Contamination Incidents Reported During Hanford Plant Cleanup
Void limits for radiological work permits for the ongoing remediation of the Hanford Site’s Plutonium Finishing Plant (PFP) were breached on two occasions in early August, according to a Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board site representative report released this week. One case involved damage to ductwork that led to a contamination release, and the other involved the airborne radioactivity void limit during cleaning of the canyon floor of the PFP’s Plutonium Reclamation Facility, the Aug. 7 DNFSB report says. CH2M HILL Plateau Remediation, the company leading the remediation and ultimate demolition of the PFP, is taking steps to prevent future incidents involving radiological contamination that remains from former weapons processes. “The site reps note that, over the last two months, there has been an increase in the number of radiological events and work related injuries. These increases coincide with the increasing trend in the complexity and quantity of work being accomplished. While the contractor is taking appropriate action for each case, these actions do not appear to be curtailing the overall trend,” the report states.
“Final cleanup and characterization activities” began in July at the Plutonium Reclamation Facility canyon, according to a July 31 DNFSB report. The report did not address details of this operation at the site, which before its shutdown was used to extract plutonium from waste material so that it could be used in the PFP’s conversion of plutonium into a solid form usable in nuclear weapons. CH2M HILL Plateau Remediation has said it plans to demolish the PFP by fiscal 2016 as part of the larger cleanup of the Hanford Site.
Two workers involved in the Plutonium Reclamation Facility project sustained contamination on their skin while changing out of protective outfits, the DNFSB report states. “Both skin contamination events appear to have resulted from cross contamination that occurred during doffing of the suits. In both cases, the individuals were subsequently decontaminated to less than detectable levels of decontamination,” according to the report. The DNFSB site representatives also reported two cases in which protected suits were compromised, but the workers did not experience contamination.
In a prepared statement, CH2M Hill said its personnel are now average close to 4,000 “successful and safe radiological entries” each month into the plant, with 800 of those in total requiring special breathing gear for fresh air. The company’s goal is to reach zero adverse events, “as the health and safety of our workers is our number one concern.” Measures being taken toward this goal including careful management of airflow while workers remove their protective suits, more aggressively wiping down the suits before they are taken off, and wearing additional clothing under the suits during work operations, the company said. “None of the recent personnel contamination events exceeded the threshold required for reporting to DOE’s Occurrence Reporting and Processing System,” according to CH2M Hill.
Hanford Contractor Recognized for Radiation Survey Tool
Washington River Protection Solutions, the tank farm contractor at the Hanford Site, has received the Voluntary Protection Program Innovation Award for a tool its workers developed and built. The award was presented at the VPP Participants’ Association national conference in Grapevine, Texas, last week. The tool helps reduce worker exposure during surveys of equipment used to retrieve radioactive waste from underground tanks. Long pieces of equipment that have been submerged in waste must be removed from tanks during retrieval work. Surveys are then performed to minimize workers’ exposure and to prepare for disposal of the equipment. The tool is made of lightweight piping with nine survey points built in to position electronic dosimeters so dose rates can be remotely recorded. The tool is moved down the length of the equipment until the survey is completed. Using the tool reduces the time required for a survey by 50 percent, according to WRPS. WRPS also received the VPP Star of Excellence Award for maintaining a recordable injury case rate 75 percent lower than the industry average. “These awards demonstrate not only the steadfast commitment of our employees to working safely on a daily basis, but also their continuous effort to improve worker protection,” said Dave Olson, WRPS president, in a statement.
