Re: Energy Dept. Nuke Contractors Fined

[William V Lipton <liptonw@dteenergy.com>]

Our critics have called us whores for the nuclear industry, and, from the tone
of these responses, I'm beginning to think that they're right.  The knee jerk
reaction I've seen for this and similar events is to always exonerate the
employer.  While the employee has primary responsibility for his safety, and is
the one who suffers the most if things go wrong, the employer has a
responsibility to run an effective safety program.   I've seen organizations
where the official safety policy is just for show; and employees, either
directly or thru time pressure, are forced to short cut safety procedures.  If
an employer encourages, or even condones, poor safety practices, then the
employer must be held accountable.

The opinions expressed are strictly mine.
It's not about dose, it's about trust.

Bill Lipton
liptonw@dteenergy.com


Grant Wilton wrote:

> I find it interesting that workers who suffer accidents more often than not
> don't have to accept any responsibility for the accident. It's always
> somebody elses fault.  The company I work for provides eye protection for
> work conducted in hazardous areas, if I don't wear them and am subsequently
> injured in the eyes it's not my fault.  This mentality is absolutely absurd
> yet is pervasive.  This mindset is a leading contibutor to the "Nation of
> Victims" era in which we currently reside.  It's a crime that common sense
> and personal responsibilty have been regulated out of existence.
>
> These thoughts are mine and mine alone.
>
> Grant Wilton
> Senior Research Scientist
> Southwest Research Institute
> gwilton@chem.swri.edu
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: radsafe@romulus.ehs.uiuc.edu
> [mailto:radsafe@romulus.ehs.uiuc.edu]On Behalf Of Spikepsych1@aol.com
> Sent: Friday, May 26, 2000 8:47 AM
> To: Multiple recipients of list
> Subject: Energy Dept. Nuke Contractors Fined
>
> Energy Dept. Nuke Contractors Fined
>
> By MARK JEWELL
> .c The Associated Press
>
> SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) - The Energy Department has fined two contractors at
> nuclear sites in Washington and Colorado a total of $123,750 for failing to
> adequately protect workers exposed to radioactivity.
>
> The agency also cited a contractor at the Idaho National Engineering and
> Environmental Laboratory, but levied no fine.
>
> Bechtel Hanford, Inc., a contractor at the Hanford reservation in
> south-central Washington, was fined $82,500 over a June 1999 incident in
> which three workers were exposed to airborne radioactivity after they
> unwrapped a ``highly contaminated'' piece of equipment, the DOE said.
>
> No signs were posted to warn of the hazard, and employees continued to work
> in the area for about 13 days without protective gear, though none appeared
> to have suffered any ill health effects, the DOE said.
>
> A statement released Thursday by Bechtel Hanford said the company ``takes
> responsibility for this incident ... and agrees with the conclusions from
> the
> DOE.''
>
> The DOE also ordered a fine of $41,250 against Kaiser-Hill Co., LLC, the
> main
> cleanup contractor at the former Rocky Flats nuclear weapons plant outside
> Denver.
>
> It involved a February 1999 incident in which an employee performing
> decontamination work received a dose of radioactivity that entered his body
> through a cut on his finger, the DOE said. An investigation revealed
> shortcomings in safety procedures.
>
> Spokeswoman Greta Thomsen said the company would not contest the fine. ``As
> a
> result of our corrective actions, we've greatly improved our work controls
> and procedures,'' she said.
>
> Both fines were reduced because the companies took corrective steps, the DOE
> said.
>
> International Isotopes Idaho, Inc., a subcontractor at INEEL in southeastern
> Idaho, was cited but not fined after two workers were exposed to a small
> amount of radioactivity while they were replacing ventilation filters last
> July, the DOE said. They were not harmed. Investigators determined the
> subcontractor failed to adequately plan how to protect the workers.
>
> AP-NY-05-26-00 0108EDT
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