RICHLAND, Wash. (AP) - An employee at the Hanford nuclear reservation stopped some work at the radioactive waste tank farms Monday afternoon over beryllium controls.
The Tri-City Herald reports (https://goo.gl/kJLHbD ) work resumed Tuesday after managers met with the employee to discuss concerns.
The order stopped all activities requiring beryllium controls or intrusive work in the tank farms.
Hanford has a program to control exposure to beryllium, and a worker questioned whether the program was appropriately implemented at the tank farms by contractor Washington River Protection Solutions.
Beryllium is a metal that can cause an incurable respiratory illness in susceptible workers who breathe in fine particles.
The company allows a stop work order to be lifted if a manager and employee can reach agreement.
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Information from: Tri-City Herald, https://www.tri-cityherald.com
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