April 27, 2011

DOE Oversight of Defense Nuclear Facilities

In response to recommendations from the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, the Department of Energy (DOE) agreed to implement changes to its procedures for overseeing the safety of facilities in the nation’s nuclear weapons complex.

DOE self-regulates hundreds of its own defense nuclear facilities through its Office of Health, Safety, and Security (HSS). The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board is an independent federal agency established by Congress in 1988. The Board’s mandate under the Atomic Energy Act is to provide safety oversight of the nuclear weapons complex operated by DOE.

In a November 2010 letter to DOE, the Board was critical of DOE’s procedures for meeting safety requirements. More specifically, the Board claimed that DOE lacked “a clear and unambiguous set of nuclear safety requirements to ensure that adequate protection of the public, workers, and the environment is provided.”

Accordingly, the Board issued six recommendations to DOE and HSS regarding DOE’s Standard 3009 (Preparation Guide for U.S. Department of Energy Nonreactor Nuclear Facility Documented Safety Analysis). As a result of the recommendations, DOE and HSS agreed to:

• Revise Standard 3009 to clearly indicate which of its provisions are mandatory.
• Revise Standard 3009 to clarify the use of the Evaluation Guideline in accident analyses for both new and existing facilities. The guideline applies a dose criterion to the results of accident calculations.
• Evaluate the documented safety analyses for all facilities as part of the required periodic update process.
• Clarify the safety basis approval process. The safety basis is a technical analysis that helps ensure safe design and operation of DOE’s nuclear facilities.
• Review the protocols and delegation processes that ensure the independent oversight of HSS.

DOE’s response to the Board’s recommendations was published in the March 25, 2011, FR.