April 2009

Review of Nuclear Safety Programs at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

This report documents the results of a follow-up review of nuclear safety conducted at the Department of Energy's (DOE) Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) during January and February 2009.  The review was conducted by the DOE Office of Independent Oversight, within the Office of Health, Safety and Security (HSS).  The follow-up review focused on the Laboratory's efforts to address nuclear safety deficiencies identified in a November-December 2003 HSS Independent Oversight inspection of environment, safety, and health programs at PNNL.  The Independent Oversight team evaluated the functionality of the radioactive exhaust ventilation system at the Radiochemical Processing Laboratory, with primary emphasis on the findings and corrective actions associated with that system from the 2003 inspection.