CH2MConnection
Demolition Begins at Hanford’s Plutonium Finishing Plant...Page 5
In this issue... 2 Safety First 3 2016 in Review 5 What’s Next? Major Milestones 6 C(H2M)ommunity 6 International Spotlight
Leadership Perspective As the end of the year is quickly approaching, I want to take a moment to thank everyone for delivering our projects across the DOE complex safely. As you’ll see in the timeline on page 3, 2016 has been an exciting year for CH2M and DOE. We have our hard-working employees and our clients’ commitment to partnership to thank for this incredible performance. Across the nation, we have seen the cleanup of some of the most contaminated facilities, safe packaging and transport of radioactive waste, and demolition of legacy facilities in support of the mission to protect the environment and communities where we live and work. We are making a difference and I am so proud of the work we have completed. As 2016 nears to an end, we are preparing for all of the new opportunities that 2017 will bring our way. To this end, CH2M has done some reorganizing to allow us to better serve our clients. We have aligned a sector of our National Governments Business Group to distinctly serve the DOE and AECL clients. With more procurements planned over the next few years, a reliable procurement schedule will ensure the contractor community is ready with the necessary resources and expertise to respond and provide best value to the Department and the American taxpayer. But first, I hope you will all spend some time with friends and family enjoying the holiday season. I wish you all a safe and happy holiday and a prosperous new year.
Dyan Foss CH2M Nuclear Sector Global Managing Director
What’s on your mind? What do you want to see in the next issue of CH2MConnection? Send us your ideas, comments and suggestions at Connection@ch2m.com.
Volume 2 Issue 4 2 1 December June 2016 2016
Safety First A New Year Safety Refresher With a new year right around the corner, it’s the perfect opportunity to refresh on our important safety commitments. We, as a company, place an incredible emphasis on safety because we know the importance that our employees, contractors, clients and communities have in this world. Our vision is to ensure that everyone returns home healthy and safe at the end of each day. As we are going through our days, both at home and at work, using the Plan-Do-Check-Act model helps us prepare for each task, perform tasks safely, assess the results of our work and continuously improve. Going throughout your day at work and at home with mindfulness, cognizance and vigilance will exponentially reduce your chance of being affected by risks and hazards. The top three safety hazards we face are ones we are at risk of every day and they’re also very preventable. Please remember to keep safety in mind and do your part to prevent the dangers below.
1. Slips, trips and falls: • Wear appropriate shoes for the weather and the environment • Use a handrail whenever available • Use the elevator when your hands are full if available • Clean up spills or other messes • Remove, secure or mark tripping hazards such as loose cords, hard-to-see pathways and ladders • Cover open holes and repair walking or working surfaces
2. Journey management: • If you’re driving, plan your trip ahead of time • Inspect vehicle before you start • Don’t drive if tired or distracted • If traveling abroad, share your itinerary with a trusted individual • Know any country and regional security concerns before you depart • Once arrived at hotel, find exits, and keep and eye out for suspicious behavior or packages
3. Ergonomics and material handling: • Be aware and alert around heavy equipment work zones • Only operate heavy equipment if trained and certified • Before getting behind the wheel, plan work and identify hazards • Know the location of and avoid utility lines • Do not operate equipment if tired or distracted • If in doubt, stop
[January]
2016 in Review
Most contaminated glovebox removed from PFP at PRC
Radioactive liquid waste Tank 12 closed at Savannah River 1 mo. ahead of schedule and $150k under budget
UCOR celebrates five years of successful cleanup progress
K-27 demolition complete, marking the 1st time in history that an entire GDP complex has been D&D’ed
CHBWV reaches 2.18 million safe work hours
[
2016 was filled with accomplishments across the Complex, from meeting deactivation milestones to final walls coming down.
PRC receives VPP Excellence Award
West Valley completes vertical storage cask construction
PRC makes history with the start of PFP demolition
HLW relocation at West Valley complete
[December]
River Corridor Closure work scope successfully transitioned to PRC
]
What’s next? Major Milestones 2016 was a Busy Year of Accomplishments for the West Valley Demonstration Project On August 31, West Valley workers celebrated Safety Day by reaching more than 2.18 million safe work hours, equating to 1,396 safe work days. In mid November, CH2M HILL BWXT West Valley (CHBWV) completed the relocation of 278 canisters of vitrified high-level radioactive waste at West Valley Demonstration Project (WVDP) in New York. This task was scheduled to be completed December 2017, meaning the team worked quickly, efficiently and safely to shave an entire year off their initial schedule. This project is unique, marking the first time in the U.S. that a commercial nuclear fuel reprocessing plant successfully vitrified high-level waste. The completion of the relocation will allow the team to move forward with the demolition of the Vitrification Facility where the canisters were being stored. In early December, three 150+ ton vessels that previously held equipment involved in the vitrification process were safely relocated and disposed of off-site in Andrews, Texas. The steel packages were transported using rail cars. Included in these packages was the 195 ton melter, which famously converted the site’s liquid waste into glass through vitrification. Watch here. The work completed this year at West Valley positions the team for significant cleanup in 2017. With adequate funding, we could see the completion of the vitrification plant decommissioning in 2017.
20 Years of Preparation at Hanford Allows Plutonium Finishing Plant Demolition to Commence On November 1, demolition began at one of Hanford’s most hazardous facilities, the Plutonium Finishing Plant (PFP). PFP housed the production of two thirds of the nation’s plutonium during its 40 years of operation, causing it to be heavily contaminated. The Plutonium Reclamation Facility (PRF) is the first of PFP’s four main processing buildings to be demolished, followed by the Americium Recovery Facility (housing the well-known McCluskey room), the main processing facility, and the ventilation stack. Due to high-level contamination, CH2M HILL Plateau Remediation Company put in many controls to ensure the demolition is fully compliant and safe. Some of these controls include extensive dust suppression, thorough air monitoring, structural engineer expertise and site access control. The PFP team conducted a readiness assessment prior to demolition, which entailed a team of industry experts reviewing all aspects of the demolition. “PFP is one of the most hazardous buildings on the Hanford Site, and the safe start to demolition is a historymaking achievement for site cleanup, the community and the employees doing the work,” said Tom Teynor, DOE manager for the PFP project.
In the C(H2M)ommunity CH2M Golfs to Give Back Between July and September, CH2M has participated in four separate golf tournaments in the community surrounding the CH2M HILL Plateau Remediation Company to give back and raise awareness. CH2M was the premier sponsor at the YMCA 10th annual Family Golf Tournament aiming to provide local families with valuable time together. There was a great turnout of 36 parent/child teams that gathered for a 9-hole Scotch ball golf tournament, dinner and a raffle. At the 12 Annual CH2M Golf Tournament over $20,000 was raised for the Union Gospel Mission of the Tri-Cities. Over the past 12 years, the tournament has raised over $250,000 to help feed, clothe, house and transition men, women and children in the Tri-Cities area. CH2M participated in the Carson Kolzig Foundation’s tournament that raised nearly $60,000 to fund local autism programs. Employees also joined the Third Annual Pink & Blue Golf Scramble designed to raise awareness for breast and prostate cancer. The event raised around $7,000 and benefited The Chest of Hope, Tri-Cities Cancer Center and the Tri-Cities Chapter of the Links, Inc. CH2M workers demonstrate their investment and compassion for the communities that surround their sites by raising awareness and funds for a wide variety of causes.
International Spotlight Canadian Nuclear Laboratories Earned a Spot on Canada’s Top 100 Employers (2017) At the beginning of 2016, the Canadian Nuclear Laboratories set the goal that they’d become a Top 100 Employer in Canada within three years. Over two years before their goal deadline and they’ve already received the title! They attribute their early earning of this spot primarily to the unique learning opportunities that CNL offers to students and recent graduates, which they believe is critical to the ongoing future success of the company. They offer post-doctoral fellowships, apprenticeships, summer students and co-op opportunities differentiating them from other companies, as they are heavily focused on providing opportunities to future industry leaders. Although CNL received this acknowledgment earlier than anticipated, they only plan to continue challenging themselves and pushing the company to become better. They aim to improve the work environment and raise employee engagement to increase commitment and pride amongst the CNL team. CH2M-led Canadian National Energy Alliance (CNEA) is the operator for the government-owned contractoroperated contract to manage and operate the Canadian Nuclear Laboratories, a world leader in nuclear science and technology offering unique capabilities and solutions across a wide range of industries.
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CH2M Environment & Nuclear Communications Team nuclearservices@ch2m.com +1.720.286.1547