Jun 5, 2007

BSRI's 20 Million Safe Hours Sets National Standard

Posted : Fri, 01 Jun 2007 20:22:01 GMT
Author : Bechtel National, Inc.
Category : PressRelease

FREDERICK, Md., June 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Bechtel today announced that its Savannah River, Inc. (BSRI) construction employees have set a new U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) standard as well as a U.S. corporate record by working 20 million consecutive hours without a lost-time accident.

This record-breaking accomplishment means Savannah River Site construction workers have been free of serious industrial illness and injury since 1998. By comparison, based on the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average construction firm would have experienced 241 lost-time injuries during the same time period.

"This phenomenal achievement has not only set a Bechtel U.S. record, but also a new industry standard," said Tom Hash, President, Bechtel Systems & Infrastructure, Inc. "Our employees at BSRI have made a first-class accomplishment in a hazardous industry where 1 million safe hours is considered outstanding."

After BSRI reached 18 million safe hours in May 2006, the achievement was cited by DOE as a first.

"I can think of no other construction organization that has logged 18-million-plus exposure hours without a 'days-away' illness or injury," said DOE Secretary Samuel W. Bodman in a congratulatory letter to BSRI President Michael Graham. "Overall DOE has an outstanding record in this regard, but when it comes to construction safety your absence of days-away cases sets an enviable example," Bodman added. "This is especially true because of the unusual hazardous work posed at DOE nuclear sites in addition to the normal risks of construction activities," the secretary concluded.

In an announcement to employees, BSRI Manager of Construction Ben Young said, "This accomplishment shows that you are professionals, dedicated to accident prevention and committed to looking out for each other."

Bechtel Savannah River, Inc. (BSRI) supports Washington Savannah River Company in the management and operation of the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) 310-square-mile Savannah River Site (SRS) near Aiken, South Carolina. BSRI is responsible for soil and groundwater closure projects, project management, and design and construction services. Bechtel National, Inc.

CONTACT: Michael G. Kidder, +1-240-379-3261, or Brenda K. Thompson,
+1-240-379-3443, both of Bechtel National, Inc.

Web site: http://www.bechtel.com/

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

"This record-breaking accomplishment means Savannah River Site construction workers have been free of serious industrial illness and injury since 1998."

Tell that to the family of Christopher McZilkey who was killed operating heavy equipment at Savannah River in July, 2004.

DOE fined Savannah River $1M over the event.

How soon we forget.

http://www.wistv.com/global/story.asp?s=2570129&ClientType=Printable

Anonymous said...

Very interesting. Here is the complete story on the 2004 incident:
=================================

Energy Department fines SRS $1 million in worker death

(Aiken-AP) Nov. 15, 2004 - The federal government has levied a million dollar fine against Westinghouse Savannah River Company for safety problems after the death of a worker injured by heavy equipment at the site.

Authorities say 30-year-old Christopher McZilkey of Gibson, Georgia, was hurt in July after being caught under the tread of a tractor while working on dam improvements at a pond at the former nuclear weapons facility near Aiken.

He later died at the Medical College of Georgia.

Barnwell County Coroner Lloyd Ward ruled the death accidental.

The Department of Energy fined Westinghouse after an accident investigation board identified weaknesses in the company's safety policies. The agency says Westinghouse has addressed the problems.

McZilkey worked for Gunther Grading and Hauling Company of Thomson, Georgia.

================================

This must be another case of the DOE declaring success in the face of failure.

Anonymous said...

How many employees does Savannah River have?

It's conceivable that 20 million man-hours have elapsed since July of 2004, if they have something on the order of 3500 full timers.


No idea, though, if they have anywhere near that many employees.

Anonymous said...

8:53 am this is from the Augusta Chronicle on SRS employment numbers....

=========
311 SRS workers opt to leave. Most retire under self-select plan
By Julia Sellers | South Carolina Bureau
Saturday, June 02, 2007

AIKEN - Employment numbers at Savannah River Site will dwindle by a few hundred more as Washington Savannah River Co. restructures its work force.

Next week, 311 employees will leave SRS as part of a self-select leave plan, WSRC President Leo Sain announced Friday. About 80 percent of the 311 are retiring.

The program offered employees in non-critical-related fields a severance package that included optional retirement benefits for those meeting age and service requirements, or one week's severance pay for each year of service up to 26 weeks. Severance packages also include full insurance benefits for one year.

The shift in the SRS employment formula follows a trend of decreasing numbers since employment there peaked in 1992 at more than 25,000.

As the self-select employees leave and others are shifted to corporate positions with parent company Washington Group International, the number of SRS employees will drop to fewer than 9,900. About 10,200 employees were on staff as of Friday, spokesman Dean Campbell said.

About 1,300 employees in positions with engineering and Internet security were not eligible for the self-select program.

Initially, about 500 employees were expected to choose the leave option, but Mr. Campbell said that throughout the process the number decreased.

Even with next week's departures, some areas still have too many employees. About 1,300 positions are open at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, the Hanford Waste Treatment Plant in Washington state and in the United Kingdom, and some SRS employees could be moved to those sites.

"We move people if they're needed here or other places, and all these openings in various areas can use some of the skills that we have in excess here," Mr. Campbell said.

Mr. Sain's letter to employees said he did not foresee any involuntary layoffs before Washington Savannah River Co.'s contract ends with the U.S. Energy Department in June 2008.

Anonymous said...

So, the SRS contract is up in June of 2008.

Sit back and watch the DOE crap this up also.

Anonymous said...

Hate to confuse things with facts, but . . . BSRI is a relatively small part of the overall Savannah River Site (SRS) contract.

Like some work that is done at LANL, work at SRS is sometimes subcontracted to small local companies. Chris worked for a heavy equipment company that was subcontracted to the subcontractor hired by Westinghouse Savannah River Site (WSRC) to do repairs to a small dam at the site (sub to a sub). BSRI had no role in the work.

Chris’ death was a painful tragedy, with effects still felt by his family today. It is regrettable to see his name used here in an effort to make a point that is not even near the mark.

(For more detail, including photos, see the Operating Experience Summary of the Type A Investigation of Subcontractor Fatality at http://www.hss.energy.gov/csa/analysis/oesummary/oesummary2004/oe2004-22.pdf)

BTW – Random drug testing has been in place at SRS for many years.

Anonymous said...

E.I. Dupont operated Savannah River Site from 1949 until the contract was rebid in the late ‘80’s with Westinghouse selected as prime contractor in 1989. The contract was rebid again in 1995 to the team that is currently operating the site. Their contract is due to expire in 2008. SRS went from approximately 8000 employees in the late 1980’s to more than 26,000 employees in the early 1990’s to the current level of about 9,000 employees

Anonymous said...

BSRI may be a relatively small part of the overall Savannah River Site (SRS) contract.

And, yes work at SRS is sometimes subcontracted to small local companies.

But, at LANL when JCI has an injury or the guard company shoots one of its own, LANL is held responsible. So the same accountability should apply at SRS.

Anonymous said...

"But, at LANL when JCI has an injury or the guard company shoots one of its own, LANL is held responsible. So the same accountability should apply at SRS."

As was WSRC to the tune of a $1 million fine.