Lack of Communication Results in Entry into an Unposted High Contamination Area, Hanford Site, United States of America

The HCA information was not clearly communicated to the workers building the new HRA fence nor was it transferred to the Radiological Status Boards for either the FSB or 1303N. The footprint of the 100-N Area is shrinking as work is coming to an end in some of the areas. Because of this, there are overlapping work boundaries, different work groups in close proximity and personnel working in unfamiliar areas during overtime. All of these changes within the work area require extra vigilance by personnel to ensure that access controls and work controls are observed. Personnel need to resist the impulse to look ahead and instead focus on the work at hand. When anomalies and unusual conditions are identified, it is important for personnel making those discoveries to alert their fellow workers and supervision in a timely manner. In those instances where boundaries need to be modified, efforts need to be made to ensure all personnel in the affected work area are made aware of the new boundaries prior to entering impacted areas. Changes to boundaries and postings should be verified by the organization that controls the posting. Communication and coordination between work groups is always important, especially when groups are working in close proximity and transferring ownership of work areas