Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS) on Monday officially exited a reduced work phase, or deliberate operations, that was implemented after the company wrapped up an operational safety pause last fall. Now, the Savannah River Site management and operations contractor is fully in enhanced operations. Work in enhanced operations is closer to normal operations, but contingencies have been put in place using a sustainment plan for safe operations moving forward. 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.
SRNS self-induced a pause on all nonessential operations after four workers, on Sept. 3, intentionally and improperly stored a plutonium sample 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, according to an explanation provided in September by company President Carol Johnson.
Facilities that paused work included H Canyon and HB Line, which are used to process nuclear materials; 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.
News that SRNS would fully exit deliberate operations was reported last month during a meeting of the SRS Citizens Advisory Board (CAB). In an update provided to the CAB, Energy Department officials reported that all but one of the facilities had exited deliberate operations.
Now all of the facilities are in enhanced operations. HB Line was the last to exit deliberate operations, entering into enhanced operations on April 11, according to an email from Jim Giusti, a Department of Energy spokesman at the Savannah River Site. “Release from deliberate operations required approval of the SRNS President or Executive Vice President and the decision reviewed with DOE-SR senior management,” Giusti said.
