Nuclear Weapons: Safety, Technical, and Manpower Issues Slow DOE's
Disassembly Efforts (Chapter Report, 10/20/93, GAO/RCED-94-9).

The Energy Department's (DOE) very ambitious schedule for dismantling
retired nuclear weapons at its Pantex facility in Texas, coupled with
unresolved safety and uranium storage concerns, could lead to conflict
between safety and production goals.  About 63 percent of the weapons
scheduled were disassembled during fiscal year 1992.  Disassembly was
curtailed, however, by a transportation problem that prevented the
delivery of retired weapons to Pantex for about two months.  As a
result, Pantex substantially slowed its disassembly to avoid depleting
its inventory of weapons to be disassembled.  Concerns about possible
exposure of Pantex technicians to radioactive material also curtailed
disassembly efforts.  In GAO's view, the prospects for meeting DOE's
disassembly schedule in the next several years are poor.  DOE needs to
address several issues that could affect its ability to disassemble
nuclear weapons, including a shortage of disassembly technicians and the
adequacy of facilities for and the environmental impact of storing large
amounts of plutonium at Pantex.  More than half of the required safety
analysis reports, which enable decisions to be made about whether a
facility can operate safely, have not been completed at Pantex.  Many of
the uncompleted safety analysis reports are for disassembly activities
or facilities.

--------------------------- Indexing Terms -----------------------------

 REPORTNUM:  RCED-94-9
     TITLE:  Nuclear Weapons: Safety, Technical, and Manpower Issues 
             Slow DOE's Disassembly Efforts
      DATE:  10/20/93
   SUBJECT:  Nuclear facility safety
             Nuclear weapons
             Occupational health standards
             Hazardous substances
             Environmental impact statements
             Radiation exposure hazards
             Safety standards
             Working conditions
             Nuclear weapons plant safety
             Atomic energy defense activities
IDENTIFIER:  W-55 Nuclear Weapon
             W-33 Nuclear Weapon
             W-48 Nuclear Weapon
             DOE Tiger Team Assessment Program
             
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