DEFENSE NUCLEAR FACILITIES SAFETY BOARD

May 30, 1997

B886 D&D. K-H and SSOC completed removing all contaminated raschig rings from B886 tanks this week. All the raschig rings removed were found to be dry. The rings are being packaged into poly bags, four poly bags are placed in a 30 gallon drum, which is then overpacked into a 55 gallon drum. The rings will be transported to NTS for disposal. Building personnel estimate that approxi mately 11 liters of HEUN solution remains in B886. This will be drained and shipped to Erwin, TN.

Hydrogen Venting. Tank 931 in B771 is a vented tank to prevent buildup of hydrogen gas. The vent for this tank was found in the locked shut position. The vent is shut when the tank is sampled for hydrogen. Following sampling for this tank, the valve was left in the shut position and the lockout/tagout was applied. The Site Reps have asked RFFO to (1) confirm that other tanks are not in this condition, and (2) determine what action is being taken by facility management in response to two individuals independently checking and certifying the vent to be in the open position when, in fact, it was in the shut position. Additionally, based on other lockout and tagout problems, the Site Reps intend to review and evaluate the lockout and tagout system in the near future.

Recommendation 94-3. The B371 BIO remains on schedule to be completed in mid-June. The SERs will be delivered in mid-July and the BIO implementation plan, which has been started, will be delivered in early September. Chapter 5 of the BIO, which contains all the accident analyses and forms the basis for the control set will be delivered the week of June 2 or early the following week.

Planning for the project upgrades to Building 371 are also proceeding reasonably well at this point. The project manager has some concerns for the upgrades to HVAC duct supports because of the size and scope of the effort. At this point, K-H believes that completion of these duct support upgrades will not extend beyond September 30, but the project will require detailed management.

Recommendation 93-3. The graphs on the following pages update implementation of Recommen dation 93-3. Four graphs are provided that compare the status in January 1997 with the status in May 1997. The first graph compares the number of individuals in the qual program, and shows a reduction of ten individuals in the program. The next three graphs show that DOE has made some progress for General Technical Basics, Functional Area and Overall qualifications. It should be noted that the qualification progress among all RFFO personnel varies widely. Thirty one personnel have not made any progress toward qualification, and the overall average is increased by the qualification progress among Facility Reps. The Site Reps have not attempted to ascertain the quality of progress for those who have either qualified or progressed toward qualification.