Does anyone work in outside ARA's and/or Ca's?

[Weasel]

I work at Hanford for the TRU retrieval program.  We work regularly with outside Ara's and Ca's.  I was just wondering if anyone else has experience in doing this, and what their current controls are.  Currently I don't think our's are sufficient.  We are dealing primarily with alpha in a very windy part of the state.  We've had an event recently that is making the upper management look at our way of doing business and see where and if we can make improvements.  Just looking for some feedback that I can feed to the big wigs for advisement.  Please get back to me with any reccomendations, I would greatly appreciate it.

The Weeze

[duke99301]

I spent 11 years there and it is a good place to work. you are talking about the tru waste pad's or the non tru pads?

[Weasel]

Neither.  I'm talking about the TRU retrieval program at solid waste at Hanford.  We're digging up the old trenches, overpacking the 55 gallon drums and shipping them offsite.  The program is just under 3 years old.

The Weeze

[atomicarcheologist]

I have done a lot of work in outside areas, both RAM and CA,   The CA  classification is a bit tricky, as it deals with licensee definition thereof, whereas with the RAM area you have numerical limits that are isotopically based to follow.  Usually, the material's matrix is a prime consideration in determination of controls to be established.  I look at that prior to the decay mode.  Of an utmost concern in outside areas is the establishment of the air sampling program and the daily results.  A fast indication of proper controls is a contamination survey program, especially one that concerns the boundary.  If problems are indicated by these surveillances, then consideration should be given to containment of the area.

[stownsend]

I've set up water sprinklers off truck loaded tanks. Some union areas want a laborer to hold the hose but sprinlers work best.How about tarping the area your not digging.as you know getting air sample results outsite with alpha can be tricky in real time but temp type buildings can be made,depends on how long your at one location,buget,etc.If your only digging up drums to repack keep misting the area and use radsorb in the overpacks if there's a concern for soil/water to be shipped.

[Weasel]

That's a good idea stonesend, but then you get into that area where water shields alpha.  I would agree with you completely if we had the entire dig sight in proper PPE, and a way to take soil samples, dry them, and calculate activity to make sure we are within limits of our work permit.  Then you get into the wicking factor if your whites get wet, we're in the desert with no covers or shades at the moment, so wearing waterproof gear ontop of our whites and PAPR would make work really unbearable.  It's only May and we hit 98 degrees today....

[illegalsmile]

At ICP, they have a similar operation called the Accellerated Retrieval Project (ARP). The are building big tents over the whole operation and applying negative pressure ventillation. They've had some pretty good releases inside the tent and the containment system works well. You might get ahold of some of the folks down there for the specifics.

[atomicarcheologist]

I have often utilized local negative ventilation via elephant trunk and HEPA units to minimize airborne contaminates when doing nuclear work in the great wide open.   Many times my containments were for privacy more than actual containment as our work practices contained the work, but it was tiresome to continue to answer all the "whys".  Thank goodness, herculite does not come with knotholes!

[SloGlo]

Thank goodness, herculite does not come with knotholes!

iffen it did, it woodent be a prob, jist git the duck tape!