News

B&W Pantex Employees Help Welcome Tree

B&W Pantex employees serve snacks to attendees at an event celebrating a visit from the 2013 Capitol Christmas Tree. The 88-foot tall Engelmann spruce was harvested from the Collville National Forest in Washington and will be erected at the Capitol Building. Babcock & Wilcox was one of the corporate sponsors of the tree tour which will make 22 stops, including Amarillo, before arriving in Washington D.C.

More than 500 Pantexans and their families attended Pantex Night at the Don Harrington Discovery Center Sunday. Pantex volunteers served hamburgers and hot dogs at the science center event, which featured an exhibit on the extinct Megalodon shark, as well as a mummy in the Lost Egypt exhibit. B&W Pantex sponsored the shark exhibit.

A group of young women engineers from Pantex spent their Saturday putting on an annual engineering workshop, known as S’More Engineering, for Amarillo-area Girl Scouts.

The engineers helped the Girl Scouts with several projects that illustrated engineering concepts, such as an egg drop that had the girls building a structure that would allow an egg to survive a one-story drop and an Angry Birds activity that saw them build catapults and other launching devices that re-created the popular mobile game.

The program started last year as a way to generate interest in engineering among young girls and encourage them to pursue careers in technical fields.

“It is very encouraging to see so many girls come out and take an active interest in engineering,” said Pantex process engineer Savannah Gates, who helped develop the Girl Scouts program. “These activities are so much fun, but they also teach important lessons that we hope will be valuable in their lives.”

B&W Pantex supports numerous activities throughout the year designed to encourage a love of science and math among area youths.

This year’s event continued the trend of increasing attendance, up by 50 percent over the last workshop, and interest by Girl Scouts, including several parents who participated in the event.

“It’s such a great opportunity for the girls to meet the Pantex engineers and work with them on these projects,” said Kathi Schutz, area director for the Girl Scouts of the Texas Oklahoma Plains. “They’re very hands on, and the girls see them as mentors that are taking an active interest in them.”

Pantex process engineer Savannah Gates talks to Amarillo area high school students about engineering at the Top of Texas Career Expo. Gates used a variety of puzzles to teach engineering principles to students who might be interested in the field. Pantex professionals from various specialties, such as IT, engineering and security, supported the career fair, educating more than 900 juniors and seniors about career options at Pantex.

B&W Pantex sponsored its annual Halloween party for clients of Texas Panhandle Mental/Health Retardation October 25 at the Amarillo Civic Center. The nearly 600 attendees were treated to music, dancing, group photos, and pizza served by Pantexan volunteers. This year marks the 11th for this event, which continues to be one of the most rewarding community outreach events the Plant sponsors, according to Debra Halliday, Pantex Community Relations coordinator.

Plant caps off excellent year in safety with lowest-ever injury rate

The Pantex Plant continues to lead the way within the Nuclear Weapons Complex for safe operations, concluding fiscal year 2013 with the lowest recordable case rate in the Plant’s history.

The record for Total Recordable Case Rate (TRC) at 0.26 is a fitting end to an outstanding year in safety, which saw Pantexans set a record in January by working more than eight million man hours without a lost time injury while Pantex was once again honored as one of the outstanding sites in the complex with the Star of Excellence from the Department of Energy’s Voluntary Protection Program.

“We are very proud of the safety-conscious attitude our Pantexans display each and every day,” said B&W Pantex General Manager John Woolery. “This achievement is a reflection of their individual commitment to helping ensure a strong nuclear safety culture at Pantex.

The TRC measures the number of employee hours worked in a year relative to the number of reportable injuries. This is the standard OSHA formula used by all industries across the nation. B&W Pantex has made reducing the number of injuries a top priority when it took over operation of the Plant in 2001. The number of recordable injuries has decreased 92 percent during that time.

Pantex has continued to look for innovative ways to address safety concerns. This past year, Nuclear Safety Culture became a prime area of focus, with numerous initiatives enacted to establish a culture of safety commensurate with the critical work performed at Pantex.

“The many honors Pantex received this year are gratifying, but the TRC record is the safety achievement that really measures how safe our employees are at the Plant,” said Jim Stevens, manager of the Environmental, Safety, Health and Quality Division at Pantex. “Setting an all-time case rate record means that Pantexans are working more safely than they ever have, which is the standard we strive to achieve every day.”
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CONTACT
Greg Cunningham
Public Affairs
Office (806) 477-5140
Pager (806) 345-1560

NNSA Principal Assistant Deputy Administrator for Military Application Brig. General James C. Dawkins, Jr., was at the Pantex Plant last week to present Defense Programs of Excellence Awards to more than 80 people for their efforts over the past year.

Dawkins presented awards to 88 members of five different teams who worked on projects ranging from metallography of weapons components to analysis of plastic bonded explosives to work on the B53 and B83 weapons. In his comments, he emphasized the importance of the work done at Pantex to help ensure the safety of the country through maintenance of an effective nuclear deterrent.

Dawkins was joined by NNSA Production Office Manager Steve Erhart and B&W Pantex General Manager John Woolery in making the presentations.

Warhead Measurement Campaign- B53 Nuclear Explosive Like Assembly (NELA)
The Warhead Measurement Campaign team exceeded customer expectations by providing extraordinary support of the Defense Programs/Nuclear Nonproliferation warhead measurement campaign. The WMC objective is to obtain a standardized set of signature data from the enduring stockpile and some historical U.S. warheads, pits, and canned subassemblies to provide enhanced predictive capability for the national security community.

B83 Production Team
The B&W Pantex B83 Production Team achieved a significant NNSA milestone following the authorization of the new B83 Tooling Upgrade process by successfully completing the B83 Surveillance workload in FY12. The B83 Tooling Upgrade team, in its implementation of the new process and tooling, was faced with numerous challenges and delays throughout, but remained focused on the goal. They worked diligently to overcome all obstacles and achieved authorization for the new tooling and process on April 26, 2012.

High Explosive Automated Machine Tool Team
The Pantex Plant’s High Explosives Manufacturing department implemented an automatic machine tool changer and tool identification system to increase the safety and efficiency of high explosive machining operations. As tools are being loaded, information programmed on an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) chip on the tool ensures the proper tool is loaded and programed for the needed operation. The shift from administrative controls to engineering controls saves time and improves the safety of high explosive machining operations. The tool changer was officially approved and in use for explosive machining operations in the 2nd Quarter of 2012.

Plastic Bonded Explosive Polymers Analytical Team
The Gel Permeation Chromatography (GPC) lab is an integral part of surveillance testing for determining the molecular weight of the binder in plastic bonded explosives. During FY 2012 the GPC lab experienced significant increase in workload. By implementing efficiencies throughout the lab more samples are analyzed in a shorter period of time and instrument calibrations time was improved by as much as 83% in some areas. These efficiencies allowed the GPC lab to meet the scheduled deliverables as well as unscheduled requests to analyze anomalous polymer samples. The GPC scientist presented two papers to the NSE community at the Polymeric Material and Adhesives Conference (Polymac) detailing the new, more efficient methodologies.

Metallography Laboratory Team
The Pantex metallography laboratory team significantly improved metallography lab efficiencies, provided cost savings to the plant, and improved safety in their work processes during FY12. Improvements were made in the preparation of Special Nuclear Material (SNM) metallography specimens resulting in a 50% percent decrease in overall cycle time and a 45% decrease in premium hours worked in the metallography lab. The team also researched and implemented reusable and user friendly silicon molds that could be removed from the cured epoxy by hand without the need for hand tools. This improved not only the safety of the process but also had an indirect effect of improving the overall specimen quality. Metallographic analytical results, in some cases, were given to the customer the same day as the specimens were received. Cost savings are estimated at $30K for just the Pantex metallography lab alone in FY 2012. In addition to the improved epoxy implementation, the metallography laboratory analyzed chain links from new and old hoists after new hoists began to show early wear that exceeded allowances. The team provided chemical analyses results along with recommendations for a solution to the hoist manufacturer and Pantex system owners. Based on the recommendations and the analyses performed by the metallography lab, the manufacturer agreed to provide funds to replace the hoists, saving the government $160K in FY2012 while ensuring weapons production activities requiring hoists were adequately protected.

Applications for the Pantex Christmas Project are now available from school counselors at Amarillo and Canyon public schools, all Amarillo Public Libraries or by calling 477-5533 and requesting an application by mail. This year, the applications will also be available online. Applications are available in English and Spanish and must be postmarked by October 10, 2013.

Pantex employees have been supporting the Pantex Christmas Project for more than 57 years. The Project will serve approximately 165 children and 15 elderly individuals. Children of selected families receive clothing and toys. Notices will be sent to families informing them if their application has been accepted. Families will be assisted one time only and are asked to not submit an application if they have received assistance from the Project in the past.

The Pantex Christmas Project will host a party for selected families on December 20, where about 100 Pantex volunteers will gather to help spread holiday cheer to families that need assistance.

Please help us call attention to this important opportunity for families that may need assistance this Christmas.

CONTACT
Greg Cunningham
Public Affairs
Office (806) 477-5140
Pager (806) 345-1560

B&W Pantex volunteers dish up barbecue at the recent Amarillo Chamber of Commerce Good Times Celebration and Barbecue Cook-off. For more than a decade, Pantex has been a leading contributor at the event, which is the Chamber’s largest fundraising event of the year. Pantex firefighters cooked up more than 500 pounds of meat for the cook-off.

Plant once again awarded Star of Excellence for outstanding safety record

B&W Pantex continued its remarkable safety record in 2013, once again receiving honors from the Department of Energy Voluntary Protection Program (DOE VPP).

For the second year in a row, DOE awarded B&W Pantex the VPP Star of Excellence for its safety performance, singling out the plant as one of the top safety performers within the DOE. This is the fourth year Pantex has been honored by the VPP.

“It is a remarkable achievement for Pantex to be singled out as one of the top sites in the VPP program for this many years, and it is a testament to the dedication to safety of all Pantexans,” said B&W Pantex General Manager John Woolery.

A team of Pantex employees began the push for VPP recognition in 2008, forming a committee to develop the application, which was submitted in October 2009. That effort paid off in March 2010 when Pantex earned DOE VPP Star Status. The safety performance at Pantex led to the Superior Star Award in 2011 and the Star of Excellence Award in 2012; which was once again awarded to Pantex this month.

Employee involvement is a hallmark of the safety culture at Pantex, which is led by employees who volunteer on numerous safety committees and initiatives.

“The leadership of these hardworking Pantexans sets the tone for safety every day at Pantex,” said Jim Stevens, Manager of the Environment, Safety, Health and Quality Division at B&W Pantex. “Working safely is our part of our fundamental commitment.”

The DOE VPP Star of Excellence Award is granted to a site that maintains a Total Recordable Case rate 75 percent lower than the industry average.

B&W Pantex manages and operates the Pantex Plant near Amarillo, Texas, for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration. B&W Pantex is also the proud recipient of the DOE’s Voluntary Protection Program STAR status for safety excellence. The company was also named one of America’s safest companies by Occupational Hazards magazine and has received numerous awards from the National Safety Council.
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CONTACT
Greg Cunningham
Public Affairs
Office (806) 477-5140
Pager (806) 345-1560