Another aspect of safety is reducing radiation exposure to our workers. The robotic technologies I mentioned earlier, the robotic arm and the in-tank crawler enable us to do our work with little or no worker exposure. We are as interested in developing safety promoting technologies as we are in cost saving technologies. As a scientist, I have great faith in our capacity to develop technologies that help us do a better job. We know that new technologies can bring efficiencies, savings and increased safety.
Technology is more than just new hardware, robotic arms, or computer code.
Technology can also refer to the technique applied to a situation. Operating procedures, protocols, and management structure are techniques we use to accomplish our goals. The Department has taken steps to improve our relationship with our contractors and subcontractors. These new approaches are designed to increase accountability and investment on behalf of all parties, generating more cleanup for every American dollar and less risk for every individual. The fixed-price subcontracting strategy at Oak Ridge has resulted in significant lifecycle cost savings.