SAFETY OF CW INCINERATION IN QUESTION

[Aimee Houghton <aimeeh@igc.org>]

From: Aimee Houghton <aimeeh@igc.org>
Subject: SAFETY OF CW INCINERATION IN QUESTION

CAREER/PRO will provide daily updates, as we receive them, on this trial.

Aimee Houghton
 *****************************

CHEMICAL WEAPONS WORKING GROUP 
P.O. Box 467, Berea, Kentucky 40403
Phone: (606) 986-7565 Fax: (606) 986-2695
e-mail: kefwilli@acs.eku.edu

for further information:
Bob Schaeffer (617) 489-0461
or in Utah (801) 372-8987
Craig Williams (606) 986-7565
for immediate release: Wednesday, March 27, 1996

Secret reports show Tooele chem. incinerator safety dangers
still existed more than a year after whistleblower was fired;

Recent inspections found no emergency 
response plan, no severe accident assessment, 
and inadequate hazard analyses.

 SALT LAKE CITY: MARCH 27, 1996 -- Formerly confidential
documents made public as part of the whistleblower
protection trial of Steven Jones, former safety manager at
the U.S. Army's Tooele, Utah chemical weapons incinerator,
reveal that as recently as last fall, the Army and its
contractor found environmental and safety problems identical
to those Jones reported before he was fired in September
1994. The documents admitted to the public record over the
strong objections of EG&G, the company that manages the
Tooele facility for the Army, include Operational Readiness
Evaluation (OREs) and a plant Pre-Operational Survey. 
 Ongoing problems at the facility as of late October, 1995,
included:

¥ absence of an approved Emergency Response Plan, a
deficiency that was still not corrected as of October 31,
1995;
¥ failure to analyze the impact of a catastrophic accident,
called a Maximum Critical Event (MCE). A report notes that
MCEs "must" be available to support daily emergency planning
since they are "essential to rapid accident assessment" and
delivery of information "to potentially threatened
communities.";
¥ faulty air circulation systems in the medical unit which
could pump agent from a contaminated worker into the rest of
the facility;
¥ the hazard analyses for the chemical deactivation furnace
was still not complete; 
¥ portions of the hazard analysis "seem to be missing" for
the liquid incinerator.
These items had all been rated Category I, the highest
possible level of risk. Other serious problems at the
facility, which were still not addressed well after Jones'
firing: 

¥ "Hazard analyses continue not to support actual hazards
found & identify hazards that are not found," Category I
issues that EG&G reports were not completed until
mid-February, 1995; 
¥ Forklifts used to move trays of rockets loaded with
chemical agent were overloaded and not used safely.
 Jones completed his testimony based on these and other
documents on Wednesday, and began responding to questions
from EG&G's attorney. Jones claims he was fired after
reporting serious environmental, health, and safety problems
at the Tooele facility, the first of 8 chemical weapons
incinerators the Army plans to construct on the U.S.
mainland. He is represented by lawyers from the non-profit
Government Accountability P, a whistleblower protection
organization, and John Preston Creer, a prominent Utah
attorney. The trial is expected to continue through this
Friday. Jones is seeking restoration of his job and
monetary damages for illegal termination. 

--30--

Copies of the recent Tooele incineration inspection reports
are available on request.