Training dealing with hazardous radioactive materials was last conducted in Paducah seven years ago, and is not yet part of the plant's safety training courses, the investigation found. Rep. Ed Whitfield, R-1st District, who will be part of tomorrow's hearing by the House Commerce Committee's oversight and investigations subcommittee, got a private Energy Department briefing yesterday. The report suggests a culture of lax oversight and a low priority within DOE of the Paducah facility. There is no operational necessity for Oak Ridge to continue managing and overseeing these sites. Money for Paducah .
Federal investigators continue to probe safety conditions at the plant.
The team also is studying the feasibility of measuring individual radiation doses of workers. The project is to be completed by April 2000. A study is determining where, over the decades, recycled uranium came from and went to in the Paducah plant, and to identify the contaminants in that uranium, such as plutonium, technetium, neptunium and other radioactive materials. Two full-time DOE representatives will be stationed at Paducah to watch operations and safety practices. Worker training programs will be expanded to deal more completely with radiation protection procedures and environmental protection efforts.