The Department of Energy’s Chief Health, Safety and Security Officer, Glenn Podonsky, appears to be skeptical that changes in management personnel are needed to respond to safety culture concerns at the Hanford Waste Treatment Plant. Earlier this month, Podonsky’s office issued a report outlining the results of a second review conducted on the safety culture of one of DOE’s largest projects, finding that a significant number of federal and contractor employees had concerns about raising safety issues. When asked in an interview with WC Monitor late last week if management changes are needed at the project, Podonsky said it is up to DOE line management to make such decisions. “Our role is to provide independent, unbiased, unfiltered information to the DOE line,” he said. “It’s up to the line to make those determinations.”
Podonsky went on to say, though, “The change that we would like to see, that we do have an opinion on, is we would like to see the current management team out there back to Headquarters to understand what the current safety culture is there so they can address it.” He added, “I would tell you I have seen over my short three decades in the Department where managers are changed out and that doesn’t necessarily fix the problem. All that does is put a new set of eyes on the situation. It really has to be something where the acceptance and understanding of safety being the priority because we also believe, as the safety organization that as you take care of your people and they feel that they’re being taken care of, they will take care of the mission.”
Podonsky also rejected calls made by some activists for a stop to work on some portions of the Hanford vit plant until safety culture concerns are fully addressed. “This is not a time for—and this would not be our call, let me make that clear—a safety stand-down,” he said. “A safety stand down, and again this is not my call, is for a specific event, a specific lesson learned,” Podonsky said, adding, “Here’s a situation where you’re talking about culture and … how do you [instill] that within the population. It starts with the top of the organization and it starts with their having the staff believe that, like in a safety conscious work environment, they are encouraged to raise issues, not discouraged.”
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