Contractors at four Department of Energy sites aren’t properly handling and storing explosives used in research experiments, the DOE’s Inspector General said in an inspection report released yesterday. The DOE watchdog examined explosives handling procedures at four sites—Los Alamos National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories, the Savannah River Site, and Idaho National Laboratory—and found that DOE procedures were not always being followed. Among the problems the IG found, it said that the Savannah River Site and Idaho National Laboratory conducted inspections of explosives shipments during the busiest times of the day and in populated areas, against DOE policies, and it said that procedures at both sites allow for unsafe explosives shipments to be returned to public highways “possibly exposing the general public to hazardous conditions.” The IG also said that Sandia officials created an “unacceptable safety risk” when they did not analyze the hazards involved in storing the remains of explosives that had undergone testing with other active explosives.
In addition, the IG said that excess material was being kept in storage bunkers at the four sites, some bunkers were mislabeled, and excess explosives waste was not disposed of quickly. “These actions could have resulted in injury to employees and members of the public from unanticipated explosives events,” the IG said, noting that the issues were resolved at each of the sites after they were identified. “We found that Department management had not focused the attention needed to ensure that the responsible facilities contractors properly implemented Department policies for handling and storing explosives, as required.”