Savannah River Site (SRS).

“Coming to the Savannah River Site was an amazing opportunity for us,” said Steven Hahn, an IT instructor at Evans High School (EHS) in Evans, Georgia. “Our students need to see the end game, that employers like Target, the healthcare industry, and SRS all need cybersecurity personnel.”

Destiny Barrett, an EHS junior, said it was helpful to see concepts she’s learned in high school be applied in the real world.

“Being able to talk with IT employees who work in this field day to day and listen to their opinions was useful,” Barrett said.

The tour began at the newly created SRS Employee Onboarding Facility, the site’s “one-stop shop” for new hires.

“We wanted students to experience a day in the life of an IT employee at SRS, to walk in their shoes,” said Kim Mitchell, who works in the education outreach division at Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS), an EM contractor at the site.

Since 2014, 80 percent of all new SRNS hires have been local residents.

The students visited a large data center and gathered for presentations and discussions on computer-related topics, such as cybersecurity, mobile apps, internships, and SRNS employment opportunities for IT professionals.

There are hundreds of buildings across the 310-square-mile site, including industrial facilities, research laboratories, and supporting infrastructure, nearly all of which are dependent on IT support.

“This was a wonderful opportunity for us to connect with students from nearby Columbia County,” Mitchell said. “We want to make sure they understand their options at SRS. We are very interested in hiring locally for many mutually beneficial reasons.”

-Contributor: DT Townsend

SRS Training Helps Stop Suspicious Items From Entering Supply Chain

AIKEN, S.C. – Among the employee training programs an EM contractor has made available to the broader DOE complex is one that aims to stop suspicious items from entering the supply chain at the Savannah River Site (SRS) and affecting mission-critical structures, systems, and components.

Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS) shared its suspect/counterfeit item (S/CI) training program with DOE’s Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York after the laboratory asked the DOE Office of Environment, Health, Safety & Security (EHSS) if such a program was available. The EHSS website also contains information about S/CI. The laboratory has since used the SRNS materials and plans to incorporate them into its own S/CI training program. 

The SRNS web-based training equips employees who procure, receive, inspect, store, install, use, and maintain items with tools to prevent, detect, control, evaluate, report, and disposition S/CI. Examples of potentially suspicious items include electric materials, such as switchgear, breakers, and conductors; electronic materials, such as computer parts, chips, and processors; piping, such as bolts and valves; and hoisting and rigging materials, such as hooks and wire rope.

“The training course has been extremely beneficial to employees, especially those who work in procurement and see new items enter SRS each day,” SRNS Quality Assurance & Contractor Assurance Director Thomas Cowlam said. “Ensuring personnel are aware of potential threats and have the tools to eliminate them is crucial to mission success and ensuring the safety of the site and its workforce.”

-Contributor: DT Townsend

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