WIPP Quick Facts
(As of 05-07-08)

6,649
Shipments received since opening

54,921
Cubic meters of waste disposed

101,232
Containers disposed in the
underground

Water leak temporarily suspends shipments

Regular shipments to WIPP have resumed after a water line leak outside the Waste Handling Building caused a temporary suspension.  On April 23, WIPP personnel discovered a leak in a six-inch diameter water line that provides water for the building’s fire suppression system.  Operations were limited and shipments, other than those already staged or en route to WIPP, were held at the generator sites.

“Our first priority was to stand down in a safe configuration,” says WTS Deputy General Manager Pat Yocum.  “There was no threat of fire or any danger to employees or the waste.  This is just another example of how serious we are about maintaining the highest level of safety at WIPP.”
                                                                                               
Fire protection experts at WIPP set up a bypass to provide an alternate water source to the building’s fire suppression system. 

“The fire suppression system in the building is fully functional,” says Yocum.  “The only difference is the source of the water.”

With the bypass and a response plan in place, DOE Headquarters approved CBFO’s request to resume operations on May 7.  Shipments were immediately released from several sites and have begun the trip to WIPP.

Officials were alerted to the leak when pumps used to maintain adequate water pressure in the system automatically started.  The source of the leak was quickly located and crews have been working to repair the line.  The work is expected to take several weeks.

Once the water line is replaced, additional work is expected to provide more redundancy in the system for the future.

Be safe:
Construciton continues
on Highway 128

Construction continues on the Jal highway (Highway 128).  The contractor has re-routed traffic onto a new section of road between Shaft 5 and WIPP’s South Access road. 

Even if the pavement surface is new, the Jal highway remains a construction area.  The road signs are not yet in place and other work on that section of road remains to be completed. 

Expect workers and construction equipment to be on or around that roadway throughout the remainder of the road project.  Slow down and give them plenty of room.

Expect further changes in routing and road conditions as construction progresses.

WIPP Safety Fair guest speaker
gives a new perspective on safety

Define safety.  Is safety about hazard recognition?  Accident prevention?  Life or death?  Safety is about all of those things, but Kevin Bailey goes beyond traditional definitions when talking about safety.  He knows what safety is and he knows first-hand the catastrophic ripple effect that takes place in its absence.

“Safety,” says Bailey, “is about quality of life.” Growing up in Ohio, Bailey says he and his friends had a similar outlook on safety.  If they were willing to take a risk and no one other than themselves could be hurt, then it was okay.  That idea was proven wrong on October 15, 1986 when Bailey was involved in a farm accident that nearly cost him his life.

Working at a neighbor’s farm, a series of seemingly insignificant safety issues led to his right leg being violently torn from his body and his left leg being severely crushed. 

Struggling to remain conscious, Bailey lay in the mud for 45 minutes before someone heard his cry for help.  After a call was made for an ambulance, his father was the next person to be called. 

Bailey’s father, a volunteer fire fighter, provided immediate care for shock.

“Can you imagine a father having to see his son lying broken in the mud and still having the ability to administer any kind of aid?” asked Bailey. 

Bailey was airlifted to a trauma center in Erie, Pennsylvania. 

The emotional shockwave from the accident continued as calls were made to brothers and sisters, aunts, uncles, and friends.  Bailey soon found he would not be the only one to pay the price.  Loved ones gathered at the hospital for news.  Following surgery, doctors gave Bailey a 50/50 chance of making it through the night.

“Accidents happen fast,” says Bailey.  “You have to decide to be safe in advance.  There is no rewind.”

Bailey survived the night and eventually regained strength.  In time, he learned how to walk with a prosthetic leg and spent a lot time talking to others who were also recovering from accidents.

Bailey says there were common threads in each of their stories.  Everyone thinks that accidents only happen to other people.  Accidents devastate families.  All of them felt there were things they could have done to prevent the accident from happening.

“The cost of an accident has nothing to do with the dollars,” says Bailey.  “It’s the many simple things we take for granted like being able to slip off your shoes, cuddle with a loved one, playing with your children.”

Bailey is philosophical about why he thinks he survived.

“God wanted me to be alive for something.  Hopefully to share a message with others.”

And share he does.  Bailey travels the country speaking to people about the consequences of unsafe behavior and the costs that are paid, even years later.  He says it’s not difficult to talk about the accident, but occasionally it’s difficult when he talks about his family.

“That’s where the rubber meets the road,” he says.  Bailey encouraged the audience at WIPP to keep their head on the game.

“If you choose to act in an unsafe way, you may or may not get caught that day.  But you may have your own October 15.”

WTS awards more math/science mini-grants

Through its Excellence in Teaching Mini-Grant Program, WTS has recognized three educators from Hobbs, N.M., who hope to spark students’ interest in math and science.

Julia Chaney of Taylor Elementary School and Fred Ebert and Glenda Bearden, both of Southern Heights Elementary School, received mini-grants of $250 for the purchase of teaching materials.  As part of the application process, teachers described how the funds would benefit students in their math and science classes.

The awards were presented by Rose Scott (WTS) who lives in Hobbs and is an active community member.

“We’re so pleased to award grants to these teachers,” said Scott.  “Our young people need science and math skills to stay competitive in today’s world.”

WIPP nominated for 2007
Safe Facility of the Year award

Congratulations to the employees at WIPP, who have made safety at the facility the top priority.  The Washington Division of URS Corporation recently announced the nomination of WIPP for the 2007 Safe Facility of the Year award. 

“We all have great reason to be proud,” says Farok Sharif, president and general manager of Washington TRU Solutions.  “We are in the company of other great facilities that share a commitment to safety.”

Other facility nominations announced so far include IM Flash Technologies in Utah and Miami Toll Services in Florida.  The IM Flash facility is a state-of-the-art, two-million-square-foot semiconductor fabrication facility that produces NAND flash memory for mobile applications, primarily for Apple products.  Miami Toll Services is a three-time winner of the safe facility award.  More than 114 million cars have passed through company-staffed lanes since 2004.

Each year, Washington Division leadership teams at each business unit and Rust Constructors nominate projects and facilities that exemplify the industry’s highest safety standards.  One award will be given for Safe Project of the Year and another for Safe Facility of the Year.

As prestigious as the award is, Sharif believes we have already won the most important reward for safety.

“Our most important reward is that we all go home safely at the end of the day.”

Photos: Art Chavez (WRES)

Relay for Life surpasses fundraising goal

Former WIPP employee Chuck Link gives a thumbs up during the Survivor's Lap, which is the ceremonial start to the Relay for Life.
Photo: Art Chavez (WRES)

Celebrate – Remember – Fight Back.  The tenth annual Relay for Life in Carlsbad, N.M. was held on the banks of the Pecos River and, as usual, it proved to be much more than just a fundraiser.  While the event does raise money for awareness, treatment, prevention and cancer research, it also lifts the spirits of a community. 

During the 16-hour-long event, survivors, patients and many others whose lives have been touched by cancer come together with a common purpose and hope – the elimination of the disease.  Event organizers’ goal was to raise $75,000, but they surpassed that by raising $82,000.

Twelve of the event’s 76 teams were sponsored by WIPP-related entities.  Team sponsors included CBFO, WTS (four teams), CTAC Navarro, LANL-CB, SNL-CPG, Triumph Technologies, CEMRC, WIPP Records Archive and Stoller.  Combined, these teams raised about $8,000.

Lea Chism co-chaired CBFO’s team, the DOE Energetics.  She was pleased with the amount of participation from her office.

“I want to thank everyone for coming forward and stepping up for a great cause,” says Chism.  “This is so important, because cancer hits so many people.”

Triumphant Team

Pictured left to right: Kim Parsons, Margot Cabrera, Llewis Diggs, Eydie Walker and Maria Madero.

Triumph Technologies Inc. is proud to announce its Award for Excellence. Team Category winner is the Triumph team working on the WIPP Records Archive Project. Team members include Kim Parsons, Llewis Diggs, Eydie Walker, Margot Cabrera and Maria Madero. Joe Leyva, Triumph project supervisor, accepted the award for his team at Triumph’s Annual Awards Banquet in Virginia on April 12. This is the second year team members from the WIPP Records Archive project have received this award.