The Energy Department’s prime contractor at the Hanford Site tank farms found affirmation in a federal judge’s ruling this week that workers at the Washington state site do not immediately need extra protection from the noxious vapors that sometimes leak from the site’s Cold War-era liquid waste tanks.
U.S. District Judge Thomas Rice ruled against Washington state and two other plaintiffs that had sought a preliminary injunction mandating additional worker safety measures ahead of a trial set for next September.
“We believe this decision recognizes the steps we’ve taken as a company to protect worker safety and health,” Mark Lindholm, president and project manager of the AECOM-led Washington River Protection Solutions (WRPS), wrote in a statement posted to the company’s website late Tuesday. “It is, and always will be, my expectation that safety comes first for WRPS employees.”
Around the same time, a special report from the acting DOE inspector general found that some Hanford workers feel they cannot discuss occupational health concerns with their employer without fear of retaliation.
Acting DOE Inspector General Rickey Haas published the 16-page special report, dated Nov. 10, online this week. The IG’s Office interviewed 52 workers at the Hanford tank farm; it found that seven “had concerns with reporting, communicating, reprisal, or fear of retaliation related to potential vapor exposures.” One worker had filed a formal complaint on retaliation and the others largely did not worry about reprisals in discussing worries about vapors.
The IG made these recommendations:
- Take action to input all vapor issues into the WRPS Problem Evaluation Request system [a contractor internal database], to ensure adequate tracking, closure, and visibility of corrective actions.
- Take steps to improve communication with the workforce about prior proposals to address vapor hazards that have been studied and not acted upon, to explain the rationale for these decisions.
- Continue to reinforce the DOE Office of Environmental Management safety culture principles.
In a statement issued Wednesday afternoon in response to the IG’s report, Lindholm urged WRPS personnel to share any concerns with him or their manager, without fear of retaliation.
