DNFSB Raises Issues With Hanford Evaporator Safety Basis
The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board last week raised issues with the safety basis for an evaporator at Hanford’s tank farms. In a March review, the DNFSB found several concerns with the safety basis for the 242-A Evaporator, which is used to concentrate liquid tank waste at Hanford. “Specifically, a number of identified hazards are not properly addressed and several safety-significant controls do not comply with applicable DOE directives,” states a June 18 letter from the Board to DOE. “DOE has begun to address some of the identified inadequacies with the safety control set, but the remaining safety issues require additional action. Given the anticipated need to operate this facility for an extended period of time, it is important to develop a compliant safety basis in a timely manner.”
A DNFSB staff report accompanying the letter identified several specific issues in the safety basis, which includes methodologies that use hazard identification and evaluation criteria that do not fully meet nuclear safety requirements. Additionally, the DNFSB identified deficiencies in the engineered safety control set and deficiencies in the administrative safety control set. The Board asked DOE to within 90 days identify compensatory measures for a safety-significant steam isolation valve until it is either replaced or qualified for its safety function. It also asks for a DOE plan to remediate deficiencies in a safety control set, as well as actions for the next annual update to the evaporator’s documented safety analysis. The DNFSB also noted that since the same hazard identification and analysis approach is used for the Hanford Tank Farms Safety Basis, “it is possible” that similar weaknesses and deficiencies exist there.
DOE said this week that it is reviewing the Board’s letter. “Hanford’s Office of River Protection has been engaged with the Board staff on this topic and will continue to work to address the Board’s concerns,” ORP spokeswoman Lori Gamache said in a written response. “The 242-A Evaporator is not currently in scheduled operation, but is important for safely managing available space in the double-shell tanks at Hanford. “
Wash. Governor Supports Tank Farm Workers Asking for Increased Protective Gear
This spring, 38 Hanford workers have received medical evaluations after either reporting a suspicious odor or in some cases developing symptoms consistent with exposure to chemical vapors. All were cleared to return to work, but workers are concerned about developing serious health issues long-term from chemical exposure. The most recent incident was this week, when two workers at the 222-S Laboratory smelled a suspicious odor after entering a room where preparations for a waste sample analysis had yet to begin. One worker experienced symptoms and received a medical evaluation.
Currently Half-Face Respirators Required to Address Vapor Risks
Hanford tank farms contractor Washington River Protection Solutions requires a minimum of half-face respirators when there is an increased risk for tank vapors. Those include when waste is being disturbed, such as when waste is pumped from a tank or transferred between tanks, or when workers will be in an area where suspicious odors have been reported in the past. Workers can instead opt for a full-face respirator or a supplied-air respirator, according to WRPS. There was one instance about a year ago when a request for a supplied-air respirator was denied and that worker was reassigned to other tank farm work, said WRPS spokesman John Britton. WRPS concluded that it would be unsafe for the electrician to have a steel tank on his back while working in a confined area with high-voltage electricity.
The governor and attorney general said that DOE staff and contractors should ensure easy access to equipment when it’s requested. WRPS is working to make the process of switching to a respirator or higher-level respirator easier and faster, Britton said. The process requires a worker to fill out paperwork and have the status of the worker’s respirator training and fit testing for a respirator mask verified. Training and medical evaluation are standard requirements industry-wide for respirator use, not just at Hanford, according to WRPS.
SRNL Panel to be Led by Senior Scientist
WRPS announced in April that the Savannah River lab would lead a review of chemical vapors and worker protection at Hanford, with a goal of providing a broader analysis and recommendations than technical reviews in 2008 and 2010. The panel members for the study will be led by Bill Wilmarth, a senior scientist at Savannah River National Lab. The nine-person panel also includes Rebecca Holland, a Hanford health physics technologist, to represent workers through the Hanford Atomic Metal Trades Council. "Our goal is to provide a set of independent recommendations that will help to reduce the likelihood of chemical exposures and will improve overall workplace safety," Wilmarth said. "The addition of the assessment team as an independent body will bring needed credibility to the results and recommendations," the governor’s letter said.
The letter said that DOE should have recommendations by fall and that the Washington state secretary of health will review the scope of the assessment as well as the results and recommendation. The Savannah River National Laboratory said a draft report should be available by the end of the summer and a final report in December. "Once recommendations are received, we urge that solutions proposed and implemented by DOE be formalized so that they will stand the test of time," the governor’s letter said.
Tank Vapors Long an Issue of Concern
Workers have complained of tank vapors for more than two decades, with improvements to better protect their health made periodically. "Recent complaints clearly indicate that the problem has not been fixed," the governor’s letter said. "We understand the complex nature of trying to track down these vapor exposures and assess their health risks, but it is essential that you bring all tools to bear in protecting the safety of our state’s workers." Kevin Smith, manager of the DOE Hanford Office of River Protection, said in a message to workers that DOE supports the decision to have the Savannah River lab conduct the review and include Holland to ensure worker insight and feedback is included. "It is in everyone’s best interest to drive vapor exposures down to the lowest possible levels," Smith said. DOE supports efforts by its contractor and the national lab to find long-lasting solutions to chemical vapors as operations in the tank farms increase, he said.
The team picked by Savannah River National Laboratory to review the chemical vapors program at Hanford includes members from academia, industry and government agencies, as well as a worker representative. Members were picked to bring a range of knowledge and expertise, including the fields of air emission releases from storage tanks, worker safety, risk assessments and biological monitoring and modeling. Andrew Maier, the vice chairman, is an associate professor in the Department of Environmental Health at the University of Cincinnati’s College of Medicine. Charles Timchalk is a staff member of the Center for Biological Monitoring and Modeling at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Tom Armstrong is principal investigator for TWA8HR Occupational Hygiene Consulting, adjunct professor at the Drexel University School of Public Health and a member on two National Academy of Science committees evaluating risk assessment of national infectious disease research labs. Robert Ferry, co-founder of The TGB Partnership, is an expert in air emission releases from storage tanks.
John Henshaw, the senior vice president of Cardno ChemRisk, is the former administrator of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and former president of the American Industrial Hygiene Association. Michael Jayjock of Jayjock Associates is a former member and consultant to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Science Advisory Board. Jim Rock, vice president of TUPE Inc., is a senior lecturer in the Nuclear Engineering Department at Texas A&M. He is the former president of the American Industrial Hygiene Association.
Former Rad. Control Supervisor Pleads Guilty in Time Card Fraud Case
Davis was scheduled to go to trial July 9 in federal court along with another former radiological control supervisor, Stephanie Livesey. It is the first of three trials scheduled for the 10 defendants who had pleaded not guilty to charges related to timecard fraud in the Hanford tank farms. Workers for the former Hanford tank farm contractor, CH2M Hill Hanford Group, routinely submitted timecards claiming payment for overtime they did not work, according to the plea agreement. Davis and Livesey approved the timecards of five radiological control technicians who claimed 250 work hours, including overtime, for work they did not perform between Aug. 13, 2008, and Oct. 29, 2008, according to the plea agreement. Global positioning system surveillance showed the workers were not at Hanford during those hours.
Overtime for radiological control technicians then was voluntary. To get them to agree to evening and night overtime work, CH2M Hill offered shifts to radiological control technicians in eight-hour blocks, even though the work often could be done in less time, according to court documents. However, workers would claim a full eight hours of overtime worked on their timecards. When Davis and Livesey would leave work at the end of the day shift, they would repeatedly say “Are you still here?” or “Don’t pass me on the way home” to signal workers they could leave prior to the end of their scheduled overtime shift, according to court documents. Timecard fraud also was committed on regular shifts, according to court documents. A Voluntary Protection Program report warned upper management and direct supervisors that a steady stream of workers began leaving work at 2:30 p.m. on shifts that should have lasted until 4:30 p.m. Davis is scheduled to be sentenced in April.
Second Trial Planned in December for Other Former Workers
Livesey’s attorney, Bob Thompson, has asked that her July 9 trial be postponed because of concerns about whether Livesey is in a condition to help with her defense after the unexpected death of her son last month. The U.S. Attorney’s Office said it is sympathetic to Livesey’s loss but is concerned about the impact to the trial schedule for the remaining defendants. After a trial is held for Livesey, a second trial is planned in December for five former Hanford workers who supervised hourly workers on specific jobs, but did not usually approve timecards. Their trial will focus on their role in obtaining authorized overtime for hourly workers from upper managers, according to court documents. The last trial, scheduled in February, will be for three former upper level managers.
New Indictment Filed in Late May
On May 21 the U.S. Attorney’s Office filed a new indictment against the 10 defendants, which no longer included counts of conspiracy, conspiracy to submit false claims and document alteration against any of the defendants. It added a notice of possible forfeiture of property and kept 21 counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, major fraud against the United Sates, submission of false claims and Anti-Kickback Act violations against various defendants. Previously eight radiological control technicians and a lead radiological control technician, who assigned overtime, have pleaded guilty to felony charges related to the timecard scheme.
