Right dress to the best operator!

A mini-anniversary is celebrated in the workshop «V» of Uranium Operations (UO)! Professional skill review competition for the title «Best Operator» is held for the fifth time. Date of the event was not chosen by chance. Just on the birthday of the plant.

Right away we are met by the Chief of workshop «B» Andrey Gofman. Together with Pavel Kryzhanovsky they are provide briefing on occupational health and safety. We change our dress into protective clothing, necessary PPE and go to the participants. Competitors – Artyom Oshlokov, Alexander Alexandrov, Meyram Suleimenov, Nikolay Goryachev, Dmitry Marilov, Alexey Erker, Adilbek Zhalel, Pavel Nitochkin and Sergey Albul. Some guys are already regular participants, but there are also beginners. We feel that competition will be interesting.

– Happy birthday to the plant! And traditionally for this date we have a competition for the best operator. I wish the participants to have uncompromising struggle. May the best person win! – Chairman of the judges Andrey Gofman opened the event with a welcoming speech.

Judges composition: Deputy Chief of the Workshop-Process Engineer, Yuri Varyvdin, Chief of the Powder Production Department, Pavel Kryzhanovsky, Workshop Mechanic, Yevgeny Kovtun, Instrumentation Engineer, Vladimir Panfilov, Power Engineer, Sergey Perminov, Process Engineer of the Powder Production Department, Stanislav Demidov and Engineer for Occupational Health & Safety and Environmental Protection of the Uranium Operations, Alexander Kozionov.

First stage is a checking the theory by testing. Ten questions required knowledge of the process technology, occupational health and safety, radiation and industrial safety.

– Read the tasks carefully, take your time, but do not forget about the time, ten minutes are allotted for everything. There are questions that have more than one correct answer, – Pavel Kryzhanovsky instructed the participants.

I carefully look into the sheet, read the first available question: «Please indicate the factors that do not affect to the quantity of consumed ammonia water at the operation of raffinates neutralizing» and I understand that I do not understand anything. But the guys calmly mark the necessary answer. Adilbek Zhalel was the first who provided a sheet with answers, Dmitry Marilov was the second, then Artyom Oshlokov, and after him the others.

Next task – solving of the problem on reagents consumption. Calculators come as helpers to the competitors. This time, the first calculation was provided by Artyom Oshlokov, followed by Alexey Erker and Pavel Nitochkin. It»s already interesting who has become the leader.

On the last, practical task, everything was taken into account – both the speed and quality of performance, compliance with the requirements of occupational health & safety and industrial safety rules.

– The task is to replace the stuffing box seal on the pump. The pump is conditionally with a de-energized electric motor. Everything should be done promptly, in compliance with safety rules, – explains Pavel Kryzhanovsky.

The first who enter into the premises to carry out the work were Alexander Alexandrov and Adilbek Zhalel.

– I»m working in UMP for five years; I came right after graduating from college. I have been participating in the competition for the second year. The tasks are different from last year»s: the questions in the tests are different, and the task. Interesting. If possible, I will participate every year, – says Alexander.

While the participants were completing the task, I suddenly thought that there was no fierce sense of rivalry between them, for them this competition was an opportunity to show and, if necessary, improve their skills.

But now the work is finished, the judges have calculated the points, and we gathered in the rest room to solemnly award the winners.

So, in the honest and open struggle, the places were distributed as follows. The third place was taken by Pavel Nitochkin, the honorable second place was taken by Dmitry Marilov, and the title of «The best workshop operator» of the workshop «V» of Uranium Operations was awarded to Nikolai Goryachev. Well done guys! Congratulations!

However, the awards are awards, and after the competition, according to Andrey Gofman»s words, there will be another serious «debriefing» with identification of errors and factors that can be improved. And all so that the usual, everyday work of operators would argue and become more professional. Perhaps, these guys have enough level of professionalism!

Samal Iskakova