[DNFSB LETTER HEAD]
April 29, 2008
The Honorable James A. Rispoli
Assistant Secretary for Environmental Management
U.S. Department of Energy
1000 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington. DC 20585-0113
Dear Mr. Rispoli:
As part of a series of reviews on the reinvigoration of Integrated Safety Management at
Department of Energy sites, the staff of the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (Board)
reviewed the activity-level craft work planning and control process and its implementation by
CH2M Hill Hanford Group, Inc. (CH2M HILL). The Board's staff found that CH2M Hill has a
formal and disciplined process for the planning and control of activity-level craft work, e-g., the
cleanup of the Tank S-102 spill, and that this process has improved since the staff’s last review on
this subject. However, the implementation of these processes is still not as strong as it should be.
Despite the noted improvement in work control and planning processes, some key issues
still remain, For example, the contractor has not adequately established the mechanisms for
classification of work (minor, standard, or complex), which could result in improper analysis and
control of hazards. In addition, the methods used for analyzing and controlling hazards do not fully implement accepted best practices, and there is a need for additional training of key personnel in performing hazards analysis.
The Office of River Protection personnel were knowledgeable concerning weaknesses in
the contractor's work planning and control but need to be more focused on specific oversight
activities including reviews of contractors work planning and control.
The enclosed report, prepared by the Board's staff, provides additional observations from
the staff's review and is provided for your use in upgrading work planning and control at the
Hanford Tank Farms.
Sincerely,
A. J.Eggenberger
Chairman
c; Ms. Shirley Olinger
Mr. Mark B. Whitaker, Jr.
Mr. Robert J. McMorland