08 Jul A laundry facility in transition
It is the last day before the holiday – and a somewhat poignant time for laundry assistants Jette Danielsen and Winnie Andersen. Danish Decommissioning is an organisation that will gradually wind down its operations, and this also applies to the laundry facility. After the holiday, Jette Danielsen will be solely responsible for managing colleagues' workwear.
WWashing machines and tumble dryers are distributed across two large rooms. In one of these rooms, yellow, triangular warning signs catch the eye. Here, laundry potentially contaminated with radioactive particles is processed under special precautions.
Both Jette and Winnie are seasoned employees who are intimately familiar with the laundry's work processes. This October marks 14 years since Jette was hired. Winnie has been here since 1988:
“Back then, when the large reactor was operational, there was a substantial amount of laundry to be processed. When I started, we were five laundry assistants and a laundry master, responsible for all the laundry for the entire Risø Research Centre.”
In line with the changes that have occurred on the Risø peninsula, the volume of laundry has steadily decreased. Consequently, the laundry staff have regularly had to adapt – particularly in 2007, when DTU and the research center merged. DTU opted to send their laundry elsewhere, necessitating a re-evaluation of operations:
“Here, we suddenly lacked sufficient tasks, so we had to undertake some cleaning duties as well. To ensure operational continuity, we enlisted the help of a colleague experienced in Lean methodology. It was highly beneficial to have all the laundry's tasks and routines reviewed by a fresh perspective,” says Winnie.
“We cursed the entire process while it was ongoing, but afterwards, we were genuinely pleased with the changes. Previously, everyone had their fixed stations and tasks, which were immutable. Now, we implemented job rotation, so we all alternated between washing, pressing, repairing, sorting, and folding the laundry,” adds Jette.
From three to one
Previously, there were 60-70 boxes of laundry to be packed and distributed across the entire peninsula. Now, only Danish Decommissioning's laundry needs to be managed.
“A year and a half ago, we were informed that we would be scaling down from three employees to one. The news wasn't entirely unexpected, but it was still difficult to receive,” says Winnie.
“Nevertheless, we were grateful to receive the notice with ample time. Together with our manager, we engaged in a very constructive process where the three laundry assistants themselves helped determine how the reduction could be implemented, both concerning our clients and ourselves. This made the entire transition more secure,” explains Jette.
Winnie and Jette's colleague, Yaa Skovvad, accepted the offer of an intensive Danish language course and was subsequently assisted in securing employment with Berendsen Textil Service in 2015. Winnie has opted to retire at the end of 2016 and will, after her vacation, dedicate the remainder of her employment to scanning old drawings and building plans for the electronic archive.
And then there is Jette, who will henceforth be alone among the washing machines:
“It feels strange to anticipate. Winnie and I know each other inside out and have been able to share our challenges. But now I will simply have to rely more on my other colleagues. They are also good colleagues, even though most of them are men,” she smiles.
“We have always maintained strong camaraderie, both here in the laundry and with others at the waste treatment plant. During our shared coffee breaks, we discuss a wide range of professional and personal matters,” Winnie elaborates.
New Era
Concurrently with Winnie's departure from the laundry, some work processes have been streamlined to enable Jette to manage the workload independently. This has, among other things, involved the procurement of new, non-iron lab coats and the discontinuation of pressing tea towels and hand towels.
“It doesn't look very presentable to hand over a stack like this,” says Jette, pointing to a pile of slightly wrinkled towels in the cupboard. After so many years in the laundry, her professional pride and dedication to quality are clearly evident.