The allegations are deadly serious. The response? Not serious enough.
Walter Tamosaitis, former research and technology manager for Hanford's vitrification plant, says he was dismissed from the job for raising questions about safety and design at the $12.3 billion project.
One day he discusses a list of 50 concerns during a contractor meeting, and the next day he loses his job without any prior warning, according to Tamosaitis.
It's hard to believe that someone responsible for ensuring a safe design would be fired from any project for raising safety concerns.
It's especially mind boggling when the project in question is supposed to treat of some of the deadliest toxic and radioactive wastes in the world. A mistake could result in an uncontrolled nuclear chain reaction.
We don't know if Tamosaitis' account is accurate.
URS, the subcontractor that employs Tamosaitis, and Bechtel National, the lead contractor building the massive nuclear waste treatment plant, offer a different version of events.
"Our nuclear safety and quality culture encourages all employees to have a questioning attitude. As such, we expect internal staff and external technical experts to identify and raise safety, design and operational issues," according to a statement released Bechtel.
URS says Tamosaitis wasn't dismissed, only reassigned when a major piece of the company's vit plant work was completed.
Despite their different recollections of what transpired, officials for both companies told Herald reporter Annette Cary that they're taking Tamosaitis' allegations seriously.
So is the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board.
That's good, as far as it goes. But although the board is looking at the safety concerns raised, it doesn't have authority to address Tamosaitis' allegations of retaliation.
That leaves a big hole. No company can create a culture of safety if its employees are afraid that speaking up might cost them their jobs.
We've been to the vit plant.
It's an amazing venture.
The idea of a setting things in motion and sealing up the black cells, planned never to be opened again, is hard to imagine for most folks.
Stakeholders -- including all of us living near the plant -- must be confident in the design before anyone hits the start button.
It's such an intricate operation that the accusation of safety issues being swept under the rug concerns us -- a lot.
We think the Department of Energy should share our angst.
DOE hasn't said whether it plans to launch its own investigation. Playing coy on this issue will only undermine the agency's credibility. The department needs to get out front on this issue, and in a public way.
Staying out of your contractor's personnel issues is usually a smart policy, but this is more than a personnel matter. If Tamosaitis is correct, this is a safety matter -- something paramount to DOE's mission.
The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board has limited authority, and the contractors involved have a built-in conflict of interest.
That leaves DOE to address Tamosaitis' claims of retaliation.
We're surprised and disappointed that DOE isn't playing a more active role in the process.
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Lawyers for Bechtel, Tamosaitis argue lawsuit's merit
Lawyers for Bechtel, Tamosaitis argue lawsuit's merit
Bechtel National plans to argue Monday that Hanford whistleblower Walter Tamosaitis doesn't have his facts right and his lawsuit should be thrown out.
But a lawyer for Tamosaitis will argue that Bechtel has misstated the facts and the case should go forward.
Both sides are scheduled to be heard Monday before Judge Craig Matheson in Benton County Superior Court to consider Bechtel's request to dismiss the case.
DOE told to take second look at vit plant safety culture
DOE told to take second look at vit plant safety culture
Actions proposed by the Department of Energy to strengthen the nuclear safety culture at the Hanford vitrification plant represent a start, but DOE should take a closer look at the issue, said the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board in a letter released Monday.
The defense board remains concerned that DOE does not agree with the findings of a defense board investigation into the nuclear safety culture of the plant. The safety culture concerns are related to the safe operation of the plant now under construction to turn radioactive waste into a stable glass form for disposal.
"The disparity between the stated acceptance and disagreement with the findings makes it difficult for the board to assess the response," said the letter sent to Energy Secretary Steven Chu by defense board Chairman Peter Winokur on Friday.
Controversy continues to surround vit plant safety culture
Controversy continues to surround vit plant safety culture
A recent independent review of the safety culture at the Hanford vitrification plant shows that the culture is flawed, said Peter Winokur, the chairman of the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board.
That is contrary to the conclusion drawn by the panel that conducted the review.
Winokur's reaction was among recent developments in the intractable dispute about whether concerns about safe operation of the $12.2 billion plant are being raised and addressed without retaliation. Developments include:
DOE plan commits to safety at vit plant
DOE plan commits to safety at vit plant
The Department of Energy will look at better managing its Hanford vitrification plant contract to balance the demands of cost and schedule with a strong safety culture, according to a plan released this week.
In addition, Energy Secretary Steven Chu could visit Hanford to make clear his safety culture expectations, the plan said.
DOE laid out the plan, which goes beyond Hanford to include other DOE sites, to implement Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board's June recommendations on improving safety culture at the vitrification plant. The plan also looked at underlying causes that led to the defense board's concern.
Vit plant workers bite their tongues, assessment says
Vit plant workers bite their tongues, assessment says
A significant number of federal and contractor staff on the Hanford vitrification plant project reported they were reluctant to raise safety or quality concerns, according to a new assessment of safety culture at the project released Friday.
The Department of Energy's Office of Health, Safety and Security, HSS, conducted the review as follow-up to an initial review released in October, and the follow-up included a stronger message calling for improvements.
The latest review by DOE's health and safety organization, which is independent of the DOE organization responsible for Hanford, found some Bechtel National groups believed fear of retaliation inhibited identification of problems at the vitrification plant.
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