DOE Finds Weaknesses in Pantex Emergency Response Procedures
NS&D Monitor
4/24/2015
The Department of Energy’s Office of Enterprise Assessments was critical of a Pantex emergency response exercise, identifying several weaknesses with the procedure in a recent report. While DOE said in the report that plant manager Consolidated Nuclear Security “exhibited generally good command and control” during the exercise, it said information wasn’t acquired, recorded or disseminated in a timely manner, and that procedures for the exercise lacked specificity. When they were specific, workers involved in the exercise relied on personal experience, calling into question whether the exercise could be successfully repeated. “Therefore, the exercise did not effectively validate CNS manuals or procedures, or ensure that the same objectives, if performed by different personnel, would be completed in a similar manner,” DOE said.
The exercise, which was conducted in August of last year, involved a response to a severe weather event at the plant with significant damage, mass casualties and radiological and chemical releases. DOE said similar issues have been raised after previous exercises, suggesting “ongoing weakness” with the plant’s emergency management program. CNS spokesman Jason Bohne said officials are working to correct the problems identified in the report. “We are aware of the findings and opportunities for improvement identified in this assessment and are working closely with the NNSA Production Office to address them,” Bohne said in a statement. “We are constantly striving to improve the emergency management program at the Pantex and Y-12 sites to ensure the continued protection of the health and safety of our employees, the public, and the environment around these facilities.”
