For Immediate Release
Contact: Fran Poda
fran.poda@ettp.doe.gov
(865) 241-6226
Oak Ridge, Tenn., August 1, 2011 — URS | CH2M Oak Ridge, LLC (UCOR) took over the environmental cleanup of the Oak Ridge Reservation for the Department of Energy today, after a safe, three-month transition. UCOR is headquartered at the East Tennessee Technology Park (ETTP), where most of the cleanup efforts will be centered.
The 90-day transition encompassed 1,376 activities and focused on five major elements:
People
Physical conditions
Program and procedures readiness
Establishing a Performance Measurement Baseline
Fulfilling all contract requirements and proposal commitments
Throughout the transition, safety was paramount, both for the transition team and for the ETTP workers.
“UCOR recognized the challenges posed by transition, and developed and implemented strategies to assure the safety of transition personnel throughout the period,” says UCOR President Leo Sain. “Safety performance through the transition period was excellent with no incidents or injuries of any kind.”
Constant communications with the workforce minimized distractions, helping to assure performance remained constant.
“This is a testament to the professionalism of the ETTP workforce,” says Sain. “Transition is always a time of stress and distraction. The ETTP workers kept focused on their tasks and stayed safe.”
“The Department of Energy is pleased with the way the transition process was conducted,” said John Eschenberg, Assistant Manager for Environmental Management for the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Office. “The transition was conducted with a focus on safety for the workers and the program. I am confident that this will continue as UCOR assumes their role as the primary environmental cleanup contractor for the Oak Ridge Reservation.”