Application of integrated safety management in decommissioning activities: ensuringthe safety of workers throughout the changing environment of decommissioning

摘要

The United States Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Environmental Management (EM)has successfully decommissioned several legacy facilities that were used in the development and manufacture ofnuclear weapons. The DOE experience includes laboratories, raw material manufacturing, foundry, separation,reactor, reprocessing canyon, waste storage and repackaging facilities. Some of these facilities date back to theoriginal Mahattan Project in the 1940s. Inventories include a range of isotopes and hazardous chemicals. Thephysical condition of the facilities and their safety systems also range in age and integrity. As each facilitytransitions through the decommissioning lifecycle the hazard profile and the available controls change with thefacility. One of the most effective means the DOE has found to reliably manage the changing hazards is a strongsystem of safety management programs (SMPs) that address hazards in an integrated fashion. Statisticsdemonstrate that the most significant hazards to the worker during decommissioning activities result fromindustrial accidents. It is imperative that a foundation of strong safety management systems must identifyhazards and coordinate between program areas to establish the most appropriate protective measure for theworker. This paper walks through examples to illustrate lessons learned through its decommissioning experience,including coordinating between programs such as electrical safety and radiological protection when both hazardsare substantial in a given work evolution. The DOE has institutionalized its Integrated Safety ManagementSystem (ISMS) and routinely evlauates its contractors to ensure effective implementation. ISMS establishes thefoundation for safe, efficient decommissioning of nuclear facilities.