Pantex Restarts Nuke Explosive Disassembly Ops

Pantex has implemented a new Nuclear Explosive Engineering Procedure and resumed nuclear explosive disassembly operations after an unexpected issue occurred during a lifting operation, forcing workers to halt dismantlement activities on June 17, Pantex spokesman George Rangel confirmed to Weapons Complex Morning Briefing yesterday. A recently released Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board site representative report dated June 19 noted that an “unexpected condition” happened during a “lifting operation with a vacuum fixture.” The standard Nuclear Explosive Operating Procedure (NEOP) did not outline responses for the encountered situation, so Pantex/Y-12 contractor Consolidated Nuclear Security prepared a unique NEOP detailing disassembly for that situation, the DNFSB report states.

 

Following the pause, Pantex’s acting site representative observed CNS workers deliberate and after CNS decided how to handle the unit, the rep observed production technicians place the unit in a safe and stable condition, according to the report. “A Nuclear Explosive Engineering Procedure was developed and implemented to address the challenge, and operations safely resumed shortly thereafter,” Rangel wrote in an email to Weapons Complex Morning Briefing.