Fixing it safely is dam important

(Video by Lee Roberts/Full Sail University)

John Schnebelen, safety technician at the Wolf Creek Dam Resident Engineer Office in Jamestown, Ky., said he makes it a point to walk and talk with anyone involved with the Wolf Creek Dam Foundation Remediation Project, a $594 million project to stop seepage from finding its way through the karst geology deep in the foundation of the dam’s embankment. He said he believes his approach makes workers comfortable in identifying possible unsafe conditions or activities before anyone is hurt.

“I inspect the site. I drive around to certain storage and staging areas and just look for violations – look for things that may be unsafe,” said Schnebelen, who works for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District.

The dam is located on the Cumberland River and the water it holds back forms Lake Cumberland reservoir, which is 101 miles in length and has 1,255 miles of shoreline. It provides a total storage capacity of 6,089,000 acre-feet of water. The lake is approximately 40 feet lower than its historical average while repairs are underway.

With the safety of communities downstream at stake, Schnebelen said it’s his job to promote safety on the work platform and other staging, storage and disposal areas. He said he maintains a constant presence every day to instill a safety culture and hopefully prevent any costly project delays during construction of a concrete barrier wall deep into bedrock along the full length of the dam’s embankment. The Nashville District recognized him in 2012 when he helped enable the contractor to accumulate more than one million man hours without a lost-time accident.

Fixing it safely is dam important

John Schnebelen, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District safety technician, walks on the work platform at Wolf Creek Dam in Jamestown, Ky., to inspect conditions Jan. 11, 2013.  The Corps is constructing a concrete barrier wall deep into bedrock below the dam embankment foundation to stop water seepage through the karst geology. (Photo by Lee Roberts/Full Sail University)

Fixing it safely is dam important

(Left) John Schnebelen, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District safety technician, inspects a drill rig operation at Wolf Creek Dam in Jamestown, Ky., Jan. 11, 2013, to ensure no unsafe conditions or activities exist on the work site. Schnebelen said the Corps emphasizes a safety culture to avoid delays that inherently come with lost-time accidents. (Photo by Lee Roberts/Full Sail University)

 

Fixing it safely is dam important

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A slurry mixture used in the drilling process pours off the steel-toe boot of John Schnebelen, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District safety technician, while doing an inspection of the work platform at Wolf Creek Dam in Jamestown, Ky., Jan. 11, 2013. He said it’s his job to promote safety on the work platform and other staging, storage and disposal areas while a concrete barrier wall is installed deep into the foundation of the dam embankment. (Photo by Lee Roberts/Full Sail University)

Fixing it safely is dam important

John Schnebelen, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District safety technician, checks cables on a piece of equipment to ensure its operability on the work platform at Wolf Creek Dam in Jamestown, Ky., Jan. 11, 2013. The Corps is constructing a concrete barrier wall into the bedrock below the foundation of the embankment of the dam to stop water seepage through the karst geology. (Photo by Lee Roberts/Full Sail University)

Fixing it safely is dam important

John Schnebelen, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District safety technician, keeps an eye out for potential safety violations while walking down the work platform at Wolf Creek Dam in Jamestown, Ky., Jan. 11, 2013.  He said he walks and talks to everyone to establish an atmosphere where workers contribute to a safe working environment.  The Corps is nearing completion on a $594 million foundation remediation project to stop water seepage through the karst foundation. (Photo by Lee Roberts/Full Sail University)

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  1. Pingback: Safety record spurs early completion of Wolf Creek Dam barrier wall | Lead230

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