USW: Hanford USW Member Appointed to Radiation Advisory Board

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	Hanford USW Member Appointed to Radiation Advisory Board

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U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell
Washington
For Immediate Release
December 21, 2006
Contact: Press Office, (202) 224-8277

Hanford Worker, Nominated by Cantwell, To Be Appointed to Top National Occupational Safety and Health Panel

Tri-Cities resident named to NIOSH Advisory Board, will provide nuclear worker’s perspective on health, workers’ compensation issues

SEATTLE, WA – U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) announced that M. Josie Beach, a Tri-Cities resident and nuclear chemical operator at Hanford, will be appointed on the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health. On Wednesday, President Bush announced his intention to appoint her to this position. Beach, nominated for the post by Cantwell in April, currently works for CH2M Hill, Tank Farms at Hanford. The NIOSH Advisory Board advises the Secretary of Health and Human Services on worker radiation exposure and safety issues, and plays a central role in workers’ compensation decisions.

"As a Washingtonian with more than two decades of experience with radioactive materials, Josie Beach will add an invaluable perspective to the Advisory Board," said Cantwell, a member of the Senate Energy Committee. "She will help make sure our federal government gives fair treatment to former nuclear workers suffering from work-related illnesses, and will help improve workplace safety to make sure we protect those currently working to clean up sites like Hanford. This nomination is great news for the Northwest and a win for all present and former Hanford workers."

Beach is trained in more than 30 nuclear industry courses and has 20 years of experience working with nuclear materials, including fissile materials that require critical safety controls. She leads an Occupational Safety, Health & Environmental Committee, is a certified trainer on hazardous waste and respiratory issues in the workplace, and has extensive experience working with hazardous waste materials, improving operation safety, and minimizing dangers to workers.

The recently-vacated seat Beach will fill provides a worker’s perspective on the NIOSH Advisory Board. The NIOSH Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health reviews data on worker radiation exposure and advises the Secretary of Health and Human Services on worker radiation exposure issues, and on decisions involving compensation for former nuclear workers. The Advisory Board’s makeup balances medical, scientific, and worker perspectives.

The Advisory Board has dealt frequently with Hanford worker radiation exposure issues. At present, NIOSH is reviewing a petition submitted by former Hanford workers for compensation for work-related illnesses. The workers submitted the petition for Special Exposure Cohort (SEC) status in November, and NIOSH will issue a recommendation within 180 days of accepting the petition. The Advisory Board will then conduct an independent review of the petition and submit a recommendation to the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

SEC status, which is intended to remove an otherwise insurmountable burden of proof placed on workers, would make former employees automatically eligible for workers compensation. Without SEC status, deficiencies in radiation exposure data may make it impossible for many of these workers to receive compensation for radiation-related illnesses.