ORP & Hanford tank farms contractor WRPS continuously strive to implement innovative technologies that improve worker safety and efficiency.
Office of Environmental Management
January 15, 2019
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RICHLAND, Wash. – EM’s Office of River Protection and Hanford tank farms contractor Washington River Protection Solutions (WRPS) continuously strive to implement innovative technologies that improve worker safety and efficiency. One of the latest to hit the tank farms is easier to use than an ATM.
The technology, called radiological access control (RAC), launched Jan. 1. This computer-based system streamlines the process for employees entering and working in radiological work areas. Accessed through a kiosk, the RAC program verifies the employees’ radiological training and dosimetry — a measurement of radiation dose — before they’re authorized to enter a tank farm or radiological work area.
“The RAC system takes less than 30 seconds for a worker to log in or log out,” said Daren Christensen, a health physicist with WRPS’ single-shell retrieval and closure radiological controls organization.
RAC replaces the access control entry system (ACES), which required dose limits to be entered manually.
“The ACES system served its purpose, but we often had long lines of employees waiting to enter the radiological control area,” Christensen said. “RAC eliminates that problem and provides other benefits.”
To access the radiological control area, employees scan their badges, dosimeters (devices that measure exposure to radiation), and radiological work permits at the kiosk before placing their dosimeters in a reader. The reader automatically sets the dose limits on the electronic dosimeters. This process verifies the employees meet the proper medical and radiological training qualifications. If employees without proper credentials or with expired credentials log into the RAC system, they receive a red screen with an alert not to enter the work zone.
WRPS has installed about 50 kiosks at or near work sites, mostly in the 200 East Area. Some locations, including the AY-102 change trailer and the 222-S Laboratory, have multiple kiosks.