DOE Study: Safety Culture Concerns Persist at Hanford WTP Despite Improvement Efforts

Despite years of effort by the Department of Energy and contractor Bechtel National to improve the safety culture at the Hanford Waste Treatment Plant, there has been little meaningful change and, in some instances, things appear to have gotten worse, according to the results of a new study the DOE Office of Independent Enterprise Assessment released yesterday. The study was conducted as a follow-up to a safety culture review the then-DOE Office of Health, Safety and Security performed at the WTP in 2011, which found that a significant number of both federal and contractor employees were reluctant to raise concerns. While noting the steps both DOE and Bechtel National have taken since then to improve the culture at the WTP, such as organizational changes, increased training and improved means for employees to report concerns, the study says that “the lack of significant measurable change in employee perceptions indicates they are insufficient to internalize the beliefs and values necessary to effectively change culture.” The full results of the study can be found here. 

 

Among employees at the DOE Office of River Protection, the follow-up assessment found “a decline in the perceptions of personnel of some behaviors important for a healthy safety culture,” the study says, adding, “In particular, attention to safety, coordination of work, problem identification and resolution, and roles and responsibilities are viewed more negatively now than in 2011.”

 

The follow-on assessment also found an increase in concerns among ORP employees over the ability to challenge management decisions. “Employees perceived that the environment was not conducive to raising concerns and that management did not want to or willingly listen to concerns. Most employees also believed that constructive criticism was not encouraged. These perceptions have not changed, and in fact, in the case of being able to openly challenge management and to provide constructive criticism, the perceptions have become slightly more negative,” the study says. Within Bechtel National, employees have expressed that the number of initiatives the contractor has launched in an effort to improve safety culture “has resulted in a general sense of confusion of priorities,” the study says. “In addition, much of the organization continues to work in ‘silos’ and does not coordinate its work well. The combination of these concerns makes the effectiveness of many of these initiatives uncertain,” the study says.  

 

In separate statements yesterday, both the DOE Office of River Protection and Bechtel National said they would work to address the new study’s findings.  “The Department of Energy remains committed to developing and sustaining a strong nuclear safety culture, and has taken steps over the last year to improve safety culture at Hanford and across the Environmental Management complex. This assessment acknowledges the proactive steps taken by the Office of River Protection (ORP) and includes positive feedback while also acknowledging we have more work to do and suggesting areas for improvement,” ORP Manager Kevin Smith said. “We are committed to continuous improvement and plan to build on the steps taken to date.  We recognize that a concerted effort to change an organization’s safety culture, such as the effort underway at ORP, takes time and continued management focus to realize results,” Smith said.

 

Bechtel National spokeswoman Suzanne Heaston said, “Bechtel National is committed to continuous strengthening of our nuclear safety and quality culture at WTP. This assessment acknowledges the success of actions we have taken, many of them based on best practices and offers insight on how we can make the culture even stronger. We welcome recommendations that will help us build upon our solid foundation of a strong nuclear safety and quality culture, which is critical to our overall mission of successfully treating the toxic waste stored at the Hanford site.”