The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) has determined that the Department of Energy’s implementation plan for emergency preparedness and response at the Pantex Plant would properly address safety issues at the Texas site, according to a Sept. 2 letter from DNFSB Chairman Joyce Connery to Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz.
This letter came in response to Moniz’s June 16 letter to DNFSB regarding the improvements DOE plans to make to the Pantex emergency management program by next June in areas such as staffing, training, and infrastructure.
“If the Plan is implemented fully, it will address the safety issues identified in Recommendation 2015-1,” Connery wrote in the latest letter to DOE, noting that the implementation plan meets DNFSB’s criteria as an adequate plan.
The DNFSB said last December that accident scenarios such as tornados, floods, or earthquakes could lead to dispersal of radioactive material from Pantex onto public lands. The DOE plan is intended to address areas of concern such as drill and exercise program weaknesses at the plant, deficiencies in timely delivery of information to the public on off-site radiological issues, and inadequate decision-making tools.
According to the implementation plan, underlying issues causing program weaknesses included staffing shortages in the Pantex Emergency Management Department, aging alarm system infrastructure, lack of proper attention by management, and inconsistent contractor and federal oversight of the emergency management program.
The nuclear warhead assembly and disassembly plant has taken steps to enhance its training and drill process in fiscal 2015 in addition to filling emergency services management positions, according to the DOE plan. Other planned actions include replacement of the fire alarm and radiation alarm monitoring systems, establishment of a frequency for drills based on the probability and severity of certain scenarios, and provision of semiannual briefings to off-site agencies on Pantex hazards and protective actions.
