Olean Times Herald, June 26, 2024 —
When you think of the word “demolition,” the first thing that you probably think of is a giant wrecking ball swinging into a building.
As young adults, we were enthralled by watching these types of demolitions on television or in our own communities. The biggest thrill was wanting to be the individual operating the heavy equipment. Operating heavy equipment and knocking down buildings was seen as being cool and fun to do for a living.
Fast forward to the present day and reality sets in — taking down buildings and structures with radiological, chemical and industrial hazards is no easy task. Those days of thinking this work was just cool and fun have now been replaced with work that is challenging, controlled and deliberate.
When taking down contaminated buildings or structures, you must work around heavy construction equipment, in areas with radiological, industrial and hazardous materials, in changing conditions and all sorts of weather.
If you ask any employee who is working on the deconstruction of the West Valley Demonstration Project’s Main Plant Process Building if this work is cool or fun, they will probably tell you it’s not, especially on days when difficult environmental conditions exist, or radiological conditions slow the work to a crawl.
However, as a management team, we hope they feel proud of what they accomplish daily and that it is admirable because they are reducing legacy risks for generations to come. These employees must endure many difficult conditions such as wearing multiple layers of protective clothing and respirators, which makes it more difficult to work.
Read the full article here.
