The man who started Bouten Construction immigrated from Belgium as a young boy and went to work building houses with his father at age 13 before eventually starting his own construction company, which celebrates 80 years in business this year.
As many longtime employees begin to reach retirement age, and as some operations and activities at the site ramp up, maintaining and bolstering the Hanford workforce – which numbers more than 11,000 people – is a mission-critical endeavor, officials said.
One out of every 10 people in the Tri-Cities is employed by a job connected to federal funding, whether through the Hanford site, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory or with a subcontractor. This 13,000-person employment cluster’s impact on industries throughout the community remains significant.
For Hanford workers alone, about 35,000 claims have been filed on behalf of 13,000 separate people. Hanford workers have been paid $2.2 billion in compensation and benefits, representing about 15,000 claims.
To ensure we can meet future demand for analytical services, we will develop and build the “lab of the future” by improving the 1950s-era infrastructure, continuing development of unique analytical methods, and installing new analytical equipment and capabilities.
On Jan. 1, Inomedic Health Applications Inc. (IHA) transitioned as the Hanford site occupational medical services provider, bringing a new leadership team and a new management approach based on our extensive corporate experience.
