June 6, 2015
The Department of Energy has issued a preliminary notice of violations against Babcock & Wilcox Y-12 Technical Services, the government’s former contractor at the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant, for two incidents in 2013 and proposed a total fine of $150,000.
B&W Y-12, a partnership of Babcock & Wilcox and Bechtel National, managed the Oak Ridge plant from late 2000 until July 1, 2014, when it was replaced by Consolidated Nuclear Security — a contractor team headed by Bechtel.
According to the notice sent to B&W executive David Richardson on May 27 and released publicly this week, DOE identified multiple health-and-safety violations with two events:
An April 3, 2013 accident in which a Y-12 worker was exposed to lithium hydride, suffering first- and second-degree burns to his face and scalp as well as a “respiratory injury.” The lithium powder was vented from a piece of recycling equipment as the worker, who was not wearing sufficiently protective gear, performed a test following a maintenance operation.
A July 28, 2013 event in which an M240B machine gun was unintentionally discharged inside an armored vehicle. Two security guards were slightly injured by flying fragments after a single armor-piercing round struck the vehicle’s interior wall. The report noted that the accident could have proved fatal.
“The National Nuclear Security Administration considers both events to be of high safety significance,” Frank Klotz, DOE’s undersecretary for nuclear security, said in the notice.
Aimee Mills, a corporate spokeswoman for Babcock & Wilcox, confirmed that the former contractor at Y-12 had received the notice of violations from DOE regarding the 2013 incidents.
“B&W Y-12 immediately implemented corrective actions following both incidents, and as the notice indicates, NNSA took these actions into account resulting in the proposed fine being reduced,” Mills stated. “B&W remains committed to safe and secure operations at every Department of Energy project where we have a presence.”
Mills did not comment on whether B&W plans to appeal the proposed fine or how Babcock and Bechtel would split the financial responsibility for the fine.
The DOE notice indicated that the total fine for the multiple violations on each of the incident could have been as high as $425,000.
However, the federal agency reduced the proposed fine on some violations because of mitigating actions taken by the contractor. Also fines for the firearm incident were not imposed because DOE had previously punished the contractor during its annual fee review.
Source:http://knoxblogs.com