The Savannah River Site’s management and operations contractor faces a $320,000 penalty after being cited by the Department of Energy for retaliating against an employee who reported a safety issue.
The Energy Department issued a preliminary notice of violation (PNOV) to Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS) on Wednesday. The violation, according to the department, occurred when SRNS in 2015 took action against an employee who had reported a “workplace safety and health concern.” Neither the department nor SRNS provided further comment on the safety issue in question, and what specific action SRNS took against the employee.
Other details on the issue were also scarce. Both the Energy Department and SRNS answered parts of inquires sent to them, but did not provide the identity of the employee or explain where at the 310-square-mile facility the incident occurred.
Energy Department spokesperson Sara Kinney said by email that SRNS committed a Severity Level 1 violation – which DOE classifies as the most serious type of violation. “Subjecting any employee to reprisal for expressing workplace safety and health concerns violates workers’ rights and undermines the Department’s ability to achieve our missions,” Kinney wrote.
The Nov. 8 announcement posted on the DOE website states that SRNS’ retaliation violated the Enhancement of Contractor Protection from Reprisal for Disclosure of Certain Information Act. As a result, SRNS was required to to provide compensation and reinstatement of the employee, suggesting the worker had been terminated. DOE did not provide details on the compensation.
In addition, the department imposed a $320,000 penalty. “DOE considers the safety significance of the violation as particularly egregious given the involvement of SRNS senior management in the retaliatory act,” the agency stated.
Savannah River Nuclear Solutions must provide a written response to the PNOV. In the response, the contractor can accept the violation and pay the penalty, or it can contest the violation. If it chooses the latter, the issue would be reviewed and adjudicated by DOE, and then a final notice would be issued.
SRNS spokesperson Angie French said the contractor is reviewing the violation and has not yet made a decision. “SRNS takes great pride in our robust, employee-driven safety culture,” she stated by email. “We support a sound Worker Safety and Health program, one in which employees are encouraged to report concerns without fear of reprisal, and we are confident that we have made tremendous progress and implemented comprehensive actions to address any aspects of the violations that may be noted in the PNOV.”
SRNS is a partnership of Fluor, Honeywell, and Stoller Newport News Nuclear. Its missions at the Savannah River Site encompass cleanup, building deactivation and decommissioning, tritium production for nuclear weapons, and operation of the Savannah River National Laboratory. The current $9.5 billion management and operations contract is scheduled to expire on July 31, 2018.
