RICHLAND, Wash. - EM’s Volpentest Hazardous Materials Management and Emergency Response (HAMMER) Federal Training Center at the Hanford Site recently hosted a safety workshop for more than 200 Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) employees.
The training will help BPA construction crews work safely and fulfill annual training requirements. BPA is a nonprofit power marketing administration owned and operated by DOE in the Pacific Northwest.
“Sharing the HAMMER facilities helps our sister organization and utilizes some of the expertise at HAMMER, the experts in working safely," said Jill Conrad, EM Richland Operations Office HAMMER program manager.
HAMMER provided Occupational Safety and Health Administration certified courses in controlling hazardous energy (known as “lockout/tagout"), awareness courses for materials containing lead, and hands-on training and demonstrations on helmets with powered air-purifying respirators specific to BPA needs. BPA and other instructors taught courses in first-aid, CPR, automated external defibrillators, machine hazards, electrical hazards, and fire extinguishers.
HAMMER operations staff provided critical support in preparing for the large-scale event, which required logistics management, transfer of equipment and props, and significant scheduling.
“HAMMER was a great place for training our team," said Dennis Pelton, BPA construction safety manager. “They had the classrooms, the hands-on facilities, and the space to allow our whole group to go through a variety of training styles. It was a great experience for us, and we are looking forward to coming back in the future."
Source: U.S. Dept. of Energy, Office of Environmental Management
