Los Alamos National Laboratory is adjusting key safety controls as it prepares for expanded plutonium operations, even as routine breakdowns persist, according to the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board’s weekly report for March 6.
The National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) Field Office approved the safety basis for Los Alamos’s plutonium facility in New Mexico during February. Triad National Security, the prime contractor in charge of management and operations at Los Alamos, has 60 days since the approval date to submit a plan on how the safety basis will be implemented.
According to the report, Triad accelerated the implementation by reducing seismic design and surveillance requirements for glovebox systems—primary confinement barriers for nuclear material. The changes are being pursued alongside ongoing upgrades and efforts to increase operational throughput, reflecting pressure to streamline activities as mission demands grow.
“Since Triad is in the process of removing old gloveboxes and installing numerous new ones to support pit production and other goals, Triad said in its letter that implementing this facet of the safety basis early will represent a significant benefit in terms of efficiency,” the report said. The Field Office approved the addendum.
At the same time, the report cites continued weaknesses in basic conduct of operations. During decontamination and decommissioning work, personnel encountered an “unexpected viscous liquid that dripped on one of their hoods,” and one worker had the inner of their two layers of personal protective equipment contaminated. While the area had significant contamination, no contamination spread outside it.
In a separate incident, a lapse in criticality safety controls allowed two fissile material containers to be staged in a single glovebox beyond established limits. The issue stemmed from a combination of equipment failures, including nonfunctional indicator lights, as well as communication breakdowns and unclear procedures.