By John Stang
Telecommuting and social distancing are in play across the nation’s radioactive waste industry as the novel coronavirus 2019 sweeps the United States.
The limited number of companies that responded to inquiries this week reported no COVID-19 cases among their workforce and no cutbacks in operations, though they did not rule out slowdowns going forward.
Most of the anti-coronavirus measures cited in the spot checks have been based on procedures emphasized by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – cleaning and disinfecting surfaces that could become contaminated; regular washing of hands; maintaining distance from other individuals; staying home if sick.
The majority of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s nearly 3,000 employees are working remotely, consistent with guidance from the White House Office of Management and Budget and the Office of Personnel Management, NRC spokesman Scott Burnell said by email. As of Thursday, even the agency’s resident inspectors posted at nuclear power plants were instructed to telework.
“Resident inspectors will respond in-person immediately to developing safety issues. They’ll remotely monitor plant info,” the NRC said in its official Twitter account on Thursday afternoon. “The resident inspectors will make periodic visits to the sites and will remotely monitor plant data systems, meetings and other information,” it added two hours later.
Inspections of documents are being done remotely, Burnell said. The least significant activities on schedules are being deferred, with deferred work being documented to be tackled at a more appropriate time.
Last week, the NRC said a “small” but unidentified number of employees were self-isolating for 14 days after attending an event in which other participants subsequently tested positive for COVID-19. At the time, the staffers appeared asymptomatic. The agency on Friday did not provide an update on the employees, who work at its Rockville, Md., headquarters.
Separately, two participants at a nuclear waste and cleanup industry conference held last in Phoenix are being tested for possible infection. Both are believed to work for the Energy Department’s Office of Environmental Management, which oversees cleanup of 16 nuclear-weapon sites around the nation. Results for one individual are expected today and the other on Monday, according to an update from organizers of the Waste Management Symposia. In total, the event drew about 2,100 participants, including a contingent from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
The federal regulator has scheduled a teleconference with nuclear power industry representatives for 2 p.m. Eastern time today. “The NRC and industry representatives will discuss how companies can request temporary regulatory changes to help deal with the coronavirus,” Burnell said Friday, without elaborating.
In its latest daily update, the Centers for Disease Control on Friday reported over 15,000 confirmed cases of the respiratory disease in the United States and 201 deaths.
COVID-19 has been hitting the nuclear power industry. At least eight workers at the Vogtle nuclear power plant had been tested for infection, with two confirmed as negative as of Wednesday, the Aiken, S.C., Standard reported. Reuters reported Friday that utilities could ask staff to effectively live at power facilities to ensure operations continue.
On Thursday, the federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency listed nuclear power operation personnel among the critical infrastructure workers who should remain on their normal work schedule during the outbreak.
Meanwhile, staff at the NRC’s headquarters and four regional offices are practicing social distancing. Anyone employee who believes he or she has COVID-19 is to notify the appropriate supervisor and not go to work.
Public meetings are being postponed, although teleconferences and webinars might replace them in some cases.
US Ecology, an Idaho-based provider of radioactive waste treatment and disposal, said it has seen no major impact on its workflow. “But we will be monitoring things closely,” spokesman David Crumrine said by email. The company has established a task force to do that monitoring, plus has developed plans with federal and states’ help to deal with coronavirus matters.
The company has emphasized its experience in responding to Ebola and H1N1 outbreaks in offering decontamination services to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
US Ecology declined to say if any of its employees have contracted the coronavirus.
The company operates one of four commercial facilities licensed for disposal of low-level radioactive waste, at DOE’s Hanford Site in Washington state. Another operator, Waste Control Specialists, said its West Texas facility “remains open and will maintain normal working hours to serve our customers.” As with its peers, Waste Control Specialists said on its website it is monitoring developments with the virus and following guidelines set by the CDC.
Elsewhere, NorthStar Group Services is concentrating on social distancing on-site as it continues to decommission the retired Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant. The New York City-based environmental services specialist acquired the site in January 2019, at which point it became responsible for all cleanup on the property. It is scheduled to complete decommissioning no later than 2030.
“NorthStar’s decommissioning work at Vermont Yankee cannot be accomplished remotely. While our workforce at the site includes approximately 100 employees, these employees are dispersed across the site and staggered by shift,” NorthStar CEO Scott State said in an emailed statement. “Much of the work they are performing already requires the use of personal protective equipment, including state of the art respirators, that significantly diminish transmission risks relative to other workplaces. In addition, access to the site, which is already heavily restricted, has now been closed to all visitors.”
State added that, given NorthStar’s work with contaminated properties, health measures are baked into its corporate operations. So far, NorthStar employees have not reported any cases of coronavirus, but the company has procedure in place to allow people showing symptoms to be excused from work until they get better.
At the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station in California, decommissioning is proceeding on schedule. “We have detailed plans ensuring the readiness of critical personnel and facilities necessary to continue the appropriate levels of safety and security. Employees who can conduct business remotely through telecommuting are doing so,” majority owner Southern California Edison said in an emailed statement.
