Staff Reports
NS&D Monitor
6/19/2015

The National Nuclear Security Administration confirmed this week that it has lifted the “Code Blue” designation at the Pantex nuclear weapons plant, according to NNSA spokeswoman Shelley Laver. Laver said the Code Blue, which involved a “new hazard scenario” for the B61 and B80 weapons operations, was initiated on May 3 and closed last week, but did not reveal the details surrounding the hazard scenario and actions taken to address it. Laver confirmed that the hazard scenario, which was associated with containers used to package specific explosive components, did not pose any safety risks to plant workers or the public.

Earlier, the NNSA said a Code Blue is “called when an issue or condition could have significant impact on meeting program requirements.” The statement noted, “Declaring a Code Blue ensures engagement of not only senior NNSA and Pantex management, but also other experts across the NNSA enterprise who can assist in resolving the issue.” Laver indicated that operations at Pantex had continued over the past month so that scheduled deliverables could be met while addressing the problem.