Chris Schneidmiller
WC Monitor
12/11/2015
The Department of Energy’s Office of Enterprise Assessments (EA) this week said it is investigating an incident in which a worker at the Separations Process Research Unit decommissioning and demolition project suffered symptoms of heat stress.
The Aug. 15 event raises questions about possible “deficiencies” by contractor URS Energy & Construction in adhering to DOE regulations for the safety of employees of department contractors, Steven Simonson, director of the EA Office of Enforcement, said in a Dec. 2 letter to Bobby Smith, project manager for the SPRU Disposition Project.
The employee was conducting D&D operations in building G2 at the New York state site when he experienced symptoms of heat stress. He exited the structure and removed his protective outfit, and did not suffer heat stress.
Simonson said the probe would include an on-site visit to SPRU and interviews with contract workers at SPRU, along with a request for documents. DOE said the probe is expected to be completed early next year. “There are several possible enforcement outcomes for this case, including issuance of a Part 851 Notice of Violation and potentially levy penalties for the regulatory violations,” the department said in a statement to Weapons Complex Monitor. “The Department could also resolve the matter through the exercise of enforcement discretion by issuing a Consent Order or an Enforcement Letter, or could determine that the deficiencies do not warrant any formal enforcement outcome.”
URS Energy & Construction, now a subsidiary of AECOM, is carrying out D&D operations on the H2 and G2 buildings for the retired facility at the Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory in Niskayuna. The facilities in the 1950s were used for study of chemical processes for separating plutonium from irradiated uranium.
The contractor “is aware of the DOE Office of Enforcement letter,” Keith Wood, URS Energy & Construction SPRU project spokesman, said by email. “Upon receipt of the letter, a review of our safety program is underway to check for potential deficiencies related to heat stress. We will work closely with the Office of Enforcement to ensure our heat stress program is effective at protecting employees. If programmatic deficiencies are identified, they will be addressed expeditiously. URS Energy & Construction will maintain our commitment to the highest standards of safety for workers at the SPRU project."
SPRU Project Reaches New Milestone
Separately, the DOE Office of Environmental Management on Tuesday announced that the last of seven waste storage tanks had been removed from the SPRU site. The tank was transported to a separate low-level radioactive waste disposal site.
The tanks were used to hold radioactive waste in the 1950s. They had been empty since the 1960s, according to an EM press release.
“This is a major milestone in the cleanup of the SPRU project. Our employees deserve great credit in completing this work safely, which sets the stage for project completion,” Smith said in the release. Physical work on the project is due to be completed by the end of 2016.
