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Hydro Plant Industrial Hygiene

Report Information

Date Issued
Report Number
2020-15756
Report Type
Inspection / Evaluation
Description
The Office of the Inspector General determined the Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA) industrial hygiene (IH) planning and assessment process had weaknesses that resulted in some hazards not being identified and evaluated. Specifically, we identified the following IH process weaknesses: (1) TVA relied on limited information to identify health hazards; (2) there was no formal evaluation of the risks posed by identified hazards; (3) IH plans did not prioritize hazards; and (4) incomplete monitoring efforts allowed misalignment between procedures, plans, and exposure assessments. We also determined TVA took appropriate actions to address adverse conditions, which were identified during assessments at hydro plants; however, TVA did not maintain employee notification records as required by internal procedures. In addition, we identified opportunities for improvement related to clarifying responsibilities for notification and monitoring of contractor actions taken to address IH recommendations.
Joint Report
Yes
Participating OIG
Tennessee Valley Authority OIG
Agency Wide
Yes (agency-wide)
Questioned Costs
$0
Funds for Better Use
$0
View report on Oversight.gov

Recommendations

We recommend the Director, Safety, consider amending the Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA) Safety Procedure, Implement Industrial Hygiene Activities, to require TVA to conduct periodic monitoring of actions taken by contract employers to address adverse conditions identified in industrial hygiene exposure assessments.

We recommend the Director, Safety, revise the Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA) Safety Procedure, Implement Industrial Hygiene Activities, to identify when TVA should receive industrial hygiene exposure assessments issued to contractors as well as define associated responsibilities for any adverse conditions identified in such reports.

We recommend the Senior Vice President, Power Operations, take steps to include signed exposure letters in employee medical files.

We recommend the Senior Vice President, Power Operations, complete actions to address employee identified issues related to: (1) asbestos at Apalachia Hydro, (2) gas smell at Nottely Hydro, and (3) mold at Raccoon Mountain.

We recommend the Director, Safety, evaluate the broad job responsibilities and duties of industrial hygiene and determine if staffing levels are appropriate to ensure proper coverage and effective implementation of needed program changes.