Oregon Public Broadcasting

The U.S. Department of Energy said Monday it plans to fine a Hanford Nuclear Reservation contractor more than $40,000. The government is punishing the company because it fired an employee who raised safety concerns. Richland correspondent Anna King reports.

The waste treatment plant being built at Hanford will turn liquid radioactive goo into more stable glass logs.

An engineer working on the project was worried about the way some monitoring software was working. Once his computer screen went blank. But after he brought up those concerns to his employer, Bechtel, in 2005 -- he was fired.

Tony Weadock is with the Department of Energy. He says catching safety issues early will make sure there aren’t bigger problems later.

Tony Weadock: "This is what DOE wants -- a workforce that is attuned to how we are supposed to do business, what we are expecting. And then something comes up a little different, someone lets bring that up and make sure we’re where we want to be."

Bechtel issued a statement saying it has been working to improve its safety culture.  The company has 30 days to respond, or accept the fine.