[SOE
LETTERHEAD]
May 4, 2004
The Honorable John T. Conway
Chairman
Defense Nuclear Facilities
Safety Board
625 Indiana Avenue, NW, Suite
700
Washington, D.C. 20004
Dear Mr. Chairman:
The purpose of this letter is to
provide a final response to your December 2, 2003, letter regarding the
glovebox fire that occurred in Building 371 at the Rocky Flats Environmental
Technology Site (RFETS) on May 6, 2003, and deficiencies identified in the
Integrated Safety Management System.
The Department’s interim response
from Assistant Secretary Roberson, dated February 3, 2004, provided a
Self-Assessment and Causal Analysis of the Safety Oversight Program Corrective
Action Plan performed by the Rocky Flats Project Office (RFPO). An update to that Corrective Action Plan is
enclosed. The update documents the
current status of the actions committed to in the interim response and includes
an additional action to revise the RFPO Closure Project Oversight Program. Aggressive actions have been taken by the RFPO
Manager to address your concerns and those of your staff regarding Federal
oversight of the contractor’s work at the RFETS.
I am also enclosing an updated
Comprehensive Corrective Action Plan developed by the contractor, Kaiser-Hill
Company, LLC. This plan provides an
in-depth review of the safety deficiencies at the site and actions that have
been and are being taken to correct them. It also establishes mechanisms to ensure that
safety is and remains an integral part of the RFPO’s and contractor’s
performance as closure progress continues. The plan incorporates corrective actions
deemed necessary based on a recently completed independent Integrated Safety Management
System assessment. The result of this
independent assessment has led to a more comprehensive and robust corrective
action plan than initially envisioned.
The Department’s obligation and
commitment to the public and our workers is to perform work safely to minimize
risk at our sites. Accelerated closure
is the risk elimination path from RFETS. However, risk reduction without safety is an invitation
to failure. This response is a path
forward where safety is a priority. The
corrective actions committed to by both RFPO and Kaiser-Hill will reinforce and
strengthen the safety posture at the RFETS. Additional details on the corrective actions
have been shared with your staff.
Please contact Dr. Inés Triay, Acting Chief Operating
Officer, if there are follow on questions regarding the corrective actions
being taken at Rocky Flats. If you, or
your staff, have any questions regarding our continued closure effort at Rocky Flats,
please contact me or Ms. Jessie Hill Roberson, Assistant Secretary for Environmental
Management, at (202) 586-7710.
Sincerely,
Spencer Abraham