Report: Idaho National Lab Mishandled Dangerous Explosives

Idaho National Laboratory in Idaho Falls has been failing to properly handle and store explosives, putting some workers in jeopardy. That’s the upshot of a new report by the U.S. Department of Energy.

Idaho National Laboratory is doing a lot of things right in handling its high-explosives. But, the Energy Department’s Office of Inspector General found that the lab was shipping explosives in trucks through its main gate, sometimes even at rush hour. That, says the federal agency, is not OK. The lab should be using a more remote spot and when few people are around, the report says. Ethan Huffman is the spokesman for Idaho National Laboratory.

Huffman: “It’s of a nature of something that we take very seriously, and we are going to work on implementing those recommendations in the near future.”

DOE’s Inspector General says Idaho National Lab has 70 working days to return with a formal “management decision” or plan of action.

Copyright 2012 Northwest Public Radio

DOE Office of Inspector General:
http://energy.gov/ig/office-inspector-general

Idaho National Lab:
https://inlportal.inl.gov

Read the full report:
http://energy.gov/node/375805