FWIW The uninitiated of this world are mostly tied up in them selves. Power Plant operations of any type are the start of the grid services. I don't care what someone says about being off grid, all products are based on a highly skilled group of men and women who provide the US needs for electrical power. In this case you will find most of the operators of Nuclear Power Plants are highly trained X Mil. Trained and tested time and again in all operations and responsible for the safe operations. The complaints of some about wearing mask are the least of Nuclear Power Plant operators shift . The operators are highly skilled and they do not grow on trees, their safety and health are of prime importance. In addition to their usual clothes they work in Goggles, Mask and Gloves for their shift to stay healthy. Think of them the next time you turn on the lights.
I’ve had two friends who were nuc power plant operators. They worked plants in Illinois. Neither were x-mil. Both were nuc engineering majors from University of Illinois which 40-50 years ago had one of the only NucE programs at the undergrad level in the US. They worked in a control room in jeans and button up shirts. I was envious because back in the day I had to wear a coat and tie to my frigging engineering job. They are both very sharp guys and I was comforted that such competent engineers were running these plants.
Vikki Ammon wears an dress most days... Vikki was a high school "lunch buddy" She landed a full-ride scholarship at Northwestern University in (shudder) Journalism. This was 1970. Was on the Dean;s Lsit for four years - a real go-getter. Life happened, and at the 30 yr class reunion, we met again. Vikki had, as they say, embossed. - about 100 lbs worth was my guess. She had landed a job at a newspaper until the Daily machine got tossed. She lost her job owing to her connections with the machine. So, she took a job as a power plant operator. She later found a guy that was also a go-getter and at age 46+ they started building power plants (her dad was the classic Big Daddy Warbucks, so she knew people with real $) Thus, my strange comment about power plant operators and dresses.
I worked at ABBOTT vascular making all kinds of stents, some of you may be wearing. We wore the full tyvec bunny suit, booties, mask, and 2 pairs of gloves, and in some cases hooded as well. Thousands of people every day working in sterile conditions day in and day out, It is the job.
My Dad was an Electrical Designing Engineer that did a lot of work in all power plants ,,, Water Turbines, Steam , Coal , and Nuclear. I used to go with him to a few Nuclear sites on weekends when he had to go there and work. The places were usually pretty dead on the weekends from what I remember. A few of the plants would have an Energy Explorium and a picnic area. He would throw us in there with a little bit of change for a soda , and we'd run around like crazy ,, rubbing our feet in the carpet shocking each other ,, looking at the exhibits,, having a good old time. My Dad used to bring home big rolls of sheets of blueprints for powerplants, and we'd use them for coloring books. Probably against the law now. Oops ,, sorry,, I drifted off to memories again. But , what he wore ,,,,, polyester pants and shirt with a tie , and sport coat ,,,,, penny loafers,, and some Old Spice aftershave lotion and deodorant,, and some Vitalis hair stuff.
