The Energy Department’s Portsmouth Site in Pike County, Ohio, has a confirmed case of COVID-19, contractor Fluor-BWXT said on its website Friday afternoon.
The environmental remediation vendor said it is following guidelines on controlling spread of the virus from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Ohio Department of Health. It is cooperating with the Pike County General Health District to ensure everyone who worked in close proximity to the individual who tested positive take appropriate measures and seek medical attention if symptoms arise.
“We are working closely with all site contractors, as well as the United Steelworkers and trade unions to ensure the health and safety of our workforce,” Fluor-BWXT said on its website.
The Energy Department is monitoring perhaps 35 people who worked with or might have been exposed to the individual employed by Fluor-BWXT, United Steelworkers Local 1-689 President John Knauff said Monday. In a telephone interview, Knauff said he does not believe the person has been hospitalized.
Until at least April 7, Portsmouth is conducting only essential minimum critical operations and maximizing the number of employees telecommuting.
Knauff estimated that of a Fluor-BWXT workforce of about 800 people, roughly 233 remain on-site for the remediation contractor. Major projects, such as preparing for demolition of the X-326 uranium processing building and the construction of the new On-Site Waste Disposal Facility, have probably been suspended.
Most of the Fluor-BWXT workforce, still working on-site, are represented by the United Steelworkers, Knauff said. Hard figures are difficult to ascertain during the crisis, the union official said, adding he has not seen a detailed summary of what DOE considers critical at Portsmouth.
Knauff said the other contractors at Portsmouth –Mid-America Conversion Services, Portsmouth Infrastructure Services, and Centrus Energy – have smaller numbers of workers still at the site.
Workers in positions such as security, emergency response, and utilities management remain on duty, Knauff said. Most others at Portsmouth are likely either telecommuting or receiving paid leave.
The Energy Department has said only a couple of sites, the Oak Ridge Site in Tennessee and the Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action project in Moab, Utah, remain fully operational. Most are, like Portsmouth, in dramatically scaled-down operations, with the majority of white-collar employees working remotely.
