Safety observation contributions to a glovebox safety program

Abstract

Programmatic operations at the Los Alamos National Laboratory Plutonium Facility (TA-55) involve working with various amounts of plutonium and other highly toxic, alpha-emitting materials. The spread of radiological contamination on surfaces, airborne contamination, and excursions of contaminants into the operator's breathing zone are prevented through the use of a variety of gloveboxes (the glovebox, coupled with an adequate negative pressure gradient, provides primary confinement). The TA-55 Glovebox Safety Program (GSP) augments this passive safety feature. In an effort to increase safety awareness and to decrease accidents and incidents, a behavior-based safety observation program (ATOMICS) focusing on the identification and elimination of at-risk behaviors was initiated. Workers are trained on how to conduct safety observations and given guidance on specific behaviors to note. This paper focuses on collection of data from glovebox work observation cards related to the GSP, incorporation of this information into output metrics, and examples of how the use of these metrics has improved the GSP. This effort contributes to the Los Alamos National Laboratory's Continuous Improvement Program by providing information that can be used to improve operational safety.