The West Valley Demonstration Project in New York has entered the next phase of the Energy Department’s operational restart program after a period of reduced operations due to COVID-19, an agency spokesperson said by email Monday.
Under Phase 2, which the upstate facility reached last Wednesday, on-site staffing levels will be about 60% of the normal 300-person workforce, the spokesperson said. That translates to about 180 people. West Valley continues to employ telework to the extent practicable.
Employees who have been telecommuting or collecting paid leave return to a workplace where more office trailers have been added to improve social distancing, and others steps – ranging from facial coverings to temperature checks, might become common in order to avoid infections.
Cleanup contractor CH2M HILL BWXT West Valley last Tuesday received DOE approval to move from Phase 1 to Phase 2. Like most sites overseen by DOE’s Office of Environmental Management, West Valley had a bare bones staff doing minimal operations from late March through late May in order to curb the spread of COVID-19.
The West Valley Demonstration Project is located on about 200 acres within the 3,300-acre Western New York Nuclear Service Center. For six years, ending in 1972, Nuclear Fuel Services, ran a fuel reprocessing plant at the site. The Energy Department is responsible for cleaning up the state-owned property.
The nuclear cleanup office is following DOE’s four-step process that starts with Phase 0, for planning and preparation. Phase 1 starts the gradual recall of workers in jobs that don’t need much personal protective equipment. This process continues with more workers being called back in Phase 2, which can include those that require more PPE and safety precautions. Some limited nonessential travel can resume in Phase 2, although most external meetings will still be done remotely.
Ultimately, barring a local resurgence in virus infections, sites reach Phase 3 when staffing can return to near-normal levels, although physical distancing and other anti-virus precautions continue, and special accommodations can be made for vulnerable employees, according to DOE.
No sites are in Phase 3 yet. In addition to West Valley, locations in Phase 2 include the Portsmouth Site in Ohio, the Paducah Site in Kentucky, Idaho National Laboratory, the Nevada National Security Site, and the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico, according to DOE.
