A great deal of effort is expended by remediation professionals in the pursuit of new technologies to assist them in performing their tasks more efficiently. These individuals understand the cost savings associated with volume reduction and waste minimization and routinely incorporate these practices into their planning. However, the largest cost component on many D and D projects is labor. Increasing the efficiency of work force utilization is frequently the most overlooked technique that can be instituted and which can easily offer major cost savings. Granted, some D and D jobs require highly specialized tools and equipment which are quite expensive. …
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A great deal of effort is expended by remediation professionals in the pursuit of new technologies to assist them in performing their tasks more efficiently. These individuals understand the cost savings associated with volume reduction and waste minimization and routinely incorporate these practices into their planning. However, the largest cost component on many D and D projects is labor. Increasing the efficiency of work force utilization is frequently the most overlooked technique that can be instituted and which can easily offer major cost savings. Granted, some D and D jobs require highly specialized tools and equipment which are quite expensive. Decreasing these costs is often not an option or will yield minimal results. Conversely, the increase in worker efficiency can usually decrease costs dramatically. During the performance of the Safe Shutdown Project at the Fernald Environmental Management Project (the Fernald site), a process improvement initiative was instituted in support of the development of the Ten Year Plan. Costs associated with the removal of hundreds of thousands of pounds of nuclear material from formerly utilized equipment piping, and ductwork in nuclear facilities at the Fernald site were analyzed. This analysis indicated that the labor component was large enough to merit further inspection. A new approach to the activities was instituted and the results were significant. A macroscopic overview of all work activities utilized work evolution control (sequencing), building segmentation, and efficient use of engineering controls to streamline the D and D process. Overall costs on the first facility were reduced by over 20%. The increased labor efficiency resulted in decreased Personal Protective Equipment costs for field personnel. This approach will be discussed in detail.
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