Preventative maintenance and regular safety reminders are key to keeping the Pueblo plant operating and its workforce safe during the bouts of extreme cold and inclement weather in Colorado.
Brian Ramdwar, plant manager, Bechtel Pueblo Team, who has been employed on site since 2010, said he has not previously experienced the challenging conditions he has faced this winter season. He said among the keys to maintaining continuous operations and worker safety are winter readiness pre-checks, monitoring weather reports and frequent safety messaging.
“We know days before inclement weather hits, so it doesn’t catch us flat footed,” he said. “We stay ahead of the game by beginning safety reminders even before the weather arrives to promote a heightened sense of situational awareness.”
When the temperature reached minus 15 degrees Fahrenheit (F) for several days in January, Ramdwar said frequent announcements warned workers to limit outdoor activity unless absolutely necessary and reminded them of proper walking techniques and appropriate footwear. Clearing of the most-utilized paths and parking lots was prioritized for the safety of those doing regular rounds and readings.
Early in the fall each year, Ramdwar said, the team schedules a work order to check all piping, insulation and heating systems to confirm readiness for winter. Supplemental, temporary heaters from small space heaters to large blowers are staged in areas more susceptible to the cold, such as water-distribution piping.
Another factor to ensure continued operations is the maintenance of boilers that provide heat to buildings.
“Our chemical-agent air monitoring system has a small temperature band of 60 to 90 degrees F, so we must remain in that window in order to maintain the safe operations of the monitoring system and the comfort and safety of the workforce,” he said.
Yet another impact of extreme cold at the plant is limits to closure sampling activities. Outdoor rinsate sampling is nearly impossible when the water reacts to the freezing temperatures, Ramdwar said. Temporary enclosures were installed on Immobilized Cell Bioreactor modules to protect employees conducting core sampling from the effects of precipitation.
Just as it was during destruction operations, worker safety remains the plant’s highest priority during the closure phase.
