The Department of Energy activated last night the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) Emergency Operations Center as a precautionary measure in response to slightly elevated radiological readings at the WIPP site. According to DOE, at approximately 6 p.m. MST, radiological control technicians detected minute levels of radiation on the filter at Station B where air is exhausted from the WIPP underground, and as a precaution, personnel were directed to shelter in place. According to DOE, technicians have not received any indication of a release underground, and there is no indication of any kind of radiological release leaving the WIPP site. More information will be made available as it develops, DOE said.
WIPP EOC Activated
DNFSB resident inspector checks out emergency drill at Hanford
A Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) resident inspector watched an emergency drill at the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site in Washington state in August to see how crews might handle an earthquake that damaged facilities within the tank farms. “An RI [resident inspector] observed an emergency preparedness event-scene limited drill simulating a seismic event […]