October 08, 2014

LLNL Avoids Fine For 2013 Sulfuric Acid Burn Incident

By ExchangeMonitor

Already hit with a $365,000 fee reduction for a 2013 sulfuric acid burn event that left two employees with first- and second-degree burns, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory avoided further penalties for the incident, according to a Preliminary Notice of Violation sent to the lab last week. The workers received sulfuric acid burns to their face, extremities and torso from a direct acid splash when a 100-liter reaction vessel sprayed a work area at the lab’s Site 300. The workers were performing chemical synthesis of a high explosive. A third worker was exposed to sulfuric acid mist but encountered no other injuries, the NNSA said. “The event revealed deficiencies in work planning and control processes, emergency response, industrial hygiene, management responsibilities, and pressure safety,” National Nuclear Security Administration chief Frank Klotz said in a Sept. 25 letter to Livermore Director Bill Goldstein.

The NNSA declined to penalize Livermore beyond the $365,000 fee reduction already imposed on the lab, and a lab spokeswoman said the issues addressed in the investigation have been take care of. “The safety and security of the Laboratory’s employees, facilities and the surrounding communities remain of utmost importance,” spokeswoman Lynda Seaver said in a statement. “Since this incident the Laboratory has addressed the issues cited in the report. The Laboratory will continue to work with the Livermore Field Office of the National Nuclear Security Administration to ensure work is performed within accordance of all applicable health and safety requirements, that employees are properly trained and all safety protocols are followed.”

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