The Tennessee Valley Authority is not adequately monitoring the safety of workers at TVA’s hydroelectric stations or advising workers at its 29 power-producing dams of the potential hazards at its water-powered generators, according to a new assessment of the utility’s employee safety program.
In its second critical audit of TVA’s industrial hygiene program in the past month, the Office of Inspector General identified what it said were “weaknesses that resulted in some hazards not being identified” to protect workers. The TVA audit also said the federal utility doesn’t do enough to prioritize hazards and monitor dangers at its hydro units.
“TVA did not maintain employee notification records as required by internal procedures,” the TVA Inspector General said in a 20-page report about TVA’s industrial hygiene program at its dams. “TVA did not conduct a formal, documents risk assessment of health hazards at its hydro units; rather, risks were considered informally to assess hazards for a limited number of biennial exposure assessments.”
Although most TVA workers said in surveys they felt the utility adequately protected employees from health hazards, workers at Appalachia Hydro complained about exposure to asbestos, while workers at the Raccoon Mountain Pumped Storage facility worried about the prevalence of mold and Nottely Hydro workers complained about an ammonia smell in a sump pump.
The audit is similar to a critical audit at of the industrial hygiene program at TVA’s coal plants released in late July that identified at least four instances of employees being exposed to excessive silica and not being informed or protected as required under federal regulations.
The IG audits were some of the first in years of TVA’s industrial hygiene program and have prompted TVA to consider a number of steps to limit risks to the agency’s 10,000 workers.
Bob Dalrymple, senior vice president of resource management and operations services at TVA, said TVA plans to hire a consultant to evaluate its industrial hygiene program and make recommendations for changes after a 3-month analysis. TVA is also reviewing its staffing plans to see if more safety workers are needed.
“The health and safety of our workers remains a top priority and we appreciate the suggestions for improvement by the inspector general,” Dalrymple said Monday.
TVA plans to implement the changes recommended by the inspector general and Dalrymple said TVA is committed to continuous improvements in its employee safety programs.
“While there were some improvements recommended in this report, there was no compromise in the health and safety of TVA workers or on-site contractors and TVA is still in full compliance with OSHA standards,” he said.
Last year, TVA had the safest year in its 88-year history for worker safety, as measured by the fewest number of lost-time days due to injuries or problems at work. TVA ranks among the top 10% of U.S. utilities for the safety of its workers, Dalrymple said.
Contact Dave Flessner at dflessner@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6340.