EVANS, Ga. - The safety challenges and successes of EM’s liquid waste cleanup mission at the Savannah River Site (SRS) were among the key themes of a recent event attended by DOE representatives and site contractors.
Nuclear industry representatives shared safety topics with participants at the first-ever Savannah River Safety Summit. The event was sponsored by the Energy Technology & Environmental Business Association and Citizens for Nuclear Technology Awareness.
Many DOE representatives attended the summit, including DOE Associate Under Secretary for Environment, Health, Safety and Security Matthew Moury.
“I am passionate about safety, and I believe it starts with supporting our community’s efforts to work, play, and live safer as our top priority," Moury said.
In between panel discussions and keynote addresses, attendees visited a safety expo with exhibits by SRS contractors AECOM, Jacobs, BWX Technologies, Atkins, and Savannah River Remediation (SRR), EM’s liquid waste contractor at SRS.
SRR presented an automatic welding system for use in place of a worker in radiological areas to limit personnel exposure. The automatic welder is a cost-effective, lightweight, portable, and highly reliable tool to weld around pipes and tubing.
SRR Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Project Manager Mark Schmitz said SRR works to think outside of the box to protect people, SRS, and the environment.
“There is nothing routine in our line of work as the liquid waste contractor at SRS," Schmitz said. “Safety belongs to everyone, in and around the site, and we have an uncompromising commitment to identify and mitigate hazards."
Four employees of SRS contractors answered questions about safety in a panel discussion. SRR Electrical and Instrumentation Mechanic Tyler Stuart said it is comforting to know SRR has safety procedures for all jobs at SRS.
“The safety culture at SRS helps us all develop habits that become second nature, like the 360-degree vehicle walkarounds that are performed before anyone operates a government vehicle," Stuart said. "I conduct these walkarounds on- and offsite to ensure there are no obstacles in my blind spots. While our priorities may change, safety does not."
Source: U.S. Dept. of Energy, Office of Environmental Management
