[DNFSB
LETTERHEAD]
June 26, 2007
Admiral Kirkland H. Donald, USN
Deputy Administrator of Naval Reactors
National Nuclear Security Administration
Naval Sea Systems Command
Washington Navy Yard
1240 Isaac Hull, SE, Stop 8010
Washington, DC 20376-8010
Dear Admiral Donald:
Thank you for your letter of May 3, 2007,
providing the recent reports of Naval Reactors on radiological waste disposal and environmental monitoring, occupationa1 safety
and health, and occupational radiation exposure, as well as the annual overview of the Naval
Reactors program. Once again, these
reports display the program’s outstanding performance.
I recently reread the comments made by
Admiral Rickover in August 1979, subsequent to the accident at Three Mile
Island, which detail a set of principles employed by the Naval Reactors
program. In his comments, Admiral Rickover reexamined
these principles and “confirmed [their] validity... and the necessity of continuing to apply them.”
The first principle identified in Admiral Rickover’s comments is that of “technical competence.” From the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety
Board’s (Board) first recommendation; to the guiding principles of Integrated
Safety Management, which resulted from a recommendation made by the Board in
1995; to the Board’s
latest recommendation on criticality safety, the Board has continued to
reinforce the belief that this principle is the linchpin on which the safety and reliability of hazardous
operations depend. Extending through
selection, education, and continuous technical training, the qualification of
personnel from headquarters to operators and maintenance
staff is paramount. The Board commends
Naval Reactors for the example
they continue to set in this
important area.
Sincerely,
A. J. Eggenberger
Chairman
c: The
Honorable Samuel W. Bodman
Mr. Mark B. Whitaker, Jr.