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Nuclear Warhead Parts Dropped at Y-12 Plant
Nuclear warhead components were dropped on two occasions in April at the Y-12 nuclear weapons facility in Tennessee, the Knoxville News Sentinel reported today (see GSN, June 27). The incidents took place 11 days apart inside a building used for assembly and dismantlement of warhead parts that hold weapon-grade uranium. "There was no danger to the public," plant spokesman Bill Wilburn said. "There was never any danger of explosion. There was nothing associated with this work that could cause an explosion." A vacuum device lost hold of a warhead component on April 11, causing the part to fall roughly seven inches onto an inspection stand and sustain slight damage, according to a report prepared by the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board. "Neither the visible nor audible loss-of-vacuum alarms activated during this event," it noted. On April 22, workers were examining a disused warhead component to test a new X-ray device when a cassette holder fell and knocked the part several feet to the floor. The employees were not authorized to use the component because it held fissile material, an error that an investigation attributed to “miscommunication,” Wilburn said. In response to both incidents, the plant halted nuclear weapons work and conducted necessary safety checks. After the second drop, all workers involved in nuclear operations suspended work for two days to discuss both incidents (Frank Munger, Knoxville News Sentinel, June 30).
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