The crew, one of four, works rotating 12-hour shifts, which means they work nights for two weeks, then move to two weeks of day shifts. Richter said this rotation was implemented because too few workers wanted to take the night shift and because it reduced the shock of transferring from night to daytime hours. He said the boiler and turbine operators, whose positions require monitoring computer displays for 12 straight hours, take special measures to stay alert on the job. Shift workers even receive a special newsletter that provides information on the best eating and sleeping habits, he said. But what keeps the workers going, Richter said, is a sense of pride in their work.
Crew members complete a rigorous training process during their first three years on the job.
They memorize the location of every control valve in the plant and undergo a work review process every six months during that time. This training is necessary to ensure that the workers are prepared for any contingency. Richter said there are hundreds of things that could go wrong at the plant, and credited the intensive instructional training program for the good safety record the plant has had over the past three years. In the control room of the Power Plant, electronic technician Marc Mohn calibrates a turbine generator that produces steam for electrical production. Everything at the plant is inspected repeatedly.