A multi-disciplinary team keeps their eyes out for potential environmental issues at the Blue Grass plant.

“We saw an opportunity for workers to become more aware of potential environmental issues, much like we have done with our focus on worker safety,” said Kyle Howell, environmental compliance specialist, Bechtel Parsons Blue Grass. “We were already very careful about protecting the environment, but creating the Environmental Action Group Led by Employees, or EAGLE, team to specifically focus on the topic has been a plus for us.”

All plant employees are trained to specific levels through the Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response course, known as HAZWOPER, but the EAGLE team members are further trained on compliance issues and familiarity with site conditions, said Howell. Team members make observations both during their normal activities and as they move through the site and report their findings at team meetings.

“The team is made up of eight plant employees, with a maximum of four from the waste management and environmental departments because they are already trained on the subject,” Howell said. “The other members can be from any other department, so they provide more environmental focus into different areas.”

The team created a pocket guide with 15 categories for specific attention, with the majority being wastes, Howell said. The topics include container labeling, expired items, and procedural compliance. The team also produces a monthly newsletter on the topic of environmental protection.