PROPERTY LOSSES

Fire Losses

Twenty-one fires, totaling $562,752, were reported by DOE operations during 1994. The average loss per incident was $26,798, compared with an average of $9,915 for 1993 (revised) and $106,443 for the 1989-93 period. The 1994 DOE fire loss rate of 0.04 cent per $100 property valuation is four times the 1993 rate of 0.01; however, the rate is well below the DOE 1989-93 average fire loss rate of 0.18 (Figure 23). The period high rate of 0.72 occurred in 1990 and was primarily due to a single fire: fault occurred in a substation transformer causing $7.8 million in damage to the substation and adjacent equipment.

Table 26 shows the distribution of DOE fire losses by types of fire. The most costly fire ($250,000) was a building fire, followed by a brush fire ($200,000). The building fire was reported by DynMcDermott Petroleum Operation Company and occurred when switchgear arched during an installation process. The brush fire was reported by Lockheed Idaho Technologies Company, and occurred when a spark from a flat tire ignited weeds.

Non-Fire Property Losses

Sixty-three non-fire property loss incidents, totaling $893,718, were recorded during 1994. The average loss per incident was $14,186, compared with an average of $30,046 for 1993 and $44,757 for the 1989-93 period. The 1994 DOE non-fire loss rate of 0.07 cent per $100 property valuation is the lowest annual non-fire loss rate since 1974 and is 85 percent lower than the 1989-93 average loss rate of 0.39 (Figure 24).

Table 27 shows the distribution of DOE non-fire losses by loss type. The most costly non-fire loss ($195,500) was weather related, followed by a mechanical loss of $140,000. The weather related accident occurred when high winds damaged three heliostats and a multi-faceted dish at the Sandia National Laboratory. The mechanical loss was reported by the Western Area Power Administration and occurred when a shielding window was cracked during the application of nitrogen gas.

Extreme Value Projections

Extreme value losses for the U. S. Department of Energy by property loss type are shown in Table 28. Extreme values are worst case values (i.e., greatest number of dollars lost) during a given time period, and indicate how often (the return period) an event of equal to or greater than $1 million would be expected to occur. The DOE return period for a $1 million loss is based on 1990 to 1994 performance.

VEHICLE LOSSES

The U. S. Department of Energy experienced 346 recordable motor vehicle (i.e., car, truck, bus) accidents in 1994, during an estimated 134 million miles of travel. Figure 25 shows that the DOE vehicle accident rate of 2.6 accidents per million vehicle miles is equal to the 1989-93 average accident rate, and 73 percent lower than the nationwide vehicle accident rate of 9.5, calculated from National Safety Council (NSC) data. The loss rate of $4.60 per 1,000 miles traveled (Figure 26) resulted from the $618,000 recorded in vehicle damages during calendar year 1994. This compares with the DOE loss rate of $4.37 (revised) in 1993 and $4.43 for 1989-93. The current DOE vehicle loss rate is 69 percent lower than the nationwide (from NSC data) 1989-93 vehicle loss rate of $14.91. Eleven of the 1994 motor vehicle accidents resulted in recordable injuries, and a total of 173 lost or restricted workdays.

AIRCRAFT LOSSES

There have been no DOE aircraft accidents during 14,369 hours of flight for calendar year 1994. This is DOE's second consecutive accident-free year. However, nine DOE employees were fatally injured in a commercial aircraft accident (U.S. Air Flight 427) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in September 1994.

OTHER LOSSES

There were no accidents reported in 1994 involving DOE-owned or - leased marine craft during 13,937 hours of operation; nor were any railroad accidents reported for the 15,210 miles of rail operation during the year.