Keeping up and staying safe

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.