Y-12 Blog
Workers watch an incident reenactment at Y-12 Construction as part of a recent Hand Injury Prevention Campaign.
While many tools can be carried in a construction worker’s tool belt, none are more important than the ones that fasten it.
“The primary tools craftsmen use to perform the work are their hands,” said Jeremy Spears, senior safety specialist. “It’s important to protect them.”
Recently, Construction and Operations personnel developed, sponsored, and conducted a Hand Injury Prevention Campaign. The focus was to protect worker’s hands and reduce hand injuries. The campaign was an organization wide effort for both groups.
“The campaign provided four weeks of concentrated information focused on a single topic,” said Y-12 Construction Manager Ryan Atwell.
While the campaign was a joint effort, each organization had specific activities to communicate hand safety to its employees.
Construction used weekly “Toolbox Talks.” Topics ranged from pinch points (areas of the hand prone to be pinned between stationary and moving objects) to power-tool safety guidelines. The talks were held during work briefings and weekly safety meetings.
Another highlight of Construction’s activities was the Reenactment Roadshow, which presented hand injury scenarios based on actual incidents. Seven reenactments were followed by question and answer segments. About 300 construction workers attended the in person sessions.
“This was a great opportunity to have an actual hands on re creation,” Spears said.
Each organization created a glove poster, with assistance from Safety and Industrial Hygiene and Communications, for the campaign. The posters had examples of work gloves specific to the organization’s needs, their intended use, and protection offered. Posters are displayed in shops and tool cribs.
“When we first started, there were just leather gloves,” said facilitator Linda Fiore. “Thankfully, we’ve expanded that. Now you have vibration gloves, gloves for electricians, and so much more. Showing the craft this poster was an important step. They can look at it and think, ‘I’m doing this type of work, so I need this type of glove.’”
Spears added, “According to Bureau of Labor Statistics, 70% of workers who experienced a hand injury were not wearing any gloves, and 30% were wearing damaged or incorrect gloves. The poster will close the knowledge gap when it comes to gloves.”
Surveys administered before and after the campaign were also key to its success. The responses provided important feedback and perspective. Pre campaign responses were generally positive about how CNS communicated hand injuries through lessons learned, glove knowledge, and supervisory support of hand injury prevention, which is valuable.
Management’s presence in the field increased more than 50% during the campaign.
“This allowed for observations in a lot of areas,” Fiore said. “They could see if the employees were wearing gloves or wearing the right gloves, and make the correction in the field.”
After the campaign, 99% of survey participants were more conscious of hand injury situations, while 98% of participants felt more educated about general hand safety.
“I’m very pleased about the campaign’s success, and I’m confident that our organization is better informed and mindful of how to prevent hand injury.” Atwell said.
Here are 10 basic tips to protect hands while using power tools:
- Keep tools in good working condition with regular maintenance.
- Use the right tool for the job.
- Examine tools for damage before use.
- Operate according to manufacturer’s instructions.
- Use the proper protective equipment.
- Disconnect tools when not in use, before servicing, and when changing accessories, such as blades, bits, and cutters.
- Secure work with a clamp or vise, freeing hands to operate tools.
- Avoid accidental starting. Fingers should not be placed near the on-switch button when carrying a power tool.
- Wear proper apparel. Loose clothing and jewelry can become caught in moving parts.
- Keep a safe distance away from work area if just observing.
This poster was part of the Hand Injury Prevention Campaign.
Administrative professional Renea Dosher won the Pantex Jackie Kelly Award for 2022. With her is Deputy Chief Information Officer Rick Day, who co-nominated her with Chief Information Officer Joe Harris.
For most organizations, the group’s administrative professional is both a nexus of knowledge and the glue that holds all the parts together. They keep coworkers and their bosses on track, informed, reminded, and supported. These professionals do their complex jobs while dealing with deadlines, interruptions, and — over the past two years — all the challenges presented by the pandemic.
Nearly 100 administrative professionals work at Pantex and Y-12, helping to keep the sites’ missions running smoothly. One such stellar administrative professional was Jackie Kelly, who was known at Y-12 for meeting challenges, including the cancer that eventually ended her life. In 2017, the Jackie Kelly Award was established in her memory to recognize one outstanding administrative professional at each site.
A panel of five judges from both sites scored the nomination forms with the names and organizations redacted to ensure fairness.
The 2022 Jackie Kelly Award winners are Renea Dosher at Pantex and Melanie Fleury at Y-12.
Renea Dosher, Pantex
Dosher, senior administrative support for Information Solutions and Services, has worked at Pantex for more than six years. She said going the extra mile and striving for excellence are the keys to success.
“This role is about providing dedicated support with the best results,” she said. “It’s important to uphold accountability, professionalism, and accuracy in all tasks. The end result is not only a reflection of me, but the IS&S organization, CNS, and our mission.”
She was nominated by Chief Information Officer Joe Harris and Deputy Chief Information Officer Rick Day, noting her reputation for delivering high quality products.
“Renea has strong interpersonal skills and works equally well with technical employees and all levels of management. Her role requires that she interact with a wide mix of employees all day, every day,” they wrote in nominating Dosher.
“Renea is the ‘go to’ person for a wide range of business operation needs and will find the answers if she does not already know them,” the nomination continued. “She is a committed team player who frequently works extended hours to support deliverables and her fellow teammates.”
Dosher said the rewards of her job come from her coworkers.
“I am proud to work with some of the best people,” she said. “Their motivation, support, mentorship, and encouragement to seek out new challenges is rewarding. There is always an opportunity to learn and grow.”
Melanie Fleury, Y-12
Jackie Kelly Award winner for Y-12 Melanie Fleury poses with her plaque.
Fleury, administrative support for Mission Systems & Integration, chose to leave the workforce for eight years to care for her special-needs son. Hearing of a job posting in administrative support led to her joining Y-12.
Now, just six months later, Fleury is the Jackie Kelly Award winner at Y-12. The director she works for, Will Farmer, said in her nomination that, “Ms. Melanie displays a caring attitude by doing the small things that make a person feel confident in their own success.”
“She has become a vital part of our Mission Systems & Integration family,” Farmer wrote. “With her dedication, conscientiousness, caring, and can do attitude, Ms. Melanie has made a huge positive impact to our team. We’re truly fortunate to have her.”
Fleury said she’s the one who feels fortunate to have been blessed with the position.
My team are the most comradery minded and hard working individuals. They’ve embraced me immediately, taught me the ropes, and encouraged me along the way,” she said. “The atmosphere of Mission Systems & Integration encompasses my core values of integrity, excellence, teamwork, so it has been effortless for me to buy in to our mission.
“Things I always try to provide my team with is my time and attention. I want them to feel valued, welcomed, and appreciated. I want them to know I am happy to assist and eager to help. Everyone is important to me, no matter their title, because they are important to me as a person,” she said.
Congratulations to Renea Dosher and Melanie Fleury, who represent the legacy of Jackie Kelly.
NNSA Principal Deputy Administrator Frank Rose (right) shakes hands with Y‑12 employee and local hero Brody Roberts during a recent site visit. “Meeting Brody was a highlight of my trip to Y‑12. He is a stand‑up example of excellence in character,” said Rose.
Y‑12 employees go above and beyond at work each day to deliver on the site’s national security mission. But the commitment to excellence doesn’t stop at the end of the day. During recent winter weather, one employee literally jumped into action to save a stranger in need.
Even with an impending forecast of snow, it was a typical evening for Brody Roberts, Y‑12 project waste engineer and Roane County resident. After a full day of running errands and eating dinner with his family, Roberts decided to hit the gym before the roads became dangerous. But shortly after leaving the restaurant, his evening turned from typical to terrifying.
“I had been driving for five minutes before I approached a truck in the road,” Roberts recounted. “As I slowed down I looked at the lake and saw a car out there. My first thought was, ‘How I could help?’”
He immediately pulled over and jumped out. “There was a person on the phone with 911 who mentioned someone was still in the car,” Roberts explained.
Roberts sprang into action. Removing his outer layer of clothing, he jumped in the frigid water. As he reached the vehicle, which had just completely submerged, he opened the door and saw a woman was still buckled. Roberts and the woman unlatched the belt, and he helped her swim to the surface.
“As soon as we made it to the surface, I was instantly relieved,” Roberts said. “I was even more relieved when she said she was the only one in the vehicle.”
After swimming to dry land, a group of bystanders wrapped Roberts and the woman in coats.
“It was the coldest I have ever been,” said Roberts.
The woman was taken to a nearby hospital with non‑life‑threatening injuries, and Roberts decided he could skip the gym.
When asked why he decided to jump into the near‑freezing lake, risking his own life, Roberts replied “I was only doing what I hope others would do for me and my family.”
Y‑12 employee Michael Laws stands in front of the house from which he pulled two children during a recent fire.
It has been proven time and again that Y‑12 employees are not only an asset to CNS, but also to the communities in which they live. Recently one employee showed great bravery by saving two children during a life‑threatening situation.
As Y‑12 quality specialist J. Michael Laws was ushering his family into the car for a quick shopping trip, he received a call from his neighbor.
“She told me that she thought her house was on fire, that she and her husband were at the movies and their two daughters, ages 14 and 7, were home alone,” Laws explained.
Thinking the girls had burned something in the oven or that an appliance had possibly caught fire, Laws and his wife grabbed a fire extinguisher and headed across the cul‑de‑sac in their Hardin Valley neighborhood.
But as soon as they crossed the road, it became clear that the situation was much more dire.
“I could see the girls in an upstairs window and could hear them crying out that they couldn’t breathe,” said Laws. “My wife began calling 911 as I tried the door, but it was locked, so I kicked out a window and began climbing in — but it was too hot and smoky.”
Laws quickly realized he would need to bypass the home’s ground floor due to the fire.
“I ran back to my house while screaming for help,” he said. “Fortunately, there were people in earshot who ran over. I grabbed my ladder, ran back across the street and got it set up just as one sister climbed out of the window and bravely jumped down to two people.”
Laws quickly climbed the ladder, and pulled the other child to safety as black smoke started billowing from the house.
“I knew right then if we had not been home or missed that call, those girls would not have made it,” said Laws.
The children were quickly taken to Laws’ home where they waited for the fire department, ambulance, and their parents.
“They were, of course, in a panic, but they were so courageous and did all the right things,” he said. “My wife got them water and began consoling them while my kids started gathering toys, clothes, food, and whatever they thought our neighbors may need.”
For Laws, this experience highlighted the importance of having a disaster plan for those in your home.
“My main takeaway is that you have to have a plan,” he said. “We have discussed one, but have never drilled or practiced in any way. We will be doing that very soon.”
He also noted the importance of community and watching out for one another. “Community is important,” explained Laws. “Even my children felt the innate call to help our neighbors in need and immediately answered. I believe our neighbors would do the same for us, and I am proud to be a part of this community.”
A special touch: Holding to the masons’ tradition, a 1943 coin, the year Building 9731 was built, was placed into the pavement.
It’s a nondescript yellow brick building just down the hill from the Jack Case Center at the Y 12 National Security Complex. The building could be easily ignored as an inconsequential structure, but looks can be deceiving. Recently, the look improved a bit.
Building 9731, known as the Pilot Plant, is Y-12’s oldest structure. Constructed in 1943, it housed the first of what became more than 1,100 calutrons across the site. Calutrons were the electromagnetic machines that separated the uranium isotope U 235 from U 238, enriching the uranium to bomb grade and providing material for Little Boy, the first of two atomic bombs that helped end World War II.
The building’s historic significance has placed it and Building 9204 03 (Beta 3) in the footprint of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park. Established in 2015, the park’s three units extend from Oak Ridge to Los Alamos, New Mexico to Hanford, Washington. All were vital pieces in the mission to build an atomic weapon.
Susie Smiddy is Building 9731’s manager and has been working with Y-12 infrastructure to enhance its look and utilization.
“I’ve been working to make Building 9731 a premier facility that reflects the important values, character, and powerful history of the building since 2018,” Smiddy said.
One of the obstacles to enhance the building’s character was the front entrance. The concrete was broken and uneven, and there was gravel where an old storage shed used to sit.
“I contacted Darrel Watkins, the site’s planner for masons, and we worked on a design that would maintain the historic nature of the entry area. We sat together over several months sketching out ideas and patterns,” she said.
They also consulted masons Jeff Webb and Noah Sexton.
“Jeff and Noah spend a lot of time — plant wide — making our sidewalks and entryways safe. They suggested replacing the entire entry area. During the planning process with Susie, we recognized an opportunity to truly make it better, and reintroduce a style that encompasses the building’s rich history,” Watkins said.
The solution they chose was to pour, stamp, and color concrete at the entrance. The finished product stays true to the historic nature of the building, but it is also a showcase of the artistry and craftsmanship of the masons involved in the project.
But it wasn’t just the masons, as others were also integral to the project. Carpenters Corey Brown and Paul Oakes built lean tos for the masons when rain threatened the work, and they built the frames for each section of the pour, in addition to framing the two ground wells.
This took a team effort from the masons and carpenters, to the laborers who added river rock to the entry, to the heavy equipment operators and pipefitters,” said Smiddy. The process took a lot of planning and communicating. “Darrel and I talked directly with Jeff and Noah, not only as we planned the project, but up to the day they started performing the work, making adjustments along the way.”
The final special touch, holding to the masons’ tradition, was to place a 1943 coin, the year Building 9731 was built, into the pavement.
“So often with much of the aging infrastructure at Y-12, it’s simply fix what needs to be fixed and move on,” said Watkins. “This project presented an opportunity to actually step out and produce something that instills pride in our site and in the workmanship of our craftspeople.”
“My hope, as we continue to preserve this facility, to expand the tour route, and repurpose it for the training mission to ensure long term sustainment, is that we create something that everyone can be proud of,” said Smiddy.