Blue Grass plant personnel participated in the first training class to prepare them to enter contaminated areas of the plant during operations.

“We have a lot of equipment inside areas of the plant that will be contaminated during processing, and that equipment will need maintenance,” said Stephanie Hout, training developer, Bechtel Parsons Blue Grass. “This toxic area training qualifies and acclimates participants to the gear and procedures to make safe entries into those areas.”

The four participants took turns donning protective gear such as a cooling vest, breathing tank and a fully encapsulated suit, and then performed several activities to get them accustomed to different situations in the suit, Hout said. A Blue Grass medic oversaw the entire process, monitoring participants visually and maintaining radio communication just as will be done during operations.

“The participants did very well navigating stairs, manipulating tools and performing decontamination activities,” Hout said. “We have them complete very similar activities to the tasks they will perform during actual plant operations when wearing this protective equipment.”

Approximately 400 employees will take this training before plant operations begin.