New Design for Glove Changeout
Safer, Saves Money

Glovebox operators in the protected area at Y-12 no longer have to don protective clothing to change out worn or damaged gloves, thanks to the efforts of a Columbus Initiative project team. Newly designed oval gloveports, based on a patented push-through concept presently manufactured by Central Research Laboratories in a round design, have been produced and are now being installed at Y-12.

"The new design is far safer and far superior," said Rodney Smith, an engineer in Mechanical Engineering at Y-12 and originator of the effort. "The oval design is preferable because it allows the operator more freedom of movement so materials can be manipulated more easily. The oval shape also accomodates a greater range of body sizes. When the quick-change concept was brought to the attention of Beth Sliski, an operations engineer in Enriched Uranium Operations (EUO), the contamination control benefits were evident immediately. With her support, engineering worked with the vendor and accomplished the merger of the oval shape and the push-through concept."

Smith said that time and time again, experience has shown the gloves are the weak link when it comes to contamination control. They are subject to wear, abrasion, chemical attack from solvents and punctures, and even can become uncomfortable for operators just from repeated use. In short, the gloves have a limited life and must be replaced periodically.

It is during the replacement process that operators are at greatest risk for contamination by exposure to material contained in the gloveboxes. Prior to the use of the new gloveports, gloves had to be changed out by at least two people wearing respirators and other items of protective clothing. In some areas, because tools were necessary for the changeout, operators had to rely on maintenance personnel, which resulted in an even greater loss of operating time because they had to be assigned and transported to the area where the box was located.

With the new design, operators can provide immediate response to glove failures, and lost operating time is minimal. Protective clothing is no longer necessary because the possibility of contamination is virtually eliminated by the seal that develops between the worn glove being pushed through and the new glove being installed. Air that is trapped between the old glove and new glove can be evacuated and purged to eliminate the introduction of unwanted gases into the glovebox environment.

"The best thing about it is that it saves time on the floor," said Dennis Hackworth, chemical operator in EUO. "Where it used to take two people 15 or 20 minutes to change out a glove, one person can do it on these ports in just a couple of minutes."

Doyle Clark, also a chemical operator in EUO, agreed. "The way the port is designed also lets us cap off boxes we seldom use with plugs," he said. "With the old ports, when a glovebox wasn't being used, you had to check the gloves frequently just to make sure there was no sign of leakage or degradation. The new ports cut down on this type of maintenance."

The project team got a chance to show off the new design at a recent meeting of the American Glovebox Society in Seattle. Smith said there were several demonstrations of glove replacement on various port designs, but Y-12's was most popular.

"It was kind of funny - once people saw how easy it was, we just couldn't keep them away. Eveyone wanted to try it," said Don Wagner, a chemical operator in EUO. As a result of the glovebox society meeting, Smith has received calls from other companies wishing to benchmark Y-12's use and design.

The design also was chosen a Best Manufacturing Practice by the U.S. Navy during its survey of Y-12 last year. One demonstration was conducted for the Defense Nuclear Facility Safety Board last fall, with another scheduled for early March to emphasize Y-12 and EUO's commitment to contamination control.

Use of the new gloveports is estimated to save a minimum of two employee hours per glove change, which amounts to a cost saving of $115 per glove change. Additional significant savings are realized through the reduction of reportable occurances due to contamination that results from glove failure. The cost saving is projected to exceed $500,000 in a five-year period, including the costs of procuring the system.

Other team members are Keith Jimmerson of Human Resources, Bob Shnider of Procurement, Larry Baker and Floyd Hipshire of Enriched Uranium Operations, and retiree John Reagan.