Todd Jacobson
NS&D Monitor
4/04/2014

Operations at a Sandia National Laboratories explosives testing facility remain shut down after a worker was burned in December when an experiment malfunctioned, a lab spokesman said late last week. The Dec. 11 incident at the lab’s Site 9920 left a worker with burns to his hand when a detonator unexpectedly initiated in his hand following a test malfunction. After being treated at the site, the worker was taken to a local hospital where he received five stitches to his hand and treatment for his burns.

Lab spokesman Jim Danneskiold said operations at the site were paused and remain that way. “They will resume when all the controls and engineered safety measures are in place to minimize the risk of a similar accident in the future,” Danneskiold said. “Obviously they’re doing a complete look at everything they do there: all the operations, how they do them at the facilities, and how they relate to other organizations at the lab.”

A joint Sandia/NNSA Accident Investigation Board report completed last month criticized the lab for insufficient work planning and control of test operations, insufficient integration and understanding of the project, and failing to address potential hazards in the prototype device being tested. “The lack of rigor surrounding WP&C [work planning and control] and the lack of formality in conduct of explosive operations at Site 9920 suggests that an accident at the site was likely with another test, even if Site 9920 personnel had not accepted this particular project work,” the AIB report said.

The report also suggested significant work was necessary at the lab to improve its safety culture. “Typical approaches to advancing the maturity of safety culture have not been sufficiently tailored to reach all individuals in the workforce, according to their individual needs,” the report said. “For lasting change, organizations need to know that they must change, and their management must both commit to affecting needed change and engage the hearts and minds of individual workers.” Danneskiold said the lab was working closely with NNSA to “ensure we have the safest possible workplace and will continue to work with NNSA to learn all we can from this incident and improve operations that pose safety risks to prevent recurrence to similar incidents.”