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EnergX personnel can bring a wealth of experience
in engineering and technical disciplines from
several industries to bear on our clients' technical
problems. Our technical experience includes design
engineering experience at electric power utilities
and at various Department of Energy facilities and
safety analysis experience in these same industries.
EnergX personnel have played key roles in the
formulation of technical approaches to address
complex regulatory challenges in the commercial
nuclear power industry and in the cleanup of the
Department of Energy's former defense nuclear
facilities. Several of our consultants, including
the founders of the company, have advanced
engineering degrees and have served in senior
management roles in engineering organizations in
these industries.
When addressing a technical issue for a client,
the EnergX approach includes bringing together the
company's key experience base in the disciplines
required to formulate a solution both to aid in
scoping and formulating the initial approach to the
problem as well as review the proposed solution at
various stages as it is developed. This team
approach assures that our clients gain the full
benefit of the wealth of experience that EnergX
personnel have obtained.
Safety and Risk Reduction
Organizations or businesses going through a major
change usually go through a state of transition that
is accompanied by a degree of pain. Change can be
driven by problems, but can also be the source for
new opportunities. EnergX has been involved with
many change situations and has developed strategies
that address the problems associated with change
management. Particular focus has been placed on the
development and implementation of strategies that
identify the risk component of change and that
reduce the change impact to the safety environment.
The EnergX approach to change management and risk
reduction involves a thorough review of the change
impact to the major elements of an organization or
business. This can be viewed within the context of a
management assessment, but as a more focused
assessment it deals the specific risk issues that
are driven by transformation. Change and risk
reduction management and assessment is different for
every situation, with some commonality in the
following steps:
- Develop a thorough understanding of the changing
conditions, including review of the prior
conditions, understanding the drivers for change,
assessing the transition conditions, and having a
clear vision of the desired end state.
- Review the detailed change impact to selected
business and organization components in accordance
with the focus of client concerns.
- Evaluate conventional risks and uncertainties
that are an integral part of change, and
establishing a basis for quantifying and
prioritizing risk impact during the transition
period.
- Evaluate unconventional risks, which are those
components of risk that are not traditionally well
understood or addressed by conventional risk
reduction or mitigation techniques.
- Further define and breakdown each major area of
risk to manageable levels using a combination of
standard industry risk reduction tools in
combination with EnergX methodologies.
- Recommending a plan of action to the client that
will result in the maximum ability to avoid,
mitigate or reduce the safety and general risks of
change.
Conduct of Operations
The objective of EnergX is to provide
cost-effective support to clients to ensure proper
planning and execution of work scope, and minimize
or eliminate sources of costly work shutdowns that
other contractors have experienced. The Department
of Energy has established orders and guidelines for
implementation of Conduct of Operations and
Integrated Safety Management in facilities at their
sites. EnergX personnel have been responsible for
developing and implementing the conduct of
Operations Program at the DOE Rocky Flats
Environmental Technology Site. These individuals
have experience in the commercial nuclear, Navy
nuclear, and DOE programs.
EnergX is able to provide key personnel as a
Senior Supervisory Watch, based on the need, to
mentor supervisors and floor-level workers on daily
conduct of operations, and advise management on
planning and execution of work using Integrated
Safety Management (ISM). EnergX would assist the
client in day-to day work and in responding to upset
conditions or off-normal issues. EnergX personnel
are versatile and experienced, and knowledgeable
about the DOE site infrastructure and requirements.
Further, they can identify when specialized
technical support is required.
EnergX also can make a cadre of Subject Matter
Experts available on an as needed basis to assist in
planning work in the context of ISM, and resolving
issues that arise. Their skills include work
planning, procedure development and compliance,
safety and health, environmental compliance, quality
program implementation, management assessments and
readiness reviews, and Price-Anderson Program
management.
Nuclear and Criticality Safety
EnergX personnel have extensive experience in
nuclear safety management and analysis,
authorization basis development and implementation,
unreviewed safety question determination, and
criticality safety program implementation and
evaluation.
The objective of EnergX is to prepare a
defensible evaluation of the safety basis for a
facility or operation and create technical safety
requirements that are effective for operations. Our
experience base includes nuclear reactors,
non-reactor nuclear facilities, facilities
undergoing decommissioning and decontamination, and
transportation activities. Technical management and
support staff have contributed to nuclear safety
activities at Hanford, Rocky Flats and Oak Ridge.
EnergX personnel have also contributed
significantly to criticality safety programs. Key
individuals have experience in managing core loading
analyses for operating reactors, and criticality
safety evaluations for critical facilities and
non-reactor nuclear facilities. EnergX personnel
have participated in assessments of criticality
safety programs at several DOE sites for DOE-EH and
contractor clients. The staff has been instrumental
in developing criticality safety programs and
creating training materials for Management,
technical staff, and fissile material handlers.
Occupational Safety and Industrial Hygiene
EnergX provides technical support for development
and implementation of Occupational Safety and
Industrial Hygiene programs at DOE nuclear
facilities in accordance with DOE O 440.1A Worker
Protection Management for DOE Federal and Contractor
Employees. EnergX's multi-disciplinary perspective
of health and safety regulatory knowledge, audit and
inspection experience, and business management
expertise can help companies to reduce risk and
liability, optimize efficiency, reduce or eliminate
regulatory penalties and improve bottom line
performance.
Services include:
- Health and Safety Program Management.
- Development of Health and Safety policies, plans
and procedures.
- Design and implementation of safety training
programs.
- Health and Safety Systems Audits to measure
performance and recommend improvements.
- Workplace Risk Assessments to identify hazards,
assess risks and recommend controls and/or abatement
actions.
- On-site Inspections for compliance to OSHA
(29CFR1910 or 1926) regulations and company specific
health and safety requirements.
- Accident and Incident Investigations.
- Industrial Hygiene Services (e.g. exposure
assessment to chemical, physical, biological and
ergonomic hazards through workplace monitoring and
sampling).
- Safety Professional staff for ongoing support or
to provide back-up.
- Subcontractor Health and Safety program
evaluations.
Decontamination and Decommissioning Strategies
The Decontamination and Decommissioning (D&D) of
nuclear facilities is still in its infancy based on
the few facilities that have started and completed
the D&D process. There is a great need for
broad-based strategies showing flexibility and
creative application of conventional and newly
emerging technologies for D&D. Each D&D project
requires a unique strategy that addresses the
history and complexity of the facility.
EnergX personnel have been involved as early
pioneers in the risk analysis, recovery and D&D
processes for such events as Three Mile Island, the
Chernobyl incident, and the D&D of the first major
Plutonium facility at the DOE Rocky Flats
Environmental Technology Site. Our experience has
helped guide the risk assessment and cleanup of
these and other nuclear sites.
The EnergX approach to decontamination and
decommissioning (D&D) draws from diverse experience
in construction and deconstruction, readiness
assessments for startup/restart of nuclear
facilities, senior management responsibility for
recovery and regulatory oversight, and extensive
knowledge of radiological controls, authorization
basis, and industrial safety requirements. The
unique conditions surrounding each D&D project
require a tailored approach to establish an
efficient and safe D&D strategy. Given the
variability of approach, the following steps may be
considered essential and will be expanded as
necessary for a specific D&D project:
- Determine the history of the facility to assist
the risk analysis and identify potential areas of
uncertainty.
- Establish a facility characterization baseline of
the facility to determine the extent of
contamination and amount of regulated materials to
be managed.
- Analyze and identify the conventional and
unconventional uncertainties that are anticipated.
- Estimate the waste requirements and degree of
waste segregation required.
- Determine the complexity and risk of each of the
major D&D tasks.
- Select suitable D&D methods that satisfy the best
mix of efficiency and safety.
- Develop a sequence for D&D that starts with
low-risk activities and progresses to higher-risk
activities, affording time to increase the
lessons-learned and training potential within each
project.
Environmental Compliance and Waste Management
Program Support
EnergX provides technical support for development
and implementation of Environmental Compliance and
Waste Management programs. EnergX maintains in-depth
knowledge of current and proposed environmental
regulations, implementation guidance and current
industry practices.
Services for Environmental Compliance include:
- Development and implementation of Environmental
Management Systems (EMS).
- Conducting facility compliance audits.
- Development and implementation of a facility
self-assessment program, including training on
conducting self-assessments.
- Implementation and maintenance of a Chemical
Management Program.
- Implementation of a computerized system to track
and trend environmental issues and commitments.
- Preparation of RCRA Permits, including innovative
permits for waste treatment and unit closures.
- Interface with regulators to determine
appropriate requirements for environmental
compliance activities, including permit
negotiations.
- Development of a plan to transition from RCRA to
CERCLA, as applicable.
- Development of written guidance documents,
including training.
Services for Waste Management include:
- Waste characterization support, including LDR
determinations.
- Compliance with treatment and disposal facility
waste acceptance criteria.
- Innovative treatment options.
- Storage Requirements.
Waste Management Software
The number of variables and the dynamic nature of
risk and uncertainty associated with nuclear closure
projects causes executives, managers and planners to
place as much emphasis on the management of both
conventional and unconventional uncertainty as is
normally accorded project engineering tasks. MAPP
(Materials Accounting & Performance Planning) is a
privately developed decision support software
package that directly addresses this need.
MAPP software supports systematic development of
effective strategies and tactics for closure of
nuclear facilities by addressing integrated facility
performance considering the complex interactions and
uncertainty of clean-up projects. Key features
making MAPP a comprehensive and effective tool for
executives, and functional and project managers are:
- Dynamic charting with reference case overlay and
case comparison capabilities for "What-if"
evaluations. This capability facilitates rapid
comparison of integrated and local impacts of the
scenario and set of variables being evaluated. More
importantly, it supports the identification of the
performance limiting barriers, risks, and
opportunities. These combine to provide the user
with the insights necessary to develop effective
strategies and tactics.
- Ability to physically track materials from
generation to disposition at each time step through
the closure process.
- Short case run time facilitating evaluation of
the multiple potential scenarios and conducting
variable sensitivity analysis.
- Uncertainty evaluation capabilities using
probability density functions to address the various
forms of project uncertainty.
- Configuration management features for the more
than 14,000 variables and constraints addressed in
the model to aid in tracking cases evaluated and
return to the reference case.
Event Investigation, Cause Analysis and
Corrective Actions
EnergX provides personnel trained and experienced
in event investigation and cause determination.
EnergX personnel are versed in many forms of event
investigation and cause analysis, which allows
application of the most efficient and effective
approach to cause determination.
Products include:
- Development and implementation of programs for
fact finding, critiques, cause determination, and
corrective action development.
- Development and implementation of programs for
tracking issues and events to identify
organizational exposure to events of significant
consequence.
Services include:
- Management and technical support performing or
providing assistance with event investigation, cause
analysis, and corrective action development.
- Presentation of cause determinations and actions
to support regulatory needs.
- Identification of effective/workable actions to
prevent recurrence of analyzed events.
Price Anderson Program Support
EnergX provides technical support for development
and implementation of Price-Anderson Amendment Act (PAAA)
compliance programs at DOE nuclear facilities.
EnergX maintains in-depth knowledge of DOE's Nuclear
Safety Rules, Procedural Rules for Nuclear
Activities, Enforcement Policy, implementation
guidance and operating procedures.
Products include:
- Development and implementation of programs for
compliance with DOE nuclear safety rules, including
the identification, reporting and correction of
noncompliances.
- Implementation and maintenance of a computerized
system to track and trend nuclear safety
noncompliances.
- Development and maintenance of validation
packages for regulatory commitments.
- Preparation of implementation plans and exemption
requests, as appropriate.
Services include :
- Management and technical support for implementing
an effective PAAA compliance program, including
guidance on rule applicability and technical
requirements.
- Support for enforcement actions.
- Interfacing with key stakeholders to resolve
nuclear safety compliance issues.
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