RE: Energy Dept. Nuke Contractors Fined

[Susan Gawarecki <loc@icx.net>]

I think there is a range of issues between Grant Wilton's and Bill
Lipton's statements.  Here in Oak Ridge, many workers who believe
they've been affected by exposures at the plants say they were not
offered PPE and were discouraged from requesting it.  This is wrong and
when it occurs the contractor should be held accountable.  However, from
my days as a field manager on hazardous waste sites, I've also had to
deal with a few workers who refused to wear PPE or otherwise ignored
safety rules that they felt were inconvenient.  I think proper
documentation by the contractor is the only sufficient recourse in the
latter case, if an incident occurs and it goes to litigation.

An interesting story, a hazwaste contractor once tried to fire a worker
(union member) who grossly violated safety rules on a hazardous waste
site at a unionized manufacturing plant.  The plant workers threatened
to strike if the hazmat worker was fired!  The violation was entry into
a confined space (holding tank) to break the ice in order to measure a
wastewater level.  He fell through the ice and had to be rescued.

I've also been told about workers on a PCB-cleanup site who would lift
up their respirators in order to smoke--both forbidden activities in the
restricted area!

I think that a site safety manager needs to be a strong individual who
can both stand up to management to get what is needed to protect the
workers and enforce rules on unwilling workers.  It's not an easy job.

Any opinions expressed are my own.

Regards,
Susan Gawarecki
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Susan L. Gawarecki, Ph.D., Executive Director
Oak Ridge Reservation Local Oversight Committee, Inc.
136 S Illinois Ave, Ste 208, Oak Ridge, TN 37830
Phone (865) 483-1333; Fax (865) 482-6572; E-mail loc@icx.net 
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