[DOE LETTERHEAD]

March 18, 2002

Mr. Joseph J. DiNunno
Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board
625 Indiana Avenue NW, Suite 700
Washington, DC 20004

On May 7-8, 2002, our Albuquerque Operations Office will host an annual Integrated Safety Management (ISM) Forum "Taking ISM to the Next Level" in Albuquerque, New Mexico. This forum is intended to build upon the December 2001 Executive Safety Management Conference and the resulting 2002 Safety Management Strategy. The primary objective of this follow-up conference is to involve additional levels of Department of Energy and contractor line managers and staff from all across the complex in the ISM initiatives, actions, and pilots that are underway. These additional advocates can play a key role supporting our senior managers and executive safety conference "champions" in removing remaining barriers and taking ISM to the next level this year.

We would like to invite you to speak in the forum's plenary session on Tuesday May 7, 2002. Your role in the development of this important policy and as a mentor for implementation, make it important for DOE to gain your insights on these ongoing senior management initiatives and actions. We share a mutual interest that these actions to improve and streamline DOE oversight, contractor self-assessment, safety requirements, lessons learned, and contracting are implemented in a manner that truly improves safety management and performance throughout the Department.

We hope that your busy schedule will accommodate this speaking request, and a possible pre-meeting to discuss this subject prior to the May forum. As with the Executive Safety Conference, we encourage the Board Staff to attend and contribute to the breakout sessions on May 7 and May 8. If you have any questions, please contact me at (202) 586-6151 or David Stadler at (202) 586-0307.

Sincerely,

Beverly A. Cook
Assistant Secretary
Environment, Safety and Health

cc:
D. Stadler, EH-2
J. Mangeno, NA-1
M. Whitaker, DNFSB Representative