The U.S. senators from Washington state are calling on the Department of Energy’s inspector general to assess the safety environment at the Hanford Site, including investigating its third-party administrator for workers’ compensation claims. The request comes after DOE notified the administrator, Penser North America, that it would end its contract without exercising all options for extensions. The agency said the decision was based on its overall contracting strategy.
Democratic Sens. Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray said they have heard complaints from Hanford personnel and union officials that claims for workers exposed to dangerous materials are not adequately addressed. “Multiple accounts of workers’ compensation claims being dismissed on arbitrary grounds, tactics bordering on intimidation and actions taken to discredit claims have been shared with us,” wrote the two senators in a letter sent on Wednesday to acting DOE Inspector General April Stephenson.
The Department of Energy contracted Penser to manage workers’ compensation claims submitted to the Washington state Department of Labor and Industries, which approves or denies the claims. Although Washington state law dictates the terms of the workers’ compensation program, DOE is responsible for the selection and oversight of its administrator, the senators said. “We believe the department has a responsibility to review the performance of that administrator,” they told Stephenson.
The lawmakers are asking the Office of the Inspector General to review any allegations of harassment or intimidation of workers who have filed claims due to workplace-related injuries or illnesses at Hanford. They also are requesting a breakdown of claims both approved and denied related to chemical vapors associated with the Hanford waste storage tank farms. Their letter lists several questions they want the IG to answer, including whether doctors selected by Penser are qualified to determine whether health conditions are caused by exposure to chemicals at Hanford.
