News

Plant caps off excellent year in safety with lowest-ever injury rate

The Pantex Plant continues to lead the way within the Nuclear Weapons Complex for safe operations, concluding fiscal year 2013 with the lowest recordable case rate in the Plant’s history.

The record for Total Recordable Case Rate (TRC) at 0.26 is a fitting end to an outstanding year in safety, which saw Pantexans set a record in January by working more than eight million man hours without a lost time injury while Pantex was once again honored as one of the outstanding sites in the complex with the Star of Excellence from the Department of Energy’s Voluntary Protection Program.

“We are very proud of the safety-conscious attitude our Pantexans display each and every day,” said B&W Pantex General Manager John Woolery. “This achievement is a reflection of their individual commitment to helping ensure a strong nuclear safety culture at Pantex.

The TRC measures the number of employee hours worked in a year relative to the number of reportable injuries. This is the standard OSHA formula used by all industries across the nation. B&W Pantex has made reducing the number of injuries a top priority when it took over operation of the Plant in 2001. The number of recordable injuries has decreased 92 percent during that time.

Pantex has continued to look for innovative ways to address safety concerns. This past year, Nuclear Safety Culture became a prime area of focus, with numerous initiatives enacted to establish a culture of safety commensurate with the critical work performed at Pantex.

“The many honors Pantex received this year are gratifying, but the TRC record is the safety achievement that really measures how safe our employees are at the Plant,” said Jim Stevens, manager of the Environmental, Safety, Health and Quality Division at Pantex. “Setting an all-time case rate record means that Pantexans are working more safely than they ever have, which is the standard we strive to achieve every day.”
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CONTACT
Greg Cunningham
Public Affairs
Office (806) 477-5140
Pager (806) 345-1560

NNSA Principal Assistant Deputy Administrator for Military Application Brig. General James C. Dawkins, Jr., was at the Pantex Plant last week to present Defense Programs of Excellence Awards to more than 80 people for their efforts over the past year.

Dawkins presented awards to 88 members of five different teams who worked on projects ranging from metallography of weapons components to analysis of plastic bonded explosives to work on the B53 and B83 weapons. In his comments, he emphasized the importance of the work done at Pantex to help ensure the safety of the country through maintenance of an effective nuclear deterrent.

Dawkins was joined by NNSA Production Office Manager Steve Erhart and B&W Pantex General Manager John Woolery in making the presentations.

Warhead Measurement Campaign- B53 Nuclear Explosive Like Assembly (NELA)
The Warhead Measurement Campaign team exceeded customer expectations by providing extraordinary support of the Defense Programs/Nuclear Nonproliferation warhead measurement campaign. The WMC objective is to obtain a standardized set of signature data from the enduring stockpile and some historical U.S. warheads, pits, and canned subassemblies to provide enhanced predictive capability for the national security community.

B83 Production Team
The B&W Pantex B83 Production Team achieved a significant NNSA milestone following the authorization of the new B83 Tooling Upgrade process by successfully completing the B83 Surveillance workload in FY12. The B83 Tooling Upgrade team, in its implementation of the new process and tooling, was faced with numerous challenges and delays throughout, but remained focused on the goal. They worked diligently to overcome all obstacles and achieved authorization for the new tooling and process on April 26, 2012.

High Explosive Automated Machine Tool Team
The Pantex Plant’s High Explosives Manufacturing department implemented an automatic machine tool changer and tool identification system to increase the safety and efficiency of high explosive machining operations. As tools are being loaded, information programmed on an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) chip on the tool ensures the proper tool is loaded and programed for the needed operation. The shift from administrative controls to engineering controls saves time and improves the safety of high explosive machining operations. The tool changer was officially approved and in use for explosive machining operations in the 2nd Quarter of 2012.

Plastic Bonded Explosive Polymers Analytical Team
The Gel Permeation Chromatography (GPC) lab is an integral part of surveillance testing for determining the molecular weight of the binder in plastic bonded explosives. During FY 2012 the GPC lab experienced significant increase in workload. By implementing efficiencies throughout the lab more samples are analyzed in a shorter period of time and instrument calibrations time was improved by as much as 83% in some areas. These efficiencies allowed the GPC lab to meet the scheduled deliverables as well as unscheduled requests to analyze anomalous polymer samples. The GPC scientist presented two papers to the NSE community at the Polymeric Material and Adhesives Conference (Polymac) detailing the new, more efficient methodologies.

Metallography Laboratory Team
The Pantex metallography laboratory team significantly improved metallography lab efficiencies, provided cost savings to the plant, and improved safety in their work processes during FY12. Improvements were made in the preparation of Special Nuclear Material (SNM) metallography specimens resulting in a 50% percent decrease in overall cycle time and a 45% decrease in premium hours worked in the metallography lab. The team also researched and implemented reusable and user friendly silicon molds that could be removed from the cured epoxy by hand without the need for hand tools. This improved not only the safety of the process but also had an indirect effect of improving the overall specimen quality. Metallographic analytical results, in some cases, were given to the customer the same day as the specimens were received. Cost savings are estimated at $30K for just the Pantex metallography lab alone in FY 2012. In addition to the improved epoxy implementation, the metallography laboratory analyzed chain links from new and old hoists after new hoists began to show early wear that exceeded allowances. The team provided chemical analyses results along with recommendations for a solution to the hoist manufacturer and Pantex system owners. Based on the recommendations and the analyses performed by the metallography lab, the manufacturer agreed to provide funds to replace the hoists, saving the government $160K in FY2012 while ensuring weapons production activities requiring hoists were adequately protected.

Applications for the Pantex Christmas Project are now available from school counselors at Amarillo and Canyon public schools, all Amarillo Public Libraries or by calling 477-5533 and requesting an application by mail. This year, the applications will also be available online. Applications are available in English and Spanish and must be postmarked by October 10, 2013.

Pantex employees have been supporting the Pantex Christmas Project for more than 57 years. The Project will serve approximately 165 children and 15 elderly individuals. Children of selected families receive clothing and toys. Notices will be sent to families informing them if their application has been accepted. Families will be assisted one time only and are asked to not submit an application if they have received assistance from the Project in the past.

The Pantex Christmas Project will host a party for selected families on December 20, where about 100 Pantex volunteers will gather to help spread holiday cheer to families that need assistance.

Please help us call attention to this important opportunity for families that may need assistance this Christmas.

CONTACT
Greg Cunningham
Public Affairs
Office (806) 477-5140
Pager (806) 345-1560

B&W Pantex volunteers dish up barbecue at the recent Amarillo Chamber of Commerce Good Times Celebration and Barbecue Cook-off. For more than a decade, Pantex has been a leading contributor at the event, which is the Chamber’s largest fundraising event of the year. Pantex firefighters cooked up more than 500 pounds of meat for the cook-off.

Plant once again awarded Star of Excellence for outstanding safety record

B&W Pantex continued its remarkable safety record in 2013, once again receiving honors from the Department of Energy Voluntary Protection Program (DOE VPP).

For the second year in a row, DOE awarded B&W Pantex the VPP Star of Excellence for its safety performance, singling out the plant as one of the top safety performers within the DOE. This is the fourth year Pantex has been honored by the VPP.

“It is a remarkable achievement for Pantex to be singled out as one of the top sites in the VPP program for this many years, and it is a testament to the dedication to safety of all Pantexans,” said B&W Pantex General Manager John Woolery.

A team of Pantex employees began the push for VPP recognition in 2008, forming a committee to develop the application, which was submitted in October 2009. That effort paid off in March 2010 when Pantex earned DOE VPP Star Status. The safety performance at Pantex led to the Superior Star Award in 2011 and the Star of Excellence Award in 2012; which was once again awarded to Pantex this month.

Employee involvement is a hallmark of the safety culture at Pantex, which is led by employees who volunteer on numerous safety committees and initiatives.

“The leadership of these hardworking Pantexans sets the tone for safety every day at Pantex,” said Jim Stevens, Manager of the Environment, Safety, Health and Quality Division at B&W Pantex. “Working safely is our part of our fundamental commitment.”

The DOE VPP Star of Excellence Award is granted to a site that maintains a Total Recordable Case rate 75 percent lower than the industry average.

B&W Pantex manages and operates the Pantex Plant near Amarillo, Texas, for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration. B&W Pantex is also the proud recipient of the DOE’s Voluntary Protection Program STAR status for safety excellence. The company was also named one of America’s safest companies by Occupational Hazards magazine and has received numerous awards from the National Safety Council.
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CONTACT
Greg Cunningham
Public Affairs
Office (806) 477-5140
Pager (806) 345-1560

NNSA NEWS

U.S. Department of Energy
National Nuclear Security Administration
Production Office News Release

Amarillo, TX -- Employees of the National Nuclear Security Administration Production Office (NPO) have donated 17,348 pounds of food as part of the annual U.S. Department of Energy’s “Feds Feed Families” campaign. The campaign, which ended on September 6, surpassed the goal of 17,000 pounds.

“I am extremely proud and moved by the generosity of NPO employees,” said Steve Erhart, NNSA Production Office Manager. “Each year, the Feds Feed Families food drive reminds us there are people in our own communities who go to bed hungry. Serving our country starts at home, and that is what this effort is all about.”

The NPO donations are supporting the efforts of the High Plains Food Bank, Amarillo, Texas, and the Second Harvest Food Bank, Maryville, Tennessee.

The Feds Feed Families campaign is a voluntary effort undertaken by Federal employees across the country to provide non-perishable food items to local food banks. Since the start of this effort five years ago, Federal employees have donated over 15 million pounds of food to support families across America. Every month, local food banks help thousands of people, including elderly, handicapped individuals and children. During the summer, the numbers swell to include school children who no longer have access to free breakfast and lunches.

“Donations from this year’s Feds Feed Families Campaign have already touched many lives throughout the Texas Panhandle,” said Broc Carter, High Plains Food Bank Director of Communications, ”and we appreciate the generosity and continued support of the NNSA Production Office employees. Their generous donations are shared with our partnering organizations including churches, day care facilities, and senior citizen’s centers.”

“We are extremely grateful to the NNSA Production Office for their large donations of food, especially during the summer months because this is the leanest time of the year for us,” said Elaine Streno, Second Harvest Food Bank Executive Director. “We are also grateful that their effort is bringing awareness to the hunger struggle in our community and across East Tennessee.”

The mission of the NNSA Production Office is to ensure the safe, secure and cost-effective operation of the Pantex Plant, Amarillo, Texas, and the Y-12 National Security Complex, Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

Photos available upon request

CONTACT
Brenda Finley
NNSA Production Office Public Affairs
Office (806) 477-3120

Steven Wyatt
NNSA Production Office Public Affairs
Office (865) 576-9918

Pantex firefighters flush water from a fire hydrant at the Plant this week. Each of the 250 hydrants on the Plant are flushed and tested annually to ensure they function properly and flow enough water to provide fire protection capabilities at Pantex.

By repurposing an old decontamination trailer, rather than buying a new one, B&W Pantex Radiation Safety personnel recently saved Pantex approximately $100,000.

In 2012, the search began for ways to improve the emergency response capabilities of the Pantex Radiation Safety Department with a mobile decontamination trailer. The purchase of a new trailer through the U.S. General Services Administration was approved at a cost of $122,000, but B&W Pantex kept searching for a less expensive alternative.

The search led to an available trailer already at Pantex that was in critical need of repair. After a lengthy search, employees from the Radiation Safety Department found a local business that could refurbish the trailer for $23,000.

The trailer is fully equipped with four showering units, water supply, self-contained waste handling, two 80-pound propane tanks and its own generator. It is intended for use in decontaminating victims in the unlikely event of a radiological or chemical accident. The trailer is currently slated to be used to decontaminate victims prior to moving them into the site’s medical facilities, but it remains mobile and could be used in other locations.

Through innovative thinking and a willingness to look for new solutions to existing problems, B&W Pantex personnel improved the radiation safety capabilities of the site while utilizing a local small business to control the cost of the project.

Fabrication capabilities and skillset unique to Enterprise

In a little-known world deep within Pantex, parts and tools are machined to perfection - in one instance to within 39 millionths of an inch - to ensure the absence of variation. Perfection is sought because these aren't just any parts and tools. They are fabricated, modified and repaired for work on nuclear weapons.

"Everything we do is related to a weapons process or supports it in some form or fashion," said Danny Brito, Production Tooling section manager. "Some of the tooling we fabricate is classified and must be made on Plant site. Onsite facilities allow for availability of resources and quick turnarounds."

Tools and packaging created at Pantex to service and protect our nation's nuclear deterrent at times require the use of unique processes and materials made exclusively at Pantex.

One such process used specifically by Pantex in the Machine Shop is called Lumiclading. It coats and protects aluminum alloys, is electrically conductive and provides a smooth and durable finish suited for use in tooling and tester parts for nuclear weapons. New within the last five years, the Lumiclad black oxide process is in demand both by national laboratories and the United Kingdom.

Working hand-in-hand with the Machine Shop is the Pantex Plastics Shop. Molds for parts are at times created in the Machine Shop, and then sent to the Plastics Shop for use. Other times, the Plastics Shop forms PVC using a vacuum process, then sends it to the Machine Shop to be cut to specification.

"The two craft shops openly discuss any issues and share their vast knowledge to ensure we all are successful as a team," said Jody Elliott, Production Tooling craft supervisor in the Plastics Shop.

Adiprene, the material used most often in the Plastics Shop, was created at the Plant nearly 40 years ago and is specially designed to protect nuclear weapons. With its various colors denoting hardness, or durometer, Adiprene is used to make seals, packaging and tools. Most recognizable of the products may be the red W76 nose cone.

When asked the "coolest" thing made out of Adiprene, Elliott said, "Believe it or not, spatulas to support operations where working with high explosives is a concern."

It's the people behind the products that make the difference, explained John Herrera, Production Tooling craft supervisor in the Machine Shop. "Excellent math skills, blueprint reading skills and computer programming knowledge enable our craftsmen and women to do this kind of work,"
he said.

The Machine and Plastics Shops have built a solid reputation at Pantex and elsewhere for quality, Brito said, adding that the traits shared by these unsung heroes that set them apart are their attention to detail, dedication to their work and holding themselves accountable to produce a high-quality product.

Largest federally owned wind farm to help weapons facility meet Administration energy goals

Construction officially begins Tuesday on the Pantex Renewable Energy Project, which will use the energy stored in Texas Panhandle winds to help power one of the key facilities in the National Nuclear Security Administration’s weapons complex.

The project, known as PREP, will provide more than half of the annual electricity needs for the Pantex Plant when it goes live in approximately one year, and will be the largest federally owned wind farm in the country upon completion.

Officials from NNSA, Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency and project contractor Siemens Government Technologies, Inc., will gather at the plant today to break ground on the project.

The wind farm will consist of five 2.3 megawatt turbines located on 1,500 acres of land east of the Pantex Plant. Pantex is the primary site for the assembly, disassembly and maintenance of the nation’s nuclear weapons stockpile.

PREP will be a one-of-a-kind project that joins the national security mission of the NNSA with DOE’s mission to secure the country’s energy future through use of renewable energy sources. The windfarm will play a key role in helping Pantex achieve President Obama’s directive that the federal government lead the way in clean energy and energy efficiency. The Administration set a goal for the federal government to get 20 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2020.

PREP will generate approximately 47 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, which is more than 60 percent of the annual electricity need for Pantex, or enough electricity to power nearly 3,500 homes. The project will reduce CO2 emissions by over 35,000 metric tons per year; the equivalent of removing 7,200 cars from the road each year or planting 850,000 trees.

Siemens will construct PREP under an Energy Savings Performance Contract, delivering a turn-key wind farm system with an annual energy production guarantee for 18 years. Siemens will be paid directly from the value of guaranteed energy savings generated by the turbines, an amount expected to average $2.8 million annually.

The project has been in development for more than five years and relied on partnerships with numerous other entities, including Texas Tech University and the Federal Aviation Administration, which helped secure approval for siting the 400-foot tall wind towers in the controlled airspace near Pantex. The EPA was also a key contributor, partnering with Pantex to help continue a long tradition of environmental stewardship at the Plant.

Construction is expected to last until July 2014, when the blades of the project will start spinning in the strong Panhandle wind, delivering renewable energy to the Pantex Plant.

The PREP groundbreaking will start at 10 a.m. August 13 at the Pantex Plant, located 17 miles northeast of Amarillo, Texas; north of U.S. Highway 60 on Farm-to-Market Road 2373.

Media wishing to cover the event should first contact Brenda Finley at the numbers above. You should plan to arrive by 9:30 a.m. CST at the 16-12 Visitor’s Service Building north of the main gate on FM 2373. Transportation will be provided to the groundbreaking site. A variety of background visuals will be available for photo and video. Interviews with top officials from DOE, NNSA and Siemens will also be available.