CSC Ordered to Pay Back Wages to Two Former Hanford Workers
WC Monitor
12/12/2014
Computer Sciences Corp. has been ordered to pay back wages to two former Hanford employees that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration found were laid off in violation of whistleblower laws. The former contractor at Hanford has been ordered to pay $186,000 in back wages. It also must post a notice for its workforce that reinforces that retaliation against employees for raising nuclear safety concerns is illegal. Computer Sciences Corp. disagrees with the finding and is evaluating its option to appeal, a spokesman said late this week.
In August 2012, two employees reported a defective electronic medical record system that was not accurately tracking medical restrictions, according to OSHA. That created the potential for workers to be exposed to beryllium despite medical restrictions that should have protected them, according to OSHA. If a blood test indicates that a Hanford worker is sensitized to beryllium, they are restricted from working in certain areas to prevent further exposure that could increase their risk of developing chronic beryllium disease. After an inspection by the Department of Energy into the concerns of the two employees, they were laid off, OSHA said. OSHA did not name the two former employees, but said they were information technology specialists working on the software. “Those working around or for a nuclear facility must raise safety concerns freely without fear of retaliation from their bosses,” said Ken Atha, acting OSHA regional administrator.
Computer Sciences Corp. owned AdvanceMed Hanford, the former occupational medical services provider, at Hanford. Its contract expired at the end of September 2012, which was after employees raised the concern. HPM Corp. has since been awarded the contract but retained Computer Sciences Corp. as a subcontractor. OSHA also found in favor of another Hanford whistleblower, Shelly Doss, in August and issued a preliminary order to require Washington River Protection Solutions to pay her more than $220,000 and reinstate her to her former position as an environmental specialist. WRPS filed an objection with OSHA, halting the order.
Hanford Projects Win Local Awards
WC Monitor
12/12/2014
Three Hanford projects were among those selected for annual awards in the regional competition held by the Eastern Washington Chapter Academy of Certified Hazardous Material Managers. Advanced Technologies and Laboratories International worked with other contractors to adopt radiofrequency identification technology for the Hanford 222-S Laboratory. The project was awarded the Hazardous Materials Identification and Control Research Award. Other companies that worked on the project included Mission Support Alliance, Lockheed Martin Services, and Washington River Protection Solutions.
The radiofrequency technology replaced a bar code inventory system to manage more than 5,000 chemical containers. The technology was designed to work with the existing Chemical Inventory Tracking System database and required benchmarking with organizations throughout the Department of Energy complex of sites and facilities. Accuracy was enhanced with the use of tubing to overcome interferences with metal containers and containers containing liquid. Electromagnetic fields that interfered with signals also were identified. Use of the new system helped eliminate obsolete chemical and gas containers and reduce stock, including potentially dangerous chemicals, according to the academy. The time required to inventory stock has been reduced and the system also has provided ergonomic benefits.
WRPS, CHPRC Among Winners
Washington River Protection Solutions was awarded the DOE Office of River Protection Manager’s Award for Exemplary Service. It developed a new technology to drill and extract high level radioactive waste from Hanford’s underground waste tanks at multiple depths in the tanks. A platform is used to position a drill string, an X-ray machine is used to verify retrieval of samples and a rack of shielded casks receives and contains the samples. The technology is intended to provide more representative samples of waste in tanks as data is collected for waste that is fed to the Hanford 242-A Evaporator and that will be fed to the Waste Treatment Plant. The data also is used for monitoring the condition and corrosiveness of the waste.
CH2M Hill Plateau Remediation Co. was given the Excellence in Hazardous Materials Management Award for demolishing an empty construction yard in the 200 West Area in central Hanford. The yard included 19 wooden buildings and mobile structures, plus nine storage containers, three lay-down yards, three overhangs and eight storage pads. Structures dated to as early as the 1940s. CH2M Hill’s demolition team identified the hazards of the job and removed contaminants before demolishing structures to slab on grade.