EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is a regular summary
of operations at DOE’s Idaho Site. It has been compiled
in response to a request from stakeholders for more
information on health, safety and environmental
incidents at DOE facilities in Idaho. It also includes a
brief summary of accomplishments at the laboratory. The
report is broken down by contractor:
Advanced Mixed Waste Treatment Project (AMWTP),
Idaho Cleanup Project (ICP)
and
Idaho National Laboratory (INL). This summary will
be sent to everyone on INL’s regular news release
distribution list every other week. To be added to this
distribution list, please call Brad Bugger at (208)
526-0833.
* Because of a problem in collecting the data, this report includes
three weeks worth of summaries, rather than the normal two.
Advanced Mixed Waste Treatment Project
Feb. 3: A tractor trailer was moving five boxes of
low-level waste when the boxes slid to the side of the
trailer, bending the safety rail. The apparent build-up
of snow and ice on the trailer deck contributed to this
event. No one was injured. The tractor was shut down and
placed in a safe configuration. As a compensatory
measure for future movement of boxes, tie down straps on
transport trailers will be used and all transport
trailers must be free of snow and ice on the deck prior
to use. AMWTP has experienced five mobile equipment
events during the second quarter, an indication of an
increasing negative trend. This was reported as a
management concern. (EM-ID—BBWI-AMWTF-2010-003; EM-ID—BBWI-AMWTF-2010-0004).
Feb. 15: While a technician was performing
maintenance on an air compressor, a 1.5-inch by 15-inch
section of stainless steel tubing ruptured. A loud bang
from the rupture caused a ringing in the technician’s
ears. He was evaluated by the Site Medical Coordinator
and released for work without restrictions. The apparent
cause of the rupture was a modification which installed
a check valve and isolation valve with no pressure
relief method between the compressor and the receiver.
The compressor was secured from operation. (EM-ID—BBWI-AMWTF-2010-0005).
Feb. 22: During a routine survey of an in-plant waste
transport trailer, radioactive contamination was
discovered on the trailer deck. The contaminated area
was secured, a boundary area was placed around the
trailer and waste storage areas that recently received
waste from this trailer were surveyed, with no
contamination found. (EM-ID—BBWI-AMWTP-2010-0006).
Operational Summary
Waste Shipments: Through Feb. 6, 2010, a total of
31,343 cubic meters of stored transuranic waste, 85.37
cubic meters of remote-handled transuranic waste and
2,278 cubic meters of previously buried transuranic
waste has been shipped from Idaho to the Waste Isolation
Pilot Plant for disposal.
Idaho Cleanup Project
Feb. 4: A worker reported that he felt a shock while
passing through a steel door in Building CPP-666. The
worker was evaluated at the Central Facilities Areas
medical dispensary and released without restrictions. An
investigation was undertaken into the cause of the
shock. (EM-ID—CWI-FUELCSTR-2010-0001).
Feb. 18: During construction at the Advanced
Retrieval Project, workers erecting a retrieval
enclosure were preparing to lift a truss assembly into
place when they heard a pop and the truss began to
slowly collapse. The truss came to rest on the front of
an unoccupied crane. All workers in the area were at or
beyond the fall radius of the truss and were not
injured. The truss subassembly was destroyed and there
was minor damage to the crane. The immediate area of the
event was secured and posted and the damaged crane was
tagged out of service. An investigation into the
incident was initiated. (EM-ID—CWI-RWMC-2010-0002).
Feb. 18: Following fuel loading of a cask at the
Irradiated Fissile Material Storage Facility, water was
detected leaking from the fuel cask. The cask will
remain in shielded storage until an approved remedy to
the problem is implemented. A review of the incident was
initiated. (EM-ID—CWI-FUELRCSTER-2010-0002).
Operational Summary
Dry Storage of Spent Nuclear Fuel: The loading of
spent nuclear fuel into casks for transfer from wet pool
storage to dry was completed recently. This is a
significant step toward transfer of all Environmental
Management-owned spent nuclear fuel from wet to dry
storage by June 30, 2010.
Idaho National Laboratory
Feb. 4: During retrieval operations at the
Radioactive Scrap and Waste Facility, a numbering
discrepancy between the top and side markings on the
waste container and the approved container list was
discovered. The discrepancy made verification of the
containers questionable. Retrieval operations were
stopped pending resolution of the issue.
(NE-ID—BEA-2010-0002).
Feb. 11: An air leak was detected from two
pressurized seals on the bulkhead at the head of a
nuclear fuel storage canal. Cask handling was prohibited
in the canal until the seal was repaired.
(NE-ID—BEA-ATR-2010-0003).
Feb. 11: The personal physician for an INL heavy
equipment operator diagnosed the operator with severe
tendon damage in his right arm from previously assisting
with the relocation of a vending machine at the
Materials and Fuels Complex. The operator will require
surgery. (NE-ID—BEA-MFC-2010-0012).
Feb. 11: A heavy equipment operator, while removing
snow with a front-end loader at the Materials and Fuels
Complex, struck an electrical junction box hidden
beneath the snow with the blade of the loader. The blade
damaged a conduit and severed at least one 120-volt
conductor, resulting in a power loss. There were no
injuries and an investigation into the incident was
initiated. (NE-ID—BEA-MFC-2010-0001).
Feb. 19: A portable battery-powered x-ray generator
unexpectedly activated and generated x-rays at an INL
research laboratory. An initial review indicated the
operators present in the room were not exposed. The
control key to the generator was locked up and the
battery removed from the device to secure it. The
operators were directed to abstain from radiation work
until further notice. The incident is under
investigation. (NE-ID—BEA-INLLABS-2010-0001).
Operational Summary
Joint Biomass Study: A new collaborative study
between Idaho National Laboratory and Pacific Northwest
National Laboratory will investigate whether roasting of
biomass fuels can create a more valuable product for the
nascent biofuels industry. Initial studies show that
driving moisture and volatile compounds from wood or
straw could make the biomass more stable, compactable
and energy dense:
https://inlportal.inl.gov/portal/server.pt?open=514&objID=1555&mode=2&featurestory=DA_539092
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