CHALLENGES FACED IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE RN42 STATION AT TANAH RATA

Alawiah Musa, Faizal Azrin Mohd Razalim, Mohd Azmi Sidid Omar, Muhammed Zulfakar Mohd Zolkaffly, Mohd Jamil Hashim and Pasupathi Ellapakavendan

Malaysian Nuclear AgencyBangi, 43000 Kajang,Selangor Darul Ehsan,

Malaysia

INTRODUCTIONMalaysia signed the CTBT on 23rd July 1998 and ratified it on 17th January 2008. The development of the radionuclide monitoring station, RN42 at Tanah Rata is one of Malaysia’s obligations towards the CTBT. SeveralDivisions in the Malaysian Nuclear Agency were involved in the planning, coordination, development, operation and maintenance of the RN42 station. The Planning and International Relations Division was tasked with theplanning, site selection, preparation for the enactment of the CTBT Act and coordination of the RN42 project. The Engineering Division was responsible for the development of civil work and installation and maintenance ofelectrical wirings and power generator set. The Health and Radiation Safety Division was responsible for the site selection, operation and management of the station while the Technical Support Division is responsible for themaintenance of the associated electronic and scientific equipments. The day to day operation of the station is carried out with the cooperation of the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MMD) at Tanah Rata.

Communication problems due to different language

Different place, nationality, cultures, electrical standards

and time zones

Multidisciplinary teams (civil works, mechanical, electrical,

legal, electronics engineering)

Location and logistics (located on hilltop with

access road at nearly 45o

slope), have to work during holidays/ festivities

Problems & challenges faced during project

implementation

EXPERIENCES AND CHALLENGESWith team members consisting those of different disciplines, differentnationalities who spoke different language, lived in different parts of theworld with different time zones and are used to different work ethics andelectrical standards, many challenges were faced during theimplementation of the project. The different time zones meant that thecommunication by emails would only get replied in a 12 to 24 hours lapseand the different electrical standards caused a fire mishap at the station.To add to this, the remote location of the site, which is on top of a hill withan access road of nearly 45o slope, made the transport of heavy equipmentto the site even more challenging.

CONCLUSIONSCivil work first started at the RN42 station in 2007 and was completed in early 2008.The certification visit by the CTBTO was made in April 2009 and three months later, inJuly 2009, the RN42 station was certified. Many useful experiences and lessons weregained by overcoming the challenges faced during the development of this project.Differences in time zones, language, culture, work ethics and standards makecoordinating a project across geographic boundaries, such as this, much morechallenging. Careful planning, requiring scheduling with clockwork precision was doneto avoid delays and time wasted on correcting mistakes. Frequent communication waspracticed so that every team member is aware of the project progress and understandthe issues.

LESSONS LEARNEDMany lessons were learnt in the course of planning anddevelopment of the project. Once the project was underway,careful planning was crucial to ensure the project stays ontrack. For a collaborative project such as this, coordination wasultimately all about communication and teamwork was thebaseline.

Planning the work was most important so that time was not wasted correcting

mistakes.

Successful relationships and teamwork between team members were the baseline. A happy team is key to a successful project.

Project coordination was about communication to ensure understanding.

Keeping in touch regularly and responding to requests promptly. Frequent

communication helps to keep the project on track.

2007Aug - Civil work starts

2008 Jan - Civil work completedJune – Equipment installationNov – RN42 starts operation

2009Apr – Certification visit by CTBTOJuly – RN42 station obtained certification

Important milestones in the development of the RN42 station

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSWe would like to express our gratitude tothe CTBTO Preparatory Commission, thecompany Environnement S. A., theMalaysian Ministry of Science, Technology &Innovation and the Malaysian NuclearAgency for their continuous support and co-operation. Last but not least we would liketo also thank the Malaysian MeteorologicalDepartment for their cooperation in makingthis project a success.