The Department of Energy's Hanford Site has several nuclear facilities in the process of decontamination and decommissioning (D&D) with many more to follow. These facilities contain hazardous and highly radioactive materials in plant systems, gloveboxes, hot cells, rooms, collection tanks, ventilation ducts, fuel pools and outside these facilities. Some of the radioactive isotopes are fissile material and have to be closely guarded and require special handling. To safely work in this environment, workers had to learn new skills and develop innovative techniques to decontaminate, remove all equipment and demolish these radioactive work facilities without spreading contamination to the environment. Changing the workscope and worker attitudes involves a culture change for workers, managers, Department of Energy (DOE) and support organizations. D&D involves making different types of risk-based decisions than were made when the plants were operated or sitting dormant. Management involvement, use of the Integrated Safety Management System (ISMS), communications and sharing lessons learned are essential ingredients in developing a successful D&D strategy. New technologies have to be learned including the use of robotic devices and manipulative arms due to high dose rates and amount of radioactive contamination.
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