ISS has been responsible for cleaning at the Leibstadt nuclear power station since 2007. Martina Oberle, ISS Site Manager, is responsible for ensuring that the strictly regulated safety requirements for staff and equipment are adhered to.
Our site manager, Martina Oberle, has been leading this project from the very beginning, when the Leibstadt Nuclear Power Plant commissioned ISS to handle cleaning services in 2007. To this day, she remains deeply passionate about her work: “The nuclear power plant is a world of its own. Its strictly regulated operations are unique, and no two days are alike.” On the 120,000-square-meter site, Martina Oberle and her 13-person team are responsible for about one-third of the area, which they keep in top shape every day with a great deal of discipline.
A Microcosm of Its Own
The Leibstadt Nuclear Power Plant, or KKL for short, produces more than one-seventh of Switzerland’s electricity, meeting the power needs of about 2 million households. In operation since 1984, it is the youngest of Switzerland’s four active nuclear reactors. The 144-meter-high cooling tower, along with the turbine hall and the outdoor switchyard, forms the heart of the facility. Adjacent to these are additional office, electrical, infrastructure, and operations buildings, as well as workshops and temporary containers. In areas such as the control room, work continues around the clock, year-round, to ensure safe and reliable electricity production.
A restaurant on the premises provides meals for employees, and locker rooms and showers are available for athletic activities. The information center at the entrance offers the interested public insight into the highly complex facility through regular guided tours. During normal operations, approximately 500 KKL employees from a wide variety of professions work on the site, including engineers, reactor operators, technical specialists, plumbing and electrical professionals, polymechanics, and students. During the annual major overhaul, 1,000 external specialists support the KKL employees for 30 days.
Always clean, even with three times the usual number of people
ISS’s service contract covers routine cleaning of office and technical buildings, including the command center, the information center, and the containers. ISS also periodically cleans windows and blinds and handles waste management and document destruction. Martina Oberle: “To work as efficiently as possible given the long distances, we consolidate our assignments on the premises. We have a bicycle available for work that spans a wide area. However, it’s still possible for employees to walk up to 20,000 steps or more in a single day.”
The 13-member ISS team works in shifts from Monday through Friday: Site Manager Martina Oberle and her deputy are on site from morning through afternoon. They address customer concerns and prepare the laundered cleaning supplies for the afternoon shifts. The ISS cleaning team begins work at 1:00 p.m. First, the restroom facilities are cleaned, followed by the specialized buildings and containers; the office spaces are cleaned only after business hours to minimize disruption to ongoing operations.
The annual inspections pose a particular challenge. All at once, the number of people on the premises triples from 500. Restrooms, containers, and work areas see heavier use, which is why cleaning frequencies must be increased. “57 restroom facilities, 20 coffee areas, two smoking areas, and up to 80 construction containers must always be clean. We adjust the workload to the varying phases of operation. This requires a great deal of flexibility from the ISS team,” states Martina Oberle.
ISS also cleans the KKL’s information center, which brings the technology to life through an interactive exhibition. The information center welcomes around 15,000 visitors annually. The photo gallery offers a brief glimpse. Learn more at www.kkl.ch/besucherangebote
Strict Safety Rules for People and Equipment
Anyone who works here must follow many rules. This also applies to facility management. It starts with access control. ISS employees must check in and out at a security checkpoint at the beginning and end of their shift. The contents of their bags are scanned, just like at an airport. Even the ISS belts with metal buckles have been replaced with plastic belts, and the safety shoes contain no metal. Every year, employees must also participate in training designed to update and reinforce their knowledge of the safety rules. Only those who have completed the training are permitted to work on the premises.
Strict safety requirements also apply to products and equipment. All equipment used by ISS on the premises is tested and approved by the KKL testing center. Such approval requires a certain lead time. “With the recently introduced eco-friendly cleaning product, the process was simpler because the product was based on ingredients that had already been approved,” explains Martina Oberle. The delivery of goods is also strictly regulated: They are scanned first before being delivered to the ISS warehouse. Liquid products are also labeled with a sticker. The introduction of new products and inventory management must therefore be well planned so that ISS can guarantee service delivery at all times. In addition, the equipment is monitored for proper functioning: “We have about 50 pieces of electrical equipment in use, ranging from vacuum cleaners and scrubber-dryers to single-disc machines. All equipment is inspected once a year by an external specialist firm to prevent fires or other malfunctions on the premises.”
Reliability and Continuity
Martina Oberle can rely on a team of long-term employees. If someone is absent, a replacement must be found within the existing team due to strict safety requirements. Martina Oberle: “Whenever possible, we turn to stand-ins who are already working for us but are still on a part-time schedule. Otherwise, we check to see if someone on the shift can take over a task, or my deputy and I step in.”
The client must be able to trust that ISS employees will always perform their work in accordance with the specified safety guidelines. That’s why good processes and verifiable quality are so important. “That’s why we regularly conduct site tours with the client,” says Martina Oberle. “We’re familiar with the operations and their specific characteristics, and we can ensure consistency and continuity.” Another advantage is that we’re on-site every day. If the client has a concern, they call our in-house service number and we immediately look for a solution. This flexibility, high level of responsiveness, and reliability, in turn, lighten the client’s workload.”