PIKETON, Ohio — Employees of Fluor-B&W Portsmouth LLC, the primary contractor for cleanup operations at the former uranium enrichment facilities at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Portsmouth Site, have surpassed 3 million work hours without a lost-time injury, the company announced recently.
The safety milestone was reached despite a challenging winter with plenty of ice and snow at the end of April during ramp-up of field work..
“Our workers can be proud of how well they are working together to improve safety and how that translates to our performance,” Fluor-B&W Site Project Director Dennis Carr said. “Increased worker involvement is resulting in improved safety awareness, communications and better quality work packages.”
“Congratulations to the Fluor-B&W workforce,” DOE Site Director Vince Adams said. “Three million hours or nine months without a lost-time injury is certainly a mark of safe performance. Safety is all about personal ownership and folks returning home after each work shift the way they came in.”
Workers reached the safety milestone while performing a range of industrial tasks including demolishing buildings and packaging and moving tons of material. Since March 2011 workers have shipped more than 2.7 million cubic feet of materials — or enough to cover a football field 60 feet high.
The most hazardous and complex work involves pre-decontamination and decommissioning (D&D) activities such as cutting and capping equipment in the uranium enrichment process buildings and then characterizing their components.
This is the first time Fluor-B&W employees have reached 3 million hours without a lost-time injury. The workforce of nearly 2,000, including about 600 subcontracted workers, logs 290,000 - 380,000 hours per month, depending on time off for vacation, sick leave or holidays.
To recognize employees for their safety commitment and excellent performance, Fluor-B&W is planning catered lunches on site for all employees on all shifts.
Fluor-B&W Portsmouth was awarded a D&D contract by DOE in August 2010 to oversee the safe cleanup of the former gaseous diffusion plant including removal of more than 400 buildings and systems from the Cold War era.














