The Volpentest Hazardous Materials and Emergency Response (HAMMER) Federal Training Center at the Hanford Site in Washington state has reached 2 million work hours without a lost workday injury, contractor Mission Support Alliance and the Department of Energy announced Friday.
The safety milestone took about eight years to achieve. It was reached as the training center manages its highest volume of students since 2011, when hiring funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act increased the Hanford workforce. It is also undergoing staff transitions and ensuring safety culture and values are instilled in new employees as Paul Vandervert has taken over as director after the 2018 retirement of longtime center director Karen McGinnis.
HAMMER provides training for Hanford Site workers in areas such as electrical safety, respiratory protection, and emergency response. It also serves other federal customers from across the nation.
