WC Monitor
10/30/2015
UCOR Recognized in DOE Safety Initiative
URS-CH2M Oak Ridge, the Department of Energy’s cleanup manager in Oak Ridge, has been recognized with Star Status in DOE’s Voluntary Protection Program – a safety initiative that has taken on high priority within the federal agency’s nuclear industrial complex.
In a ceremony Thursday a VPP flag was raised at the East Tennessee Technology Park, which is home base for UCOR’s cleanup operations. “VPP Star Status recognizes work sites that have achieved and are maintaining excellence in worker safety and health protection that goes well beyond basic requirements set by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the DOE,” the award announcement states. “It reflects cooperation among management, labor and government conducted in a way that can serve as a role model for others.”
In a statement, UCOR President Ken Rueter said the program is an anchor of the company’s relationship with union workers and DOE.
“Our employees are the key to excellence,” he said. “Employees at all levels must be involved in decisions that affect employee health and safety, including the structure and operation of the UCOR Safety and Health program. I’m proud of the individual responsibility and commitment our employees demonstrate on a daily basis when it comes to safety.”
Radiation Control Subcontract Awarded at Oak Ridge
ARS Aleut Services (AAS) has been awarded a $56.5 million subcontract to handle radiation control services for the environmental cleanup program in Oak Ridge, Tenn.
AAS assumed the role as a staff-augmentation subcontractor to URS-CH2M Oak Ridge (UCOR), the Department of Energy’s environmental manager in Oak Ridge. The performance period for the subcontract began Oct. 19 and will run through July 2020, according to UCOR spokeswoman Anne Smith.
Smith said the radcon work was competitively bid among certified and qualified small businesses. AAS succeeds Spectra Tech in the Oak Ridge radiation protection role, which includes work at the East Tennessee Technology Park, the Y-12 National Security Complex, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and other sites on the DOE reservation in Oak Ridge.
Kimberly Jack, a spokeswoman with AAS, said the company currently employs 115 people under the Oak Ridge subcontract. She said a few more employees are likely to be added in the near future. Under the subcontract, AAS will provide radiation controls and protection to support the scope of work carried out by DOE’s cleanup manager. That includes surveying sites, before and during the environmental cleanup operations, to determine radiation levels and evaluate any changing conditions to ensure a safe working environment with proper protection.
As with a number of DOE contractors, there reportedly have been significant cutbacks in some of the health benefits, and a number of employees have complained about the changes taking places as the work transitions from Spectra Tech to AAS. According to one employee, the insurance premiums are doubling or even higher in some instances, with more responsibility falling on employees for other coverage, such as dental and vision. Jack declined comment, citing corporate policy at AAS. However, she said the benefits package for the Oak Ridge workers is in compliance with the Service Contract Act, Affordable Care Act, and the Oak Ridge contract requirements.
AAS is a wholly owned subsidiary of ARS International LLC and is an Alaska Native Limited Liability Company.
