Y-12 Blog
UPF employees raised more than $22,000 for Special Olympics Polar Plunge competition
UPF employees raised more than $22,000 for Special Olympics Polar Plunge competition
The Uranium Processing Facility project was the top fundraiser in Tennessee for the Polar Plunge for the second year in a row, raising a whopping $22,458 for Special Olympics Tennessee and giving the local organization a much-needed boost.
“It makes a huge difference to us,” said Gina Legg, volunteer co-director of Special Olympics of Greater Knoxville for more than 12 years. “Up until last year, we struggled to stay above water. Last year we were able to get through the entire year and not hold our breath from month to month.”
UPF was the top fundraiser in the state last year for the Polar Plunge, raising $14,230. The Project exceeded that total by more than $8,000 this year.
“We appreciate your help so much,” Legg said. “It’s been such a blessing to not worry about having enough funding.”
About half of the donations raised from the Polar Plunge supports the local organization, Legg said, and the other half supports statewide activities. Locally, the funds pay for things like sports venues, equipment, transportation, lodging, and medals for the athletes.
The local chapter serves more than 1,500 athletes, providing them with year-round training and competition in 18 different sports. Special Olympics is funded solely by donations, and the organization’s bylaws prohibit charging athletes for any portion of their Special Olympics experience.
In addition to being the top overall fundraiser, UPF had the top four individual fundraisers in the state: Cindy Ford, Ian Finnerty, Michael Martinez and Mitch Rose. Other UPF fundraisers were Matt Nuckols, Jon Engle, Dick Miller and Glenn Clemons.
“We have a lot of fun with the Polar Plunge,” said Jamie Lesko, the president of NextGen, which sponsored the fundraiser at UPF, “but going to the event and meeting the athletes and the people involved with the organization gives you a better appreciation for the activities our donations support.”
The tiered problem-solving process, a lean tool from the Performance Enterprise System, is making its way to Pantex and Y 12 organizations.
Consolidated Nuclear Security, LLC employees’ opinions matter. As part of the effort to meet the Pantex and Y 12 mission delivery, the sites are incorporating a tiered approach to problem-solving. This approach provides a feedback forum for all levels of employees while empowering them to have a say in decision making.
Having ownership of issues and reporting good news is important for employees. The Y-12 lead, Michael Mattmann said, “All employees should come to work every day and feel like a valued part of their team, and we want to empower them to make decisions that improve productivity and deliverables.” This idea isn’t something new; it’s part of performance excellence and continuous improvement, giving employees a voice.
Dale Stapp, the Pantex lead working to define this process, said, “The process provides a structured approach where we communicate successes and issues that are impacting operations or mission deliverables every day. It allows all levels of employees to take ownership of issues and report good things.”
Stapp said the process is providing accountability and ownership for issues while fostering teamwork. “When there are issues that need support organizations, we see a new level of teamwork because groups understand they need the experts to help complete certain tasks,” he said. “Communication is key, and we know sometimes the message gets misused or isn’t very clear. We’ve seen improvement in the communication flow by using this tiered process.”
Each tier has opportunities to work on the issue until it is resolved or escalated it to the next tier. Mattmann noted that the concept is used by most major manufacturing companies to build engagement and resolve issues.
Pantex Deputy Site Manager Corey Strickland said, “The metrics are proving that a majority of the issues we face CAN be handled at the lower levels. We are currently handling about 85 percent of the issues we track at the first line supervisor level. People should feel enabled and empowered to do their jobs!”
What’s next? The process will continue and grow into other organizations. Senior Director of Y 12 Production Operations Reed Mullins said, “In the end, every employee should be connected to a short, routine meeting that addresses the issues and successes of the day.”
The 50‑year sprinkler head replacement crew works so close to ceilings that they must wear these special “bump caps” instead of hard hats. The crew received a DOE/NNSA Excellence this fall for their effort
Have you ever struggled to keep up with routine maintenance at home? Well, imagine trying to keep up with maintenance in facilities built more than 70 years ago.
To ensure appropriate safety protection against fire, the 50-year sprinkler head replacement crew works diligently against a multi-year schedule with 8,400 sprinklers scheduled for replacement by 2020.
The National Fire Prevention Association requires that sprinkler heads be tested or replaced after five decades.
As of February 1, the crew has replaced more than 870 sprinkler heads this fiscal year and has two areas remaining for replacement of approximately 1,100 sprinkler heads. And, speaking of heads, the crew has to protect their heads with special bump caps instead of hard hats because of the close quarters.
These automatic sprinkler systems provide critical safety protection against fire and are credited within the nuclear facility safety basis of the buildings. The replacement of the sprinkler heads ensures these systems are code compliant for another 50 years.
A RAP member performs a preventive radiological nuclear detection sweep at one of the Super Bowl LII venues displaying all of the Super Bowl rings.
Seven members of the Region 2 Radiological Assistance Program based out of Y-12 recently attended Super Bowl LII. Rather than cheering for their favorite team, however, these members traveled to Minneapolis to assist FBI and other federal, state, and local agencies by performing preventive radiological nuclear detection (PRND) surveys prior to the big game.
Jeff Barroso, RAP Region 2 operations manager, said, “The RAP team is staffed primarily by volunteer members who serve as health physicists, engineers, etc., for their day-to-day jobs. Throughout the year, RAP team members participate in routine training exercises to prepare for PRND deployments. Once or twice a year, they are deployed to large PRND events like the Super Bowl or the Presidential Inauguration. The RAP team stands ready to respond to radiological and nuclear incidents year round on a moment’s notice. The team members take pride in knowing they are contributing to the nation’s security.”
Project team members from Y‑12 and Merrick & Company during evaluation of the electrorefining glovebox mock‑up at the fabrication facility.
While Y-12 is well known for enriching uranium, we also enrich careers.
“In Engineering, you never know when you may be presented with an opportunity that has the potential to enrich your career,” Bill Heineken, Y-12 Engineering, said. Recently, he learned of a Y-12 project that needed a liaison to the project’s design contractor, Merrick & Company, in Denver, Colorado. He submitted his name as a potential candidate while knowing few other details, and the following week, he was told he would be assisting the Electrorefining Project.
“A significant portion of my Y-12 career has been supporting enriched uranium operations in a variety of roles, so I was excited about having a part in this project,” he said. “The ER Project is a unique effort in the modernization of Y-12. It is one of the rare times when a new process technology is proposed to replace multiple current process operations.”
ER technology can receive “dirty” uranium metal and purify it to clean uranium metal in three process steps using an electrolytic cell, a salt vaporization oven, and a consolidation oven. The electrolytic cell houses the purification activities, and the ovens convert the cell product into a uranium button, Heineken explained.
“My role was not technical or engineering focused; instead, it allowed me to identify needs for the project to proceed and to reduce barriers,” he said. He identified actions for fostering communication and co-ownership of specific design deliverables, which both Y-12 and Merrick implemented.
“The real success, however, came from the joint project team,” he said. Together Y-12 and Merrick developed a recovery schedule and met the near-term milestones. The project has completed 100 percent design and will be initiating fabrication.
“I cannot wait for the day when the first purified enriched uranium metal is produced by the installed production equipment and hazards are reduced in Building 9212,” he said. “That will be the ultimate success for this project team.”
Having that enthusiasm is what makes working at Y-12 so exciting—it’s more than a job.