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.
Advanced Mixed Waste Treatment Project
May 15: Required regulatory inspections were not
carried out at the Advanced Mixed Waste Treatment
Facility during the week of Nov. 21, 2011. They were
completed on Nov. 28, 2011. This was not reported
through the ORPS system until May 15.
(EM-ID—ITG-AMWTF-2012-0014).
Operational Summary
Waste shipments: Six of six planned shipments of
contact-handled transuranic waste were made from Idaho
to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico for the
week ending May 26, 2012.
Idaho Cleanup Project
April 23: An electrician separated a conduit that
supplies power to a lighting ballast at the Radioactive
Waste Management Complex and cut the energized wires.
The electrician noticed a spark when he cut the wires
and immediately stepped back and made proper
notifications. The electrician failed to recognize that
this ballast was supplied by a different circuit which
had not yet been locked out. This item was not reported
through the ORPS system until May 23.
(EM-ID—CWI-RWMC-2012-0001).
Operational Summary
Buried waste exhumation: Exhumation of buried
targeted waste continued at the Accelerated Retrieval
Project (ARP) VII site. Over 2,883 cubic yards of waste
have been retrieved from the pit and 479 drums have been
packaged through the drum packaging stations. ARP VII is
approximately 37% complete. The entire ARP VIII center
support system has been erected. The “free span”
building outer structure is being connected to the
“center supported structure.” Mechanical and electrical
sub-contractors continue to work in the airlock
structure. The ARP VIII construction project is slated
for completion this December.
Idaho National Laboratory
May 21: A confinement door at the Advanced Test
Reactor was found to drag when opened and closed, due to
worn hinges. The door was propped open to prevent
further damage until maintenance could be completed. As
the reactor was shut down at the time, the confinement
door was not required to be operable. The door was
repaired prior to operating the reactor.
(NE-ID—BEA-ATR-2012-0019).
May 22: An operator at the Advanced Test Reactor
noticed that a latch on a lockout/tagout box was not
properly closed. All work being performed under a
lockout/tagout was stopped at the reactor, which was in
a planned shutdown, until all lockout/tagouts could be
inspected and verified. No additional deficiencies were
noted with the lock boxes. All workers were briefed on
the error that resulted in the lock box being improperly
secured. (NE-ID—BEA-ATR-2012-0020).
May 24: During review of safety documents at the
Material Security and Consolidation Facility, it was
determined that documents establishing the criticality
safety spacing for some uranium storage in a warehouse
were missing. All movement of fissionable material in
the warehouse was halted until the issue can be
resolved. (NE-ID—BEA-TREAT-2012-0001).
May 29: A quality control inspector found
suspect/counterfeit bolts on straps at the Specific
Manufacturing Capability Project. The bolts were removed
from the straps and the straps destroyed, and the bolts
were placed in bonded storage for disposal.
(NE-ID—BEA-SMC-2012-0002).
May 31: It was determined that there was not an
adequate safety evaluation of the routing of argon gas
from the Fuel Conditioning Facility to the Experimental
Breeder Reactor-II Facility, which would be used by the
contractor demolishing the facility. The argon line was
isolated and further safety evaluation ordered.
(NE-ID—BEA-FCF-2012-0003).
Operational Summary
Work stations and weight research: Thanks to findings
from a joint study conducted by Idaho National
Laboratory and Mayo Clinic, researchers can confidently
assess how one classroom tool can potentially impact
student activity and weight. The researchers used
vertical work stations with sixth grade students and
published their findings in the April issue of ICAN:
Infant, Child, & Adolescent Nutrition, a peer-reviewed
journal focused on the nutritional care of children from
birth through adolescence.
The study began at Idaho Falls' Hope Lutheran School in
early 2010 to study how vertical workstations impacted
sixth-grade students in the classroom. Researchers
wanted to understand how these tall desks, which allow
students to either stand or sit in an ergonomically
adjusted stool, could impact student activity,
attentiveness and weight. |
