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March
2, 2001
Energy
Department Cites Argonne National Laboratory-West
for Violating Nuclear Safety Requirements
The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of
Environment, Safety and Health has cited the University
of Chicago, operator of the Argonne National Laboratory-West
Laboratory in Idaho Falls, Idaho, for several
nuclear safety violations that took place in 2000.The
enforcement action would have been accompanied
by a civil penalty of $110,000, but as the University
of Chicago is one of the not-for-profit institutions
currently exempt by statute from paying civil
penalties, the penalty is remitted.
"We support this action not because there
were serious injuries or environmental releases,
but because we understand the value of identifying
and correcting problems before they result in
serious worker injuries, or accidents that could
hurt the public," said Marvin Gunn, manager
of DOE's Chicago Operations Office. "Argonne
has already made significant management changes
and we expect this action will reinforce the commitment
to make those changes permanent and effective."
One issue addressed in the Preliminary Notice
of Violation concerns an April 2000 event in which
a worker was contaminated while patching penetration
holes at the Fuel Conditioning Facility, a facility
used to prepare spent fuel for disposal. DOE found
that the laboratory failed to effectively analyze
the planned work activity and its associated hazards,
and did not use design and administrative controls
that would minimize worker exposures to hazardous
materials. Although the worker intake resulting
from the event was low, the activity involved
the potential for significant levels of contamination.
The laboratory was also cited for failing to follow
procedures for moving containers into a radiologically
controlled area at the Fuel Conditioning Facility.
Subsequent investigations by Argonne staff revealed
that similar violations had been occurring over
the past several years. While fissile material
was not involved in the transfer, DOE is concerned
with the long-standing and widespread nature of
the violations in a radiological area, and the
failure to maintain strict compliance with nuclear
safety requirements.
The Notice also cites the Laboratory for its failure
to effectively implement a formal quality improvement
effort -- meaning that processes for detecting
problems were not effective, root cause analyses
were not routinely performed and corrective actions
were often inadequate. Problems in the quality
improvement area had been repeatedly identified
to Argonne management in prior DOE reviews.
The Argonne-West Notice identifies two Severity
Level II and two Severity Level III violations.
Level I violations represent the most significant,
with actual or potential significant consequences
to the worker or public. In response to the Notice
of Violation (whether or not there is a civil
penalty), contractors are required to document
specific actions taken and planned to prevent
recurrence of similar events. The Chicago Operations
Office will verify completion of corrective actions
before the case is closed.
DOE noted that management changes have been made
since the violations took place to put greater
emphasis and visibility on nuclear safety requirements.
These improvements include training and strengthening
procedural requirements for nuclear work. Continued
management attention to the weaknesses reflected
in this enforcement action will be critical in
order to achieve a substantial improvement in
the safety culture for operations at Argonne National
Lab-West.
Argonne National Laboratory West is part of the
Argonne National Laboratory, which is operated
by the University of Chicago for DOE. The laboratory
performs large-scale nuclear facility testing
and development to support research in the areas
of energy, nuclear safety, spent nuclear fuel
disposition, nonproliferation, and decontamination
and decommissioning technologies.
The Price-Anderson Amendments Act of 1988 requires
DOE to undertake regulatory enforcement actions
against contractors for violations of DOE's nuclear
safety requirements. This enforcement action was
taken with the support and participation of the
Department's Chicago Operations Office. Additional
details can be found on the Internet at http://www.eh.doe.gov/enforce.
Media Contact: Lisa Cutler, DOE HQ, 202/586-5806
Joe Davis, DOE HQ, 202/586-4940
Brian Quirke, DOE Chicago, 630/252-2010
Number: R-01-034 |
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