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EM Update | Vol. 14, Issue 35 | Sept. 6, 2022

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First Class of Students Graduates Nuclear Training at Savannah River Site

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Savannah River Mission Completion strengthened ties with Aiken Technical College as the school graduated the first class of Nuclear Fundamentals trainees this summer.


AIKEN, S.C. – The first 36 students graduated from the EM Savannah River Site (SRS) liquid waste contractor’s Nuclear Fundamentals Certificate program this summer.

The program, a partnership between Aiken Technical College (ATC) and Savannah River Mission Completion (SRMC), is the contractor’s first class in this new program.

SRMC’s training department is working with ATC and Apprenticeship Carolina to fill nuclear operator positions. Apprenticeship Carolina, a division of the South Carolina Technical College System, is a statewide program that works to attract new companies to the state and provide comprehensive workforce solutions to ensure they stay and grow there.

In the Nuclear Fundamentals Certificate program at SRS, the students took seven months of intensive training with courses in chemistry, physics, engineering, and radiation fundamentals, completing two college-level classes in an abbreviated semester. A strong grasp of each topic is critical to understanding how facilities operate at SRS.

SRMC President and Program Manager Dave Olson said recruiting and training the right people for these positions is crucial to the future of the site’s liquid waste program.

"These students have proven that they want to be an important part of the liquid waste team at SRS," said SRMC President and Program Manager Dave Olson. "We are extremely pleased to have this partnership with Aiken Technical College, which helps us strengthen our team while providing important job opportunities for the local workforce."

As part of the operator-related training, students participated in SRS regulatory courses, facility training and other requirements. The workers attended two days of classes each week and worked at SRS the other two days.

ATC President Forest Mahan says his school is serving as an important link between businesses and students who seek a technical career.

"One of the goals of a strong technical college like ours is to partner with businesses in our community to produce high quality workers to fill their job opportunities," Mahan said. "Nuclear fundamentals training will provide a career level for these students that they might never have dreamed of reaching before."

The second group of employee trainees is scheduled to be hired and begin the certificate program in January.

-Contributor: Jim Beasley



EM Internship Expands Idaho Student’s Knowledge of Engineering Field

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho – An intern supporting EM at the Idaho National Laboratory Site this summer touted his hands-on experience in the field as beneficial to understanding the dynamic nature of his intended profession.

Jack Morrison, a senior electrical engineering major at Brigham Young University–Idaho (BYU-Idaho), supported decontamination and demolition (D&D) crews for EM contractor Idaho Environmental Coalition (IEC).

Since his first day on the job, Morrison said he felt valued and was a resource for others who had questions. The engineers he supported were obviously impressed with him because Morrison was offered — and he accepted — a part-time IEC job during his final two semesters at BYU-Idaho. He will continue to support the D&D program every Tuesday and Thursday.


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Jack Morrison, pictured here at Lake Tahoe, leveraged his internship with EM cleanup contractor Idaho Environmental Coalition into a part-time job.


During his internship, Morrison helped engineers with electrical disconnect work at Accelerated Retrieval Projects (ARPs) IV and V, which will eventually be demolished following the completion of their targeted buried waste exhumation scope.
He also inspected an air supply trailer for the ARP facilities, making sure piping was labeled correctly after piping modifications. An air supply trailer is a mobile unit that provides low and high pressure air for multiple uses within an ARP facility.
Additionally, Morrison accompanied D&D crews and other project teams on facility walk-downs to discuss upcoming scopes of work, hazards, safety needs, maintenance needs and operations program roles. Walk-downs involve inspecting equipment in advance of that equipment undergoing modifications, change in status, or complete removal.
“It was my first time in the engineering field,” Morrison said. “It was different than anything I’ve done before.”
Morrison said his internship opened his eyes to how dynamic the field of electrical engineering can be.
“Most of my schooling has been on hardware and small-scale digital circuits,” he said. “Power distribution is much more involved. It’s dynamic in the sense that you must work around other people and have a sense of everything going on.”
Morrison spoke highly of his mentor, Delan Olsen, and manager, Jeff Klingler, as well as other engineers he worked with because he felt he was part of a cohesive team of professionals.
“There was a time they even let me lead a walk-down,” he said. “It was nice to be involved in everything.”
After graduation, Morrison wants to attend graduate school and may continue working for IEC because the company helps supplement the cost of higher education.
Meanwhile, Morrison will continue participating in the many outdoor recreational pursuits that Idaho offers, such as longboarding, biking, skiing and playing in parks.
“I like Idaho,” he said. “I really like the snow sports.”
-Contributor: Erik Simpson


DOE Recertifies SRS Contractor After First Real-Time Assessment Since Start of COVID-19

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Savannah River Operations Manager Michael Budney, right, presented Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS) President and CEO Stuart MacVean and SRNS Safety Programs and Employee Engagement Lead Barbara Guenveur with the company’s fourth consecutive DOE Voluntary Protection Program Star status in August.


AIKEN, S.C.EM contractor Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS) was recently recertified with the DOE Voluntary Protection Program’s (VPP) Star status, the highest safety honor a DOE contractor can achieve.

SRNS was the first company VPP assessed for the recertification in person since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This year’s award marks the fourth consecutive VPP Star status SRNS has earned since becoming the Savannah River Site management and operations contractor in 2008. Click here for a recent EM Update story about VPP awards across the DOE complex.

DOE VPP bestowed its Star of Excellence Award on SRNS last month. The award is based on outstanding mentoring, outreach, goal setting, and support of VPP. Awardees have a recordable incident injury rate that is 75% better than the average of other U.S. businesses in the same industry.

The last time SRNS went through a recertification for the VPP Star status was in 2017. Recertification takes places every three to five years and includes a voluntary assessment of health and safety programs, training, work activities, management and employee engagement, and the overall health of the company safety culture.

“SRNS has introduced almost 5,000 new employees since our last recertification effort. From the very beginning, we recognized that there would be a challenge in familiarizing these new employees with the elements of the VPP program,” said Kristin Creed, SRNS senior industrial hygienist. “It’s important for these new employees to understand that the VPP program isn’t anything new to us — the elements are already ingrained into every aspect of work we do.”

A team of 27 safety leaders from multiple disciplines across every area on the site led the recertification effort. They took on the task of educating the employees in their individual work areas about VPP, as well as assisting the VPP assessment team members when they arrived onsite.

“Achieving VPP Star status demonstrates the importance that SRNS employees place on upholding and sustaining a strong safety culture,” said Stuart MacVean, SRNS president and CEO. “This achievement is validation from the Department of Energy that the safety systems and processes in place at SRNS are effective and, most importantly, that our workforce believes that safety is a core value and is committed to the continuous improvement and pursuit of safety excellence.”

VPP promotes safety and health excellence through cooperative efforts among labor, management and government at DOE contractor sites. The program provides several proven benefits to participating sites, including improved labor and management relations, reduced workplace injuries and illnesses, increased employee involvement, improved morale, reduced absenteeism, and public recognition.

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