Independent Assessment of Emergency Management at Argonne National Laboratory
Office of Enterprise Assessments
June 21, 2023
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June 2023,
Independent Assessment of Emergency Management at Argonne National Laboratory
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Enterprise Assessments (EA) conducted an independent assessment of the emergency management program at the Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) from August to October 2022. The assessment, which was conducted virtually due to DOE COVID-19 restrictions, evaluated the technical planning basis, exercise planning, and exercise evaluation processes for the August 2, 2022, annual exercise. ANL emergency response was not observed but reconstructed through interviews and a review of participant and evaluator log notes and exercise documentation. This assessment evaluated the effectiveness of both the Argonne Site Office (ASO) and its management and operating contractor, UChicago Argonne, LLC (Argonne), in developing the all-hazards planning basis for the exercise, as well as the ability of Argonne and ASO to plan, execute, and evaluate ANL’s five-year severe event full-participation exercise. The basis for EA’s review criteria is DOE Order 151.1D, Comprehensive Emergency Management System.