Independent Assessment of Safety System Management at the Savannah River Site Defense Waste Processing Facility
Office of Enterprise Assessments
August 13, 2024
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August 2024,
Independent Assessment of Safety System Management at the Savannah River Site Defense Waste Processing Facility
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Enterprise Assessments (EA) conducted an independent assessment of safety system management (SSM) at the Savannah River Site Defense Waste Processing Facility from March to May 2024. Savannah River Mission Completion, LLC (SRMC) manages the Defense Waste Processing Facility under the direction and oversight of the DOE Savannah River Operations Office (DOE-SR). This assessment was performed within the broader context of targeted SSM assessments at selected high hazard (i.e., hazard category 1 and 2) nuclear facilities across the DOE complex. The purpose of the assessment was to evaluate whether the selected safety systems (i.e., safety class melter off-gas flammability control and the safety significant standby electrical power system) were appropriately functionally classified and are operated and maintained in a manner to ensure that they can reliably perform their intended safety function of protecting workers and the public from analyzed hazards. This assessment also evaluated the effectiveness of applicable DOE-SR oversight processes.