Energy Secretary talks about safety with DOE workers
Energy Secretary Steven Chu
United States Secretary of Energy, Steven Chu, comes to Richland today to talk with Hanford workers about the importance of safety.
About 1,000 Department of Energy employees gathered at Howard Amon Park to hear the Energy Secretary speak.
Chu says workers are the DOE's greatest asset, and keeping safety a top priority will help them finish their work more efficiently.
Over the past two years, there have been safety concerns about the vit plant.
Chu says workers shouldn't be afraid to speak up if they suspect a problem.
"We want our employees to report their safety concerns and we look at them and consider them and take them very seriously. And that is no different. And we then need to act on it, and get back to the employees - this is what we found, this is what we're doing and so on" said Chu.
The $12 billion vitrification plant is being designed to turn radioactive waste into glass.
It's expected to be completed in 2019.