March 24, 2016

Review of Electrical Safety at Selected Department of Energy Sites

Worker safety is of utmost importance in the Department of Energy (Department).  However, the aging Department infrastructure provides challenges and potential hazards to its employees.  One of these challenges is protecting workers who may be exposed to electrical hazards that could result in electric shock, electrocution, burns, fires, and explosions.  In February 2006, Title 10 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) § 851, Worker Safety and Health Program, established the framework for safe and healthful workplaces in which hazards are abated, controlled, or otherwise mitigated.  

We reviewed controls over soil excavations and wall, ceiling, or floor penetrations where electrical conduits were possibly present because of their critical importance to worker safety. We also reviewed the use of lockout and tagout activities that employed physical barriers or warning devices to prevent the unexpected energization of equipment.  

Our inspection revealed that there were opportunities for improvement to decrease the risk of harm to personnel and infrastructure at BNL and SRS.  While we did not discover any material issues, we identified isolated events where excavation and penetration workers had struck electrical conduits at SRS and BNL.  Furthermore, we found tagout training and drawing review concerns at both sites.  In addition, we identified issues with annual inspections that are completed to ensure that the lockout and tagout procedures are being followed at BNL.  However, BNL and SRS have taken or initiated corrective actions to address these concerns.

Topic: Management & Administration