Contractor Cited for Failing to Correct Nuclear Safety Violations

Feb. 2, 2000
Kaiser-Hill Co. received its second civil penalty for failing to implement aggressive corrective actions it committed to as part of an enforcement action last year.

The Department of Energy (DOE) issued a second civil penalty to Kaiser-Hill Co., operator of the department's Rocky Flats Technology site in Colorado, for failing to correct nuclear safety violations.

The company was fined $55,000 because it did not adequately implement aggressive corrective actions it had committed to as part of an enforcement action last year.

A civil penalty of $82,500 was issued in August 1999 to Kaiser-Hill for problems with its procurement processes in 1997 and 1998.

In that case, DOE found that the contractor purchased 69 defective nuclear waste containers without adequately evaluating the quality controls used by the supplier.

At the time of last year's action, the department said that it would defer enforcement action on additional similar violations provided that Kaiser-Hill made effective corrective actions that would prevent recurrence of the problems.

However, a recent DOE review found continued procurement-related problems that should have been avoided by the previous corrective actions.

For example, in September 1999, workers identified quality problems with garments used to protect them from radioactive contamination.

Kaiser-Hill again presented plans to resolve issues, including consolidation of all previous prior action plans into a comprehensive plan.

This plan would include the establishment of a procurement review team to evaluate and approve procurement requests for services, and assignment of a dedicated senior floor manager to monitor receiving and inspection activities.

DOE again determined that these action, if fully implemented, would be appropriate.

About the Author

EHS Today Staff

EHS Today's editorial staff includes:

Dave Blanchard, Editor-in-Chief: During his career Dave has led the editorial management of many of Endeavor Business Media's best-known brands, including IndustryWeekEHS Today, Material Handling & LogisticsLogistics Today, Supply Chain Technology News, and Business Finance. In addition, he serves as senior content director of the annual Safety Leadership Conference. With over 30 years of B2B media experience, Dave literally wrote the book on supply chain management, Supply Chain Management Best Practices (John Wiley & Sons, 2021), which has been translated into several languages and is currently in its third edition. He is a frequent speaker and moderator at major trade shows and conferences, and has won numerous awards for writing and editing. He is a voting member of the jury of the Logistics Hall of Fame, and is a graduate of Northern Illinois University.

Adrienne Selko, Senior Editor: In addition to her roles with EHS Today and the Safety Leadership Conference, Adrienne is also a senior editor at IndustryWeek and has written about many topics, with her current focus on workforce development strategies. She is also a senior editor at Material Handling & Logistics. Previously she was in corporate communications at a medical manufacturing company as well as a large regional bank. She is the author of Do I Have to Wear Garlic Around My Neck?, which made the Cleveland Plain Dealer's best sellers list.

Nicole Stempak, Managing Editor:  Nicole Stempak is managing editor of EHS Today and conference content manager of the Safety Leadership Conference.

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