Nuclear and Worker Safety: Actions Needed to Determine the Effectiveness of Safety Improvement Efforts at NNSA's Weapons Laboratories
GAO-08-73
Published: Oct 31, 2007. Publicly Released: Nov 28, 2007.
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Highlights
Federal officials, Congress, and the public have long voiced concerns about safety at the nation's nuclear weapons laboratories: Lawrence Livermore, Los Alamos, and Sandia. The laboratories are overseen by the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), while contractors carry out the majority of the work. A recent change to oversight policy would result in NNSA's relying more on contractors' own management controls, including those for assuring safety. This report discusses (1) the recent history of safety problems at the laboratories and contributing factors, (2) steps taken to improve safety, and (3) challenges that remain to effective management and oversight of safety. To address these objectives, GAO reviewed almost 100 reports and investigations and interviewed key federal and laboratory officials.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Energy | To strengthen safety management and oversight at the nation's weapons laboratories, the Secretary of Energy should direct the Administrator of NNSA to ensure that safety improvement initiatives comply with DOE Notice 125.1, which requires, in particular, that improvement initiatives be carried out in a systematic manner, with effective performance measures based on outcomes, not process. |
Closed – Not Implemented
NNSA noted it wil ensure that it works within the parameters and intent of DOE Notice 125.1, as appropriate. NNSA stated this is an ongoing process, and considers this recommendation closed.
|
| Department of Energy | To strengthen safety management and oversight at the nation's weapons laboratories, the Secretary of Energy should direct the Administrator of NNSA to negotiate with the weapons laboratories to include in their contracts a requirement that safety improvement initiatives be managed in a manner consistent with the best practices of high-performing organizations, as defined in accordance with the framework established in DOE Notice 125.1. |
Closed – Not Implemented
NNSA's March 2008 Management Decision letters states that NNSA already negotiates annual contractual expectations in the area of environment, safety and health and nuclear safety. As these mechanisms are in place already, NNSA considers this recommendation closed.
|
| Department of Energy | To strengthen safety management and oversight at the nation's weapons laboratories, the Secretary of Energy should direct the Administrator of NNSA to ensure that as NNSA implements its proposed oversight and contractor assurance policy, it develops a clear plan and specific measures that enable it to (1) determine when a contractor's assurance system is sufficiently mature and reliable to identify and address safety problems at the weapons laboratories effectively and (2) retain sufficient independent federal oversight of safety to fulfill its responsibilities associated with protecting workers, the public, and the environment. |
Closed – Not Implemented
In its March 2008 Management Decision letter, NNSA stated its had already undertaken efforts to improve line oversight and implement a contractor assurance system. In addition, NNSA stated it already had developed performance metrics. NNSA considers this recommendation closed.
|
| Department of Energy | To strengthen safety management and oversight at the nation's weapons laboratories, the Secretary of Energy should direct the Administrator of NNSA to report annually to Congress on progress toward making the weapons laboratories safer, including the status and effectiveness of safety improvement initiatives, using outcome-based performance measures. |
Closed – Not Implemented
While NNSA agreed with the intent of this recommendation, in its March 2008 Management Decision, it noted it believes reporting mechanisms are already in place to provide information related to safety performance. Therefore, NNSA considers this recommendation closed.
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Topics
Accident preventionAccidentsEmployeesLaboratoriesNuclear facilitiesNuclear facility safetyNuclear weaponsNuclear weapons plant safetyOccupational safetyPerformance measuresProgram managementSafety standardsStrategic planningCorrective actionGovernment agency oversight