Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS) agreed this month to pay the federal government $175,000 after multiple safety incidents, including one that resulted in a pause of all nonessential work, occurred under the company’s watch. Carol Johnson, president of the Savannah River Site’s management and operations contractor, signed a consent order on April 22. The document requires SRNS to pay the money in lieu of being issued an enforcement action that would include a request for a civil penalty, the Department of Energy’s Office of Enterprise Assessments said in a report made public Thursday.
SRNS self-induced a pause on all nonessential operations after four workers, on Sept. 3, 2015, intentionally and improperly stored three plutonium samples in a container that was not suited for transport. The incident, which occurred at the site’s HB Line facility, was one of multiple safety lapses under the scope of SRNS that occurred in the months leading up to the pause, Johnson indicated in September.
Other incidents included a Jan. 7, 2015, event in which the agitators in several tanks at HB Line, the facility that feeds nuclear materials to H Canyon so they can be processed, went down and remained unnoticed for a month following a loss of power. Then, on Jan. 20, 2016, the contractor determined an error in a sample analysis at the analytical labs. A data input error resulted in lower than expected plutonium concentration levels in the samples; a later assessment confirmed that the incident was a result of deficiencies in the data control staff.
The plutonium storage and the agitator incidents violated safety rules intended to prevent nuclear criticality incidents.
“These issues were determined to be of low safety significance based on actual consequences and material configurations, but could have resulted in more significant safety consequences if left uncorrected,” Stephen Simonson, the director of the Department of Energy Office of Enterprise Assessments Office of Enforcement, wrote to Johnson.
As a result, SRNS will pay the $175,000 and carry out several other tasks outlined in the consent order. These other tasks include all of the actions outlined in a corrective action plan that SRNS has already started implementing in the wake of the plutonium incident. The plan includes periodic half-day pauses and small group discussions to evaluate safety practices. In addition, SRNS plans to add 20 positions this year in the areas of procedures, training, quality assurance, and other support organizations.
The consent order also states that SRNS must, within the next two years, conduct an independent assessment of its nuclear criticality safety program. Johnson’s signature also waives any rights to appeal the terms of the consent order. Also, at any time, the Department of Energy can reopen an investigation or issue an enforcement action if SRNS fails to complete actions in the consent order or commits similar safety deficiencies.
In a written statement, SRNS spokesperson Barbara Smoak lauded the Savannah River Site for maintaining the highest possible safety and security standards. “SRNS senior management’s corrective actions and transparency since the (improper plutonium storage) have been extensive, appropriate and focused on preventing future recurrence of similar events,” she wrote.
Facilities that paused work beginning in September included H Canyon and HB Line; the L Area facility, which stores spent fuel; and the K Area facility that stores other nuclear materials. In late September the impacted facilities began to transition to deliberate operations – a phase after the safety pause during which work was conducted in a reduced state with stronger supervision and attention to detail – and from there into enhanced operations.
Now all of the facilities are in enhanced operations, a mode that is essentially normal operations that includes the implementation of the action plan. HB Line was the last to exit deliberate operations, entering into enhanced operations on April 11.
