Elements of a Glovebox Glove Integrity Program

Abstract

Programmatic operations at the Los Alamos National Laboratory Plutonium Facility involve working with various amounts of plutonium and other highly toxic, alpha-emitting materials. The spread of radiological contamination on surfaces and airborne contamination and excursions of contaminants into the operator's breathing zone are prevented through the use of a variety of gloveboxes. The glovebox gloves are the weakest part of this engineering control. As a matter of good business practice, a team of glovebox experts from Los Alamos National Laboratory has been assembled to proactively investigate processes and procedures that minimize unplanned openings in the glovebox gloves, i.e., breaches and failures. Working together, they have developed the key elements of an efficient Glovebox Glove Integrity Program (GGIP). In the following report, the consequences of a glove failure or breach are identified, the acceptable risk is clarified, and elements needed to implement an efficient GGIP are discussed.