[DOE LETTERHEAD]

 

April 12, 2004

 

The Honorable John T. Conway

Chairman

Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board

625 Indiana Avenue, NW, Suite 700

Washington, D.C. 20004-2941

 

Dear Mr. Chairman:

 

On March 1, 2004, I provided you with an updated status of Commitment 2.2 of the Department’s Action Plan to address the findings and recommendations of the Department’s Commission on Fire Safety and Preparedness.  This commitment called for issuing revised reporting requirements.  During development of the revised reporting requirements, we had extensive interaction with fire safety experts and the Board’s staff.  With the issuance of DOE Manual 231.1, Environment, Safety, and Health Reporting Manual on March 19, 2004, we have now completed the commitment to issue revised reporting requirements.

 

EH continues to assess the effectiveness of the new fire safety reporting criteria along with other criteria.  We also continue to analyze and trend Occurrence Reporting and Processing System occurrences, including those involving fire safety.  In addition, I have requested DOE’s Fire Safety Committee to evaluate the need to develop a limited set of fire safety performance measures and reporting methodology.  Based on the results of these actions, we expect to identify any reporting requirement changes that may be warranted.  Recommendations from the Fire Safety Committee are due in September 2004, at which time we will provide you a status of these efforts.

 

If you have any questions, please contact me at (202) 586-6151, or members of your staff can contact Mr. Frank Russo at (301) 903-8008.

 

Sincerely,

 

Beverly A. Cook

Assistant Secretary

Environment, Safety and Health

 

cc:

Mark B. Whitaker, DR-1

Frank B. Russo, EH-3