Posted on 01/18/2008 2:08:03 AM PST by atomic conspiracy
AMARILLO - Three Pantex employees remain on paid administrative leave for violating nuclear safety procedures after workers failed to keep a close lookout on a nuclear warhead for a few minutes last week, a top Pantex official said Wednesday.
The incident violated long-standing "buddy system" rules aimed at preventing unauthorized access to nuclear weapons.
B&W Pantex President and General Manager Dan Swaim said workers failed to keep proper visual surveillance of the warhead for less than eight minutes on Jan. 10.
A fourth employee entered the area and discovered the violation, which was promptly corrected. The warhead remained under protective cover during the incident in the Material Access Area, a secure and well-guarded area of the plant.
"Two people remained sitting in a corridor-type area and the third person performing her job moved down doing tooling inventory, entered that area and was out of the line of sight of two technicians who actually had custody of the weapon at that time," Swaim said. "She had both a positive obligation not to move outside of their zone of coverage and they had a positive obligation to remain in observation of the weapon and her while she was doing her inventory work."
Investigators also checked an electronic security access control system and determined no unauthorized individuals entered the area.
Swaim said the contractor and the federal government's Pantex Site Office are investigating the incident.
"Our employees are honest and reliable. They are cooperating in every aspect of that," he said. "We will fully understand the circumstances that led to this and take any action that we deem appropriate at that time."
The Energy Department will determine whether B&W Pantex will face any potential fines for the incident, he said.
An external corporate review team that will include representatives from two national weapons labs also will examine the incident, Swaim said.
"We take it very, very seriously. There was no access to the weapon. There was no breach of physical security. The area was behind lock and key in our security system at all times," Swaim said.
This sounds more like an innocent screw up, not as if Pantex workers were caught sneaking the weapon outside and loading it into a Winnebago driven by some Chinese Communists visiting the area on vacation and taking the famous ‘Imperalist Bomb Go Boom-Boom’ tour with breakfast at the local Holiday Inn Express.
Oh wait, that was the Clinton Administration.
I agree. A simple screw up by guys not thinking. Glad we cought it. It’s not like someone was going to walkout with it in their lunch box.
on paid administrative leave = vacation.
The Colonel in charge of maintenance at Minot lost her job as a result of that incident.
They apparently have a "zero tolerance" policy regarding nuclear weapons. Not unlike my children's school's policy on knives and peanuts.
Say whut!? Blackbird.
ping
The “Two Man Rule” is extremely grave when working with live nukes.
Even in training, servicemembers are ingrained with the concept. Nothing like having the US DOE, DNA and other agencies looking over your soldier, ready to strike.
Even if you’ve got both hands on the weapon, looking away for even a second can be a reason for failure in an evaluation.
They did a great show about the SL-1 accident on “Modern Marvels”.
One guy they were looking for was finally found ...
PINNED TO THE CEILING by one of the reactor’s control rods.
Oops.
Didn’t read the entire thing.
The guy on the ceiling was referenced at the site.
OOPSIE
The version of the SL-1 accident that I’m most familiar with suggested that the guy who got impaled in the ceiling by a control rod was attempting to pull the center rod out of the core after the mechanical retractor system became jammed and he took it upon himself to ‘help things along’, I can only imagine (with a chill) the thought (because there was only time for probably one thought) that went through his mind as a sudden flash and explosion took place literally beneath him as he was suddenly launched skyward at a few hundred miles an hour. I seem to recall reading a report of the accident that stated that he was still alive for a few minutes after the rescue crew found his body impaled in the top of the building (they had been searching the place for him and never thought to “look up”).
Not too long ago I heard something about a ‘theory’ that the guy was trying to commit suicide, but I can think of much better ways to go than setting off a nuclear reactor just below your gonads.
2 workers walked away from a third worker and left the third person too close and alone by definition to a secured hard-covered weapon was all that happened. Alone in that arena means you were six foot or more away from the other person. It’s a BS violation.......no safety or security issue . Visual was never lost nor was control. But it is a rule and we are a society of rules so the folks that have that contract will pay a big 200-500k fine and it’ll be passed on too the tax payer as usual.
At least that is what I read in the local enquirer.......:o)
Local barber shop chit chat I suppose.
Not a bad rule, actually. Of all the BS rules in the Army, three made sense: 1) Keep your barrel pointed downrange; 2) Keep the pin in the grenade until ready to throw, and 3) the "two-man rule." (You EOD types may have other good rules-of-thumb). This may be one that warrants a stiff fine or good ass-kicking for minor violations to make you think twice about bigger ones.
Don’t forget the Navy’s Buddy System rule.
.
When you see a shark, cut your buddy.
Oh of course Travis.......:o)
Sorry for the late response.....missed yer ping too this !
Larry my rules in EOD were minimal as long as heat , shock and friction basics weren’t violated until results were sought !
Initial success or total failure is our mantra.....
A friend of a friend of a third cousin said....
That’s how I heard about the guys messing with the SPR too.
What a coincidence.
B’n W sent out detailed letters to locals and employees relating the event so as not too alarm the populace.....:o)
Sometimes the populace is alarmed beyond need IMO.
non event !
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