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Safety
Innovations that increase safety pay dividends in both cost and schedule.
Borrowing technology from the airline industry, CH2M HILL adapted a cargo transport plane loading mechanism to position large radioactive waste containers on the second floor of a plutonium facility, eliminating a significant amount of worker exposure.
CH2M HILL developed the use of expandable foam for blocking and bracing cargo containers carrying waste to reduce movement during shipment. This innovation eliminated the need for workers to enter the cargo containers and manually block and brace the containers.
By adapting existing ultra-high pressure water jet technology, CH2M HILL developed high productivity cutting techniques that used a plasma torch and remote controlled water jet for size reducing objects that could not be decontaminated or were too large to ship. Although this innovation was for safety reasons, it saved $9 million in costs.
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