The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) has issued consent orders to Los Alamos National Security (LANS) and National Security Technologies (NSTec) for the loss of contamination control of highly enriched uranium at the Nevada National Security Site’s National Criticality Experiments Research Center at the Device Assembly Facility (DAF) in June and October of 2014, according to two June 14 Department of Energy Office of Enterprise Assessments (EA) letters made public late on July 1.
NSTec, responsible for managing the DAF, and LANS, responsible for the programmatic work and nuclear operations within the research center, were both cited for their role in the incidents. Thirty-one employees tested positive for uranium intake spanning from 0.001 rem to 0.131 rem “committed effective dose (50 year),” following a June 2014 discovery of radiological contamination outside of the Godiva critical assembly device contamination area, EA said.
In August 2014, the NNSA suspended operations at the Godiva facility after receiving those bioassay results, which NNSS spokesman Dante Pistone said showed “extremely small” levels of exposure for the 31 workers.
Then, in October, some contamination was detected outside Flattop, another critical assembly device, leading LANS to pause programmatic operations there at the end of the month.
Causal analyses of the spread of the radiological contamination identified inadequate worker and workplace monitoring, ineffective hazard identification, and communication and supervisory issues among the contributing factors. An assessment also found that the facility ventilation system could not adequately control the hazards of airborne contamination from Godiva operations, and that the airflow in that area was static.
An EA Office of Enforcement investigation beginning last June also identified noncompliances with departmental nuclear safety requirements including deficiencies in written procedures and in the monitoring of individuals, areas, and the air.
According to the terms of the two consent order agreements, LANS and NSTec must arrange independent effectiveness reviews of corrective actions taken so far following the incidents, implement adequate controls to minimize potential contamination, and ensure proper monitoring and oversight of radiological work to prevent and identify contamination issues.
The consent orders take the place of enforcement action with civil penalties, and the two contractors are expected to sign the order as a final settlement. The documents noted that LANS received a $500,000 contract fee reduction and NSTec a $87,000 reduction for the radiological contamination issue at NCERC.
Pistone said by email that “No contamination spread outside the facility, and there was no risk to the public or environment.”
According to Pistone, NSTec “has made significant progress in implementing corrective actions in response to the events and conditions described in the Consent Order.” A Los Alamos spokesman did not respond to a request for comment.
