Statement on safety at Hanford by Bechtel

Suzanne Heaston, Bechtel’s spokeswoman in Richland. (Bechtel is the prime waste treatment plant contractor.)

WTP management and employees are fully committed to a strong nuclear safety and quality culture, and we welcome every opportunity to improve it. We will work with the DOE to carefully study the DNFSB report and any supporting information provided to identify further opportunities for enhancement.

We continually work to make improvements to our nuclear safety culture, including over the past year, enhancing management communication of commitments and expectations for nuclear safety, and training of more than 1,500 employees and their managers.

Numerous evaluations have been performed to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the WTP culture. Results of the evaluations conducted by independent internal and external assessments and surveys of nearly one thousand employees have consistently found that the vast majority of WTP employees feel comfortable that they can and do raise issues, and are aware of and frequently use the many avenues made available to raise issues of any type.

Continuous improvement in our Nuclear Safety and Quality culture is fundamental to a strong WTP, and our efforts will continue. We welcome the opportunity to review any information that will help us make further enhancements to our programs and our culture.