Brian Bradley
NS&D Monitor
7/10/2015
Pantex has resumed work on the B61 and W80 warhead programs after a “code blue” situation at the plant in early May sidelined operations on the programs for weeks, a Pantex spokesperson told NS&D Monitor this week. The NNSA Production Office (NPO) on June 1 issued two Safety Evaluation Reports (SERs), approving two Justifications for Continued Operations (JCOs) submitted by Pantex/Y-12 contractor Consolidated Nuclear Security that outline “compensatory measures” to mitigate electrostatic discharge (ESD) hazard scenarios, such as the one that prompted Pantex to declare the “code blue” in early May, according to a recently released Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board site representative report, dated June 5. A more recent DNFSB site rep report dated June 12 shows that before resuming operations for “one weapon program,” CNS found an “issue” in the Nuclear Explosive Operating Procedure (NEOP). CNS resumed operations on that program after the revised procedure was published, according to the June 12 report. CNS did not respond to an NS&D Monitor request seeking information on the specific weapon program impacted.
‘Conservative Approach’
Early this week, Pantex spokesperson George Rangel said that the plant implements a “conservative approach” providing “several layers” of safety, quality and security measures to address issues like the “code blue” declared on May 5. “In this instance, the work process for the B61 and W80 components was modified and a safety analysis was completed and validated,” Rangel wrote in an email. “As such, work on the weapons programs at Pantex have safely resumed. As in this case, when a potential challenge is encountered, we pause until fully confident our work processes and procedures appropriately address the issue before safely resuming operations.”
NNSA Approval for Restart
Citing a May 29-dated DNFSB site rep report, Weapons Complex Morning Briefing on June 30 reported that CNS was preparing a JCO to resume work on the B61 and W80 programs after the ESD scenario prompted CNS to pause those operations. On July 1, DNFSB released the June 5-dated report stating that NNSA had approved restarting the warhead programs. The “code blue” had been lifted in mid-June, NNSA spokesperson Shelley Laver told NS&D Monitor last month.
Previous Findings
According to a May 8-dated DNFSB report, a Hazard Analysis Task Team in March discovered that the material used in packaging certain configurations of the two weapons programs did not prevent ESD hazards to the configurations being packaged. “CNS previously paused operations for one of the affected programs for a Potential Inadequacy of the Safety Analysis (PISA) related to the validity of the Weapon Response Summary Document and was also working to address ESD concerns related to use of aerosol cans,” that report states.
‘Compensatory Measures’
“Compensatory measures” needed for safe packaging of energetic components “include additional equipment bonding steps, application of copper tape to sanded areas of exposed metal on container surfaces, and additional stand-off zones,” the June 5 report states. More broadly, Rangel said, Pantex implements safety and security measures including “recognizing processes and procedures that warrant further examination.” He added: “This work is well defined and maintained under robust configuration management.”
“Code blue” declarations result from an issue’s impact on NNSA scheduled deliverables. NPO had not directed CNS within the SERs to meet any additional conditions for approval, according to the report. The SERs expire Dec. 31. Study groups within NNSA’s Nuclear Explosive Safety (NES) Division on June 2-3 determined that “NES standards” and “other NES criteria” had been met, the report states.
