RICHLAND, Wash. - The EM Office of River Protection (ORP) and Hanford tank farms contractor Washington River Protection Solutions (WRPS) continue to take actions to protect workers from potential exposure to chemical vapors.
The chemical vapors protection program integrates industrial hygiene best practices with engineering controls, use of personal protection equipment, and robust communications with the workforce before, during and after work is performed. This strategy reinforces Hanford’s rigorous site-wide integrated safety management system to identify industrial hazards and implement worker safety and health protections appropriate for the work.
“Worker involvement is key to this approach," said Brian Vance, ORP manager. “We are holding regular meetings with workers to foster open dialogue and early identification of safety concerns."
Timely information about Hanford tank vapors and workforce protections is available to workers and stakeholders on a website developed by WRPS. The hanfordvapors.com website provides current and historical data, sampling results, background information, reference materials, and regular industrial hygiene program updates.
A settlement agreement signed last week stays a three-year lawsuit citing concerns about potential health risks posed by vapors vented from mixed hazardous waste stored in underground tanks at Hanford. The suit was filed by the State of Washington, Hanford Challenge, and Local 598 of the United Association of Plumbers and Steamfitters. The agreement recognizes some of the protective efforts undertaken over the past few years.
ORP and WRPS continue to partner with workers to address respiratory protections, cartridge testing for air-purifying respirators, and the implementation of additional engineered controls and other approaches to tank vapors.
Other actions include testing of systems that reduce vapors or disperse them quickly in an area above workers’ breathing zones. Work is also underway to develop a customized set of hazard controls for each waste-disturbing activity in the tank farms and to complete the design of a monitoring and detection system that could be used in the farms. Public address and event notification systems have also been installed in the tank farms to facilitate immediate notifications to workers.
-Contributor: Rob Roxburgh
Source: U.S. Dept. of Energy, Office of Environmental Management
