nuclear-news

U.S. nuclear sites not ready for emergencies

Emergency Readiness Said Lacking at U.S. Nuclear Sites, NTI: Global Security Newswire , Jan. 6, 2011 Emergency preparedness and continuity of operations programs at U.S. Energy Department facilities suffer from “significant weaknesses” that could endanger lives and federal property, the DOE Inspector General’s Office said in a report issued this week

The National Nuclear Security Administration and other department offices have yet to fully implement recommendations put forward in 2004 for improving emergency readiness at key facilities, including the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, according to the new report.

“Despite various corrective actions, the department had not fully resolved problems in emergency preparedness planning,” it says.

Along with Los Alamos, the report also examines operations at the Hanford Site in Washington state and the Argonne National Laboratory and the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, both in Illinois.

“Notably, our review of 2009 emergency readiness reports disclosed that programs and sites had not finally approved 105 of the 140 Hazards Surveys and 39 of the 74 Emergency Planning Hazards Assessments (EPHA) that were required — actions necessary to accurately assess and respond to hazards,” Inspector General Gregory Friedman wrote in an introductory memorandum to the report……

NTI: Global Security Newswire – Emergency Readiness Said Lacking at U.S. Nuclear Sites

January 7, 2011 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | safety, USA