Availability of Department of Energy 2010 Occupational Radiation Exposure Report

The Office of Health, Safety and Security has issued the annual Department of Energy Occupational Radiation Exposure Report for 2010. This report, the Department of Energy 2010 Occupational Radiation Exposure Report, issued November 2011, summarizes and analyzes occupational radiation exposures received by individuals associated with DOE activities, as reported through DOE's Radiation Exposure Monitoring System in accordance with reporting requirements in DOE Order 231.1B, Environment Safety and Health Reporting.

The Report provides an overview of DOE-wide performance regarding compliance with Title 10, Code of Federal Regulations Part 835, Occupational Radiation Protection dose limits and "as low as reasonably achievable" process requirements and the status of radiation exposures of the DOE workforce.

Please contact the Office of Analysis (301-903-2297) for additional information regarding the report and the Department's Radiation Exposure Monitoring System.

2012 Safeguards and Security Directors Workshop

The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Health, Safety and Security (HSS) and the National Nuclear Security Administration's Office of Defense Nuclear Security are jointly hosting a safeguards and security directors workshop on April 17 - 18, 2012. The focus for this important event will be to discuss Department-wide nuclear security priorities for calendar years 2012 and 2013.

Some of the topics to be covered in the workshop include:

• The Department's Nuclear Security Collaboration Efforts with the Department of Defense
• DOE's revised Graded Security Protection Policy
• Ongoing work with the Protective Force Career Options Committee
• Nuclear Security Oversight

Additional details on the workshop and registration information can be found on the 2012 Safeguards and Security Directors Workshop page on Powerpedia.

Questions regarding the workshop should be directed to Larry Wilcher, Director of the HSS Office of Security, at (301) 903-5217 or Douglas Fremont, Chief and Associate Administrator for Defense Nuclear Security, at (202) 586-8900.

DOE SAFETY AND SECURITY ENFORCEMENT WORKSHOP
MARCH 27 - 29, 2012

The Office of Health Safety and Security will be hosting its annual DOE Safety and Security Enforcement Workshop March 27 - 29 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Parts of the workshop will also be available for viewing via web broadcast.

The purpose of the workshop is to provide up-to-date information and resources to DOE and NNSA Federal and contractor personnel regarding roles, responsibilities, authorities, expectations, and approaches for implementing the Department's worker safety and health, nuclear safety, and classified information security regulatory enforcement programs.

This workshop is open to all DOE, NNSA, contractor, and subcontractor personnel with an interest in DOE's safety and security enforcement programs. It is particularly targeted for DOE Federal, contractor, and subcontractor personnel responsible for implementing and overseeing worker safety and health, nuclear safety, and classified information security programs, and personnel responsible for collecting, screening, evaluating, and reporting noncompliance information.

For more information about the workshop please go here.

EMERGENCY PLANNING AND COMMUNITY RIGHT-to-KNOW TURNS 25

The Environmental Protection Agency continues its celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the "Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act (EPCRA) of 1986" and the establishment of the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI). The TRI was created in large part to increase the public's knowledge and access to information on toxic chemicals at individual facilities and releases of the chemicals into the environment.

Since 1992, DOE has been a leader in the implementation of EPCRA reporting requirements to EPA. The requirement for DOE reporting under EPCRA has been carried forward in the current Executive Orders 13423, Strengthening Federal Environmental, Energy, and Transportation Management and 13514, Federal Leadership in Environmental, Energy, and Economic Performance, and in the DOE directive O 436.1, Department Sustainability.

The Environmental Council of the States (ECOS) and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will be hosting a webinar on the background and future direction of EPCRA on January 26, 2:00-4:00 pm (EST).

For more information about the department's achievements in EPCRA and TRI as well as the link for more information on the webinar go here.

Fugitive Emissions Working Group Recognized with Secretary's Achievement Award

On October 27, Energy Secretary Steven Chu recognized the Fugitive Emissions Working Group (FEWG) with Secretary's Achievement Award. This award is the Department's highest non-monetary honor for a group or team effort.

Uniting more than 20 DOE laboratories, power administrations, NNSA facilities, and program offices, the Working Group has eliminated nearly half of DOE's emissions of the most potent greenhouse gases (GHG) known to mankind. Leveraging science, technology, and managerial know-how, this campaign has prevented the release of more than 600,000 metric tons of CO2 equivalent since 2009.

Fugitive emissions are emissions of gases or vapors from pressurized equipment due to leaks and various other unintended or irregular releases of gases, mostly from industrial activities.

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2011 National Day of Remembrance

For the third consecutive year, the United States Senate has unanimously approved a resolution dedicating October 30 as the National Day of Remembrance for former nuclear weapons program workers, including uranium miners, millers and haulers. This day, which was first celebrated on October 30, 2009, honors the hundreds of thousands of American workers that have served this Nation in building its nuclear defense and contributing to its security from World War II through the Cold War.

In 2009, to mark the inaugural event, many DOE sites held public events involving local community service organizations, worker unions, Cold War veteran organizations, and local, state, and national governmental dignitaries. This year, there will again be events around the country to celebrate the day. The DOE Office of Health, Safety and Security encourages the men and women of the United States to attend and participate in these events to show support for these tremendous individuals whose sacrifice helped the United States win the cold war.

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Department of Energy Issues August 2011 Report "Review of Requirements and Capabilities For Analyzing and Responding to Beyond Design Basis Events"

In response to the March 2011 accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, the Department of Energy (DOE) took a series of actions to review the safety of its nuclear facilities and identify opportunities for improvement.

On March 23, 2011, Secretary Chu issued Safety Bulletin No. 2011-01, "Events Beyond Design Safety Basis Analysis," which requested DOE Program and Field Offices to review their nuclear facilities and report on:

• 1. the analyses that have been performed for beyond design basis events and controls in place that could mitigate them,
• 2. the ability to safely manage their nuclear facilities during a total loss of power,
• 3. the operability of important safety systems, and
• 4. the readiness of emergency management plans and procedures.

On June 6-7, 2011, the Deputy Secretary convened a Nuclear Safety Workshop that was attended by senior nuclear safety managers and technical experts from the Department, other Federal agencies, and the commercial nuclear power industry.

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Reforming a "Mountain" of Policy

Steve Kirchhoff, the Safety and Security Directives Reform Project Manager, representing the HSS directives teams that worked diligently to implement this reform, stands behind a mountain of DOE health, safety and security directives which were part of the department's directives reform effort.

This illustrates the reduction in pages of DOE directives that has taken place over the last 19 months, from March 2010 to September 2011. This reduction in volume was made possible by restructuring the directives into a systematic and coherent requirements framework that will strengthen DOE safety and security programs.

Summary Metrics on Directives Reform for the 107 HSS directives (March 2010 to December 31, 2011)

• Directives Completed - 102 (49 Cancelled, 53 Revised or Re-certified)
• Directives in concurrence review or ready for final approval - 5

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