Career Path > Outages

Are understaffed outages injuring techs?

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BetaAnt:
This is only an observation.

Outages are staffing RPT at least 20% or more short. There is little time for the tech to perform job coverage, count smears and document the survey. You can spend 8-10 hrs. in containment or drywell covering multiple jobs because You are the only 3.1 to cover a high risk job (HCA, LHRA, DLHRA, L3 alpha). You can spend the extra overtime writing the survey, but it cuts into your rest/sleep cycle. And RP supervision does not recognize the problem. Even if they do, most RPMs do not have the guts to stand up to Ops or OCC to get more help for the outage or adjust the schedule to not burn out the techs. Heaven forbid if you delay critical path work taking a 15 min. lunch (some plants automatically deduct for a 30 min. lunch - saves 3 hrs. of overtime pay per week) or bathroom break (Depends to be issued with scrubs).

Training has been shortened to 2-3 days (CBT) and less than a day on plant RP procedures.

Before the trolls chime in, Jr's count smears - there are no Jr's, or you don't need to document the survey - by all plant procedures, the RCT must document all job coverage that is not routine.

More of my fellow 3.1 techs have died during outage this year than ever before. I have notice more techs falling out (heat exhaustion) than usual. Understaffed and overworked??? I know the 3.1 tech avg. age is 50+.

Corporations do not seem to understand that assets should not be overworked. The 'fatigue rule' is a joke. Most plants will state 'RATs are exempt' and 'Can you work your day off?'. The FR covers ERO personnel only.

I'm counting the days to retirement. I do not desire to 'do more with less'. People get hurt or die.

Bonds 25:
And where are these plants you are referring to? I like to think we do things a little different here at Columbia.

I agree with the fatigue rule being a "joke"...........for the most part.

surf50:

--- Quote ---And where are these plants you are referring to?
--- End quote ---

Mostly in the South; I've been to two of 'em.

My rule of thumb is, if I feel unnecessarily overused simply because of their budget constraints, I don't go back. Every plant has a bad outage, but more than one outage? sorry, no.

You know all this, Beta, things are different now. It's ALL budget driven, and you can be sure the RPM's know they're handcuffed. They don't like it, either.

As for techs dying from overwork? I don't think so. I read the paper's obits every morning, and there's lots of people dying waay younger than me. We're just getting older, and for some of us, our past behavior is catching up.

This is only my observation.... 8) ;D

Old HP:
The bottom line in Health Physics is " mismanagement on their part does not make it a crisis on our part. We do what when can when we can. The more experience you have the easier it is to juggle multiple jobs. That being said it is up to the individual tech to accept the degree of risk they are comfortable with.
Remember in our line of work every day is another career ending opportunity.

BetaAnt:
At least three happened this year (see fallen). Two of the three plants are not down South. One tech was found dead the next shift in the RCA. One tech found at his hotel room. And the last collapsed after a drywell jump (he was out at the smoking area). The injured are never recorded.

Death by 'budget restraint' is a poor epitaph on a headstone.

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