SRS Liquid Waste Construction Workforce Reaches Landmark 40 Million Safe Hours

The construction workforce for the Savannah River Site liquid waste contractor recently achieved a record milestone of 40 million hours worked without an employee sustaining an occupational injury that prevents the employee from returning to work the following day. Pictured are Savannah River Mission Completion rigging personnel at the Salt Waste Processing Facility.

AIKEN, S.C. — Since the summer of 1998, the liquid waste construction workforce at the Savannah River Site (SRS) has been setting the standard for workplace safety, leading to a new milestone of over 40 million safe hours.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Environmental Management’s (EM) construction team at SRS has clocked over 40 million “safe hours,” which means the total number of hours worked without an employee sustaining an occupational injury that prevents the employee from returning to work the following day.

There have been three liquid waste contractors spanning the duration of this safe-workday streak. It began under Washington Savannah River Company, continued through Savannah River Remediation, and is now with Savannah River Mission Completion (SRMC), EM’s current SRS liquid waste contractor.

Prioritizing worker safety at every step of operations is imperative, according to Tony Robinson, DOE-Savannah River acting assistant manager for waste disposition.

“This achievement by the Savannah River Mission Completion construction workforce demonstrates their commitment to maintaining the highest standards of safety while completing mission-critical work,” Robinson said.

In the last three years alone, SRMC’s construction team has completed modifications to remove waste from multiple high-level waste tanks, construction of several mega Saltstone Disposal Units and significant infrastructure work to improve system reliability and worker safety.

SRMC’s legacy of a safety-first culture is built into the foundation of the site’s history, according to Thomas Burns Jr., SRMC president and program manager.

“Names of companies completing this important work may have changed over the years, but the value placed on safety has not,” Burns said. “Achieving 40 million safe hours is a testament to our construction team’s intentional effort in keeping themselves and their co-workers safe. We will continue to foster this foundation of safety.”

-Contributor: Katie Cannon