David Withrow (FAC) received a Gold Spot Award in March 2018 for attention to detail that prevented the complete failure of equipment and the loss of heat to all of Building 595.
At the end of his shift, David Withrow (FAC) was walking past the equipment room in Building 595 and noticed that one of the heating system pumps was operating harder than it should during normal performance. Withrow shut down the pump and transferred operation to a second pump, leaving the system in safe, operable condition.
The next morning, while troubleshooting the original pump’s problem, he identified the issue: the overloads were not wired correctly. After quickly fixing the wiring and placing the equipment back into service, he decided to check the second pump’s connection. Upon investigation, he found that the second pump was not connected properly and fixed that one, as well.
Spot Awards give employees “on-the-spot” recognition for positive safety or quality assurance initiative. The Spot Award program offers three award levels: gold ($100), silver ($50) and bronze ($25).
If you see an employee exhibiting behavior that warrants positive recognition (e.g., safe behavior or process improvements), you can nominate that individual for a Spot Award by submitting Spot Award (ANL-758).
The form will be routed to the individual’s supervisor and division for approval. Observers may award employees from their own division or from other divisions. The cost of the award is charged to the recipient’s division.
Additional information about the Spot Award program is available on Inside Argonne.
By Andrea Manning (BIS)