DOE CHOOSES NOT TO FINE WAI FOR SAFETY INCIDENT AT OAK RIDGE TRU CENTER

Wastren Advantage Inc. won’t face a financial penalty for an incident that occurred at the Oak Ridge Transuranic Waste Processing Center earlier this year in which workers were inadvertently cut off from their breathing air during activities in the Box Breakdown Area of the TWPC. In a July 30 enforcement letter, the Department of Energy’s Office of Enforcement and Oversight said the incident revealed “potential violations” of DOE nuclear safety management requirements and worker safety and health requirements. The purpose of the enforcement letter is to “highlight concerns about the effectiveness of WAI’s nuclear safety management and worker safety and health programs,” Office of Enforcement and Oversight Director John Boulden wrote. “The facts and circumstances of this occurrence indicate programmatic weaknesses in multiple aspects of WAI’s safety program. Additionally, several recent, related occurrences may indicate a negative trend in the areas of conduct of operations and work processes that warrant your continued attention and focus.”