In the System In the System
nergy Systems President Bob Van Hook recently recognized several employees for their efforts to identify and take necessary actions to guard against potential problems that could have resulted in serious implications for the company had they been ignored. These employees have gone beyond their normal call of duty and shirked the attitude of "someone else will take care of it" to address concerns aggressively.
Bruce McElhoe, ETTP Environmental Compliance, identified several small asbestos spills from various steam lines around the plant. By identifying these releases while they were relatively small, McElhoe prevented potential environmental impacts and regulatory issues.
Lisa Snapp, Y-12 RADCON, recognized a potential federal violation related to problems with subcontractor dose reporting. Snapp's quick response to a difficult situation and her willingness to work beyond the basic requirements of an interface agreement were the keys to successful resolution of this problem.
Darryl Johnson and Sid Kelley, Atomic Trades Labor Council (ATLC) safety and health representatives; Earl Johnson, ATLC vice president; Melissa Rich, Y-12 Respiratory Protection coordinator; and Mark Haskew, Energy Systems Respiratory Protection coordinator, responded as a team to a notification of a high failure rate of certain respirator cartridges subjected to standard testing protocol. This team took immediate action to ensure that none of the suspect cartridges were used, notified the manufacturer of the problem and also issued an alert to other DOE facilities.
As a result of a chemical explosion at DOE's Hanford facility last year, Secretary Federico Peña issued a broad-based directive aimed at preventing similar incidents at other DOE facilities. In response to this directive, ETTP conducted numerous facility walkdowns and program assessments during the past five months to ensure that a similar incident would not occur at ETTP.
These efforts were documented in two separate reports issued in late 1997. On February 3, the DOE-ORO Peña Initiative Validation Team conducted a review of the site's efforts to respond to the Secretary's initiative.
The team, consisting of managers and staff from DOE-ORO and the ETTP Site Office, attended a series of technical presentations in the morning, followed by facility inspections in the afternoon. The team concluded that management systems and programs were in place to manage waste and chemicals effectively and safely.
The team was impressed by the significant reduction of chemical and waste inventories over the past several years and emphasized the need to continue the reduction. The team was complimented for the information presented and the knowledge of personnel at the operating facilities.
An exhibit on the Y-12 Plant and the National Prototype Center was on display last week in the Legislative Plaza at the state Capitol in Nashville.
The exhibit focuses on the activities at Y-12, including the "Manufacturing Means Jobs Initiative."
The Legislature passed a resolution last spring supporting the designation of Y-12 as a National Prototype Center. That designation was approved by Congress later in the year.
The Y-12 exhibit is the second of three from Oak Ridge to be at the Capitol. The Spallation Neutron Source exhibit was there earlier, and one regarding ETTP will be on display the last week of March.
