New security booths installed at Y-12 ahead of schedule, under budget

Oak Ridge, Tenn.—Employees at Y‑12 National Security Complex are passing through new entrance booths to access the site’s high‑security area, the first step in the long‑planned Security Infrastructure Revitalization Program.

Crews replaced the previous security booths with new enterprise‑standard booths, or ESBs. The challenge was to complete that work without delaying employees’ arrival at their work locations.

“We worked during off‑peak hours, which also alleviated some safety concerns,” said Angela Oberding of Project Management. Even with the area cordoned off, noise and movement could have caused distractions.

Lessons learned, efficiencies gained

Oberding said installation of the first booth took significantly longer than expected, but that provided advantages for the project. “The team knocked out all the issues up front, so each successive booth was completed more quickly,” she said. “The gained efficiencies in installation and testing allowed us to save time and money.”

The ESB project was completed 10 days ahead of schedule and approximately $600,000 below the planned cost of $3.5 million.

Improved reliability, throughput

“The installation at Post 8 is one of the more heavily used posts in the Nuclear Security Enterprise,” said Kevin Alexander of Safeguards and Security. “This project improved the reliability of the booths, which increases the throughput.”

The booths are also now in line with the Nuclear Security Enterprise standard, which allows for further efficiencies in operations and maintenance.

This project was a collaborative effort with National Nuclear Security Administration partners at the Sandia National Laboratories Physical Security Center of Excellence and Y‑12 security systems, projects, and construction personnel. “The project really required all of us working together, and that’s what allowed us to gain those efficiencies,” said Oberding.

“This team set the tone for security improvements on site,” said Gene Sievers, Y‑12 site manager. “Their success sets the stage for other security improvements across the site as we modernize our high‑security fencing and concurrently shrink the protected area to more efficiently and effectively accomplish our national security mission.”

The project team installing the enterprise-standard booths worked during off-peak hours and on Fridays to minimize the impact to personnel.

Barriers were used during the installation of the enterprise-standard booths to safely separate the construction work from those entering and exiting the post

Consolidated Nuclear Security, LLC operates the Pantex Plant, located in Amarillo, Texas, and the Y-12 National Security Complex, located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, under a single contract for the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration. CNS member companies include Bechtel National, Inc.; Leidos, Inc.; ATK Launch Systems, Inc.; and SOC LLC. Pantex and Y-12 are key facilities in the U.S. Nuclear Security Enterprise, and CNS performs its work with a focus on performance excellence and the imperatives of safety, security, zero defects, and delivery as promised.

For more information on each site, visit www.pantex.energy.gov or www.y12.doe.gov. Follow Pantex on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn. Follow Y-12 on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

CONTACT
Kathryn King, APR
Communications
Office (865) 315.5996
Kathryn.King@pxy12.doe.gov