Demolition of a former nuclear weapons production factory in Spokane, Washington, can resume in September after a six-month hiatus, a report by The Columbian says. The project was temporarily halted in January after radioactive contamination spread outside of the plant.
The cause of the spread is still being investigated, a previous news item posted to Construction & Demolition Recycling says. A radiation monitor alarm went off around 4:45 p.m. Jan. 27 near a portion of the plant where demolition had stopped for the day. A work crew was applying fixative to contain radioactive contamination on a waste pile outside the area when the alarm sounded.
The U.S. Department of Energy says in the report it will be implementing extra safety measures for workers demolishing the Plutonium Finishing Plant on the Hanford Nuclear Reservation near Richland, Washington. A report issued in late March by Hanford officials stated a total of 42 workers inhaled or ingested radioactive particles when they were exposed during contamination events in June 2017 and December 2017. Contamination was also found outside plant offices and inside two dozen vehicles.
The March report states Hanford officials were too reliant on air monitoring systems that failed to pick up the spread of radioactive particles. Managers of CH2M Hill Plateau Remediation Co., the Richland-based private contractor performing the demolition for the department, were also caught between maintaining safety and trying to make progress toward deadlines. Risk was escalated as walls of the plant were knocked down and the rubble was stored in piles.
The report says experts have identified safety methods, including better and more frequent radioactive contamination monitoring, ventilation, minimizing waste piles and making sure fixatives were used according to manufacturers’ specifications.
Karen Wiemelt, a manager at C2HM, says in the report work will resume in September and is scheduled to be completed by next June.