DNFSB Raises Concerns Over Ventilation System at WTP Facility
WC Monitor
2/6/2015
The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board expressed concern this week over the ability of the confinement ventilation system to be used at the Hanford Waste Treatment Plant’s High-Level Waste Facility to effectively perform its safety function in the event of a seismic incident. In a letter to acting Assistant Secretary of Energy for Environmental Management Mark Whitney, the Board questioned the Safety Design Strategy developed for the HLW Facility, which proposes to downgrade the seismic classification of some key components of the confinement ventilation system. “This downgrade can result in penetrations through the C5V confinement boundary that compromise safety functions protecting (l) the workers by maintaining cascade airflow from areas of lower to higher contamination, and (2) the public by filtering releases prior to discharge to the environment. As a result, the preferred nuclear safety control strategy described in the SDS does not meet Department of Energy (DOE) requirements,” the Board letter states. The Board’s Feb. 2 letter marks the second time in recent weeks the DNFSB has questioned the Safety Design Strategy for the HLW Facility, having previously expressed concern over the facility’s ability to prevent hydrogen explosions.
According to a DNFSB staff report, the Safety Design Strategy for the HLW Facility proposes downgrading two components of the confinement ventilation system from “safety class” and “SC-1” to “safety significant” and “SC-3.” One component are the submerged bed scrubbers, which mitigate the consequences of the release of radioactive gas by maintaining a liquid seal that confines the offgas to the ventilated areas of the confinement ventilation system. The other component is the HEPA filters to be used with the HLW Melter Offgas Treatment System. “The SDS proposes downgrading the submerged bed scrubber and the HOP system HEPA filters to safety significant and SC-III. As a result, a potential unfiltered release pathway for radioactive offgas exists to occupied spaces outside the confinement boundary of the C5V system and possibly to the environment,” the staff report says.
It also notes, “Following a seismic DBA, the HFP system vessels will be above atmospheric pressure. Because the SDS proposes downgrading the HOP system HEPA filters to safety significant and SC-III, a potential unfiltered release pathway exists to occupied spaces outside the confinement boundary of the C5V system and possibly to the environment.”
Board Wants Report in 90 Days
The Board staff said that “alternative engineered controls” may be available that could be added to the HLW Facility design to offset the downgrading of the two components. “The engineered controls would be designed to prevent the unfiltered releases through the confinement boundary of the C5V system following a seismic DBA,” the staff report says, adding, “However, with the existing design, members of the Board’s staff conclude the proposed safety and seismic downgrade to the submerged bed scrubber and HOP HEPA filters does not meet DOE requirements.” The Board has asked DOE to provide within 90 days a report documenting the Department’s plan to “develop a nuclear safety control strategy such that the C5V system will be able to perform its intended safety functions effectively under the effects of a seismic design basis accident.” Neither the DOE Office of River Protection nor WTP contractor Bechtel National responded to requests for comment from WC Monitor this week.
Occupational Med. Contractor Earns 91 Percent of FY14 Fee
WC Monitor
2/6/2015
The occupational medical services provider at Hanford received almost 91 percent of the fee possible from the Department of Energy for its work in Fiscal Year 2014, DOE announced this week. HPM Corp. received $280,705 out of a possible $310,000. DOE found no significant deficiencies for the year and rated its work in categories of worker health and operational effectiveness as “excellent.” The remaining category, customer satisfaction, was “very good.” “The contractor met or exceeded the majority of performance goals and objectives,” said DOE’s summary of the evaluation.
DOE awarded HPM Corp., a small business, a contract estimated to be worth $99 million over six years in 2012 to provide occupational medical services to employees of DOE and environmental cleanup contractors at Hanford. An independent assessment by the Department of Health and Human Service’s Federal Occupational Health in 2014 rated HPM’s clinical operations as “excellent,” reflecting the high quality of services provided, according to DOE. It also found the medical, professional, support and management employees to be well qualified. The independent assessment concluded that HPM complied with federal, state and local regulations and guidelines as well as industry standards. HPM earned a high rating in patient satisfaction, reflecting survey responses from patients, according to DOE. Responses were favorable to questions directly related to how patients felt they were treated by HPM.
DOE also praised HPM for its communication within the Hanford nuclear reservation and beyond it. It provided strong support DOE’s Office of Communications and External Affairs. Among HPM’s duties is clearing workers to return to work after suspected exposures to chemical vapors at Hanford tank farms. The evaluation summary, which was all DOE made public, provided no direct information on its performance in that area.
DOE Needs to Address Comp. Claims From Workers Exposed to Vapors, HAB Says
WC Monitor
2/6/2015
The Department of Energy needs to address worker concerns about how their medical issues and worker compensation claims are handled after exposures to chemical vapors at the Hanford tank farms, members of the Hanford Advisory Board said at a meeting this week. The board agreed in principle to send advice to the DOE on worker health and safety issues related to exposure to chemical vapors, but planned to work out the wording of the advice late this week. The board agreed that DOE should issue strong guidance to Penser, its third-party insurance administrator, to support worker compensation claims associated with chemical vapor exposures. DOE is concerned that could send a message that Penser should take action not in line with state laws, said Greg Jones, DOE’s chief financial officer for Hanford. Penser compiles information, but the state of Washington makes the decision about whether compensation is granted or denied to workers, he said.
Since March 2014, 56 workers have received medical evaluations for possible exposure to chemical vapors from waste stored in Hanford’s underground tanks. An independent study commissioned by Washington River Protection Solutions concluded in late October that there is “a causal link between chemical vapor releases and subsequent health effects, particularly upper respiratory irritation, experience by tank farm workers.” Workers are concerned that exposure could cause serious health conditions long term.
For a successful worker compensation claim, a doctor has to document that the exposure to the vapor resulted in an injury or illness, Jones said. A doctor or other medical specialist also decides if a worker is too sick to return to work, he said. Workers routinely go to Hanford’s on-site medical provider and in some cases the Richland hospital for evaluations. They also have the option of seeing their own physician. After potential exposure issues, a public message is released that workers have been cleared to return to work, said board member Richard Bloom. But in some cases bloody noses or more serious symptoms persist after workers are told they are healthy enough to return to work, some board members said. “It leaves the impression of lack of caring for the worker’s situation,” Bloom said.
Workers can go to a local doctor with symptoms and show the list of 1,200 chemicals of potential concern that could be among those present in the vapors, said James Fluharty, a 25-year Hanford worker, who spoke during the public comment session of the meeting. But the doctor does not know how those chemicals may affect the worker, he said. Workers have the same issue if they try to apply for a federal Department of Labor program to compensate workers for illnesses caused by exposure to hazardous chemicals at Hanford. The studies have not been done to show the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program that vapors caused health problems years later, he said.
‘What We Are Asking For Is Some Leadership’
Workers can have great difficulties just getting state worker compensation claims processed, Bloom said. As information is compiled and medical reviews are pulled together for a decision by the state, the information “is not being packaged in a manner that would support the state evaluation process,” he said. The focus should be on properly bringing together the documentation to support the claim, he said. “What we are asking for is some leadership,” said board member Mike Korenko. Members have heard enough complaints to know that something is clearly not working correctly. “People for some reason are not comfortable with the way the process works,” said board member Maynard Plahuta. DOE needs to address that, he said.
Penser is not allowed to take a biased approach with the information it compiles, but DOE has asked it to improve its “bedside manner” in dealing with employees and that is evaluated as part of its fee award, Jones said. DOE has a worker compensation advocate on staff who works with Hanford employees and Penser to get claims filed, he said. DOE meets frequently with the state Department of Labor and Industries to understand what it needs to have included in claims. Next month DOE plans a series of worker compensation training sessions for Hanford employees to be held at the Richland Federal Building and after work hours at a union hall, he said.
Board Calls on DOE to Ensure Protective Gear is Readily Available
In other advice on tank vapors, the board agreed DOE should ensure that the correct personal protection equipment, such as ventilators, is available to all tank farm workers in a timely manner. Although not discussed at the meeting, a newly released weekly staff report for the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board indicated there have been problems with having enough respiratory protection equipment available. In December tank waste retrieval work was stopped periodically because of lack of respiratory protection available to meet increased safety requirements for chemical vapors. Newly purchased masks have a high failure rate for worker fit tests, the staff report said.
The board also agreed to advise DOE to conduct a follow-up evaluation to identify any long-term health effects in employees who have reported an exposure to chemical vapors over the past 20 years. The data could be used as a basis for the need for an epidemiological study of long-term health effects. DOE needs to accelerate implementation of engineering technologies to detect and control vapor emissions and exposures, according to draft advice. It also should provide clear communication with workers and the public following vapor exposures, the board agreed.
