WASHINGTON, March 16 (UPI) -- The Energy Department on Thursday fined Bechtel National Incorporated $198,000 for violations of nuclear safety requirements.
The violations occurred during BNI's work on the design and construction of the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant between May 2002 and September 2005, the department said in a statement.
"Violations include failure to abide by design codes documented in facility safety requirements, failure to abide by inspection requirements for waste processing vessels, failure to utilize correct suppliers to fabricate certain components, and calculation errors resulting in inconsistencies in structural steel design requirements," the statement said.
The department said BNI had taken aggressive corrective actions to prevent recurrence of the deficiencies.
"If left uncorrected, the design and construction issues could have adversely effected the operation of the WTP compromising the Department's ability to process radioactive waste currently being stored at the Hanford Tank farms and posing potential safety and health risks to workers and the public," the statement said.
