nuclear-news

Hanford radioactive waste plant – safety violations

Safety, health violations under investigation at Hanford nuclear waste plant, Oregon Live,  By The Associated Press  November 21, 2012 LOS ANGELES — A federal investigation has found that a California company might have committed a wide range of safety and health violations at a plant it is building in Washington state to treat high-level radioactive waste, a published report said Wednesday. 

The Energy Departmenthalted construction at theHanford, Wash., plant earlier this year in light of allegations involving serious design and construction flaws,the Los Angeles Times reported.  The plant being built by San Francisco-based Bechtel National Inc. will treat an estimated 56 million gallons of radioactive waste created from about half a century of nuclear weapons production.

The waste is stored in underground tanks. At least some of those tanks are leaking radioactive sludge, posing a threat to the nearby Columbia River and making the $12 billion Hanford plant one of the most urgent environmental projects in the nation.

The agency report obtained by the Times said Bechtel failed to follow procedures, train workers and correct items that did not meet requirements. The problems included corrosion in pipes and containers.

The probe adds weight to concerns voiced earlier by scientists about the design of a sophisticated mixing and filtering system that would condense radioactive waste so it can be cast into solid glass for long-term storage. …. http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2012/11/safety_health_violations_under.html

November 22, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | safety, USA