Criticality Protection Program

DOD is committed to keeping workers safe from preventable injuries, and has embraced the safety and health management system approach through its participation in OSHA s Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP). The leaders of our armed forces understand that employees are critical to mission readiness, and recognize the link between lost time injuries and illnesses and lost productivity. 

Area radiation monitors are provided to supplement the persoimel and area radiation survey of the radiation protection program as described in Section 11.5 of the EDCD (Reference 12.1). During refuelling operations in containment and fuel handling area, criticality monitoring functions are performed by the area radiation monitors. A local readout, audible and visual alarms are provided internal to each area to be monitored. Visual alarms are provided outside each monitored area. Indication and alarm are also provided in the main control room. 

For years, OSHA has been on the receiving end of considerable criticism regarding its Whistleblower Protection Program responsibilities. Since Jannary 2009, there has been a frontal assanlt from certain members of the Honse Committee on Edncation and LaboP, the General Acconnting Office, and even OSHA s Inspector General. In all fairness, OSHA lacks the staff, money and resonrces to adequately respond to the thonsands of whistleblower complaints received each year. 

Some DHS, DOE, and other government programs need to allocate resources based on their prioritization (e.g., the DHS s Buffer Zone Protection Program), site assistance visits and comprehensive reviews, as well as state and local initiatives. These programs supplement and support industry efforts. State and local efforts under the NIPP will be based on some measure of the relative importance, risk consequence, and vulnerability of the critical infrastructures within their jurisdictions. This will require that they work with the energy sectors in their jurisdictions so as to understand the importance of critical facilities. In addition, they will need to address... 

Early in the program, critical components (e.g.,the turbomolecular pump) and circuit boards were tested for their ability to survive neutron and gamma irradiation rates and doses similar to those that would be received from exposure to the detonation of a tactical nuclear device. All components were powered up at the start of the gamma irradiation tests but not during the neutron irradiation tests. Circuit boards were protected by circumvention circuits that powered down critical circuits in 10 to lOOps upon detecting radiation. All components survived the nuclear radiation tests. This unusual performance was noted with positive commendations by the staff at the White Sands Missile Range, where the tests were performed. Tests of the fully integrated CBMS II system, installed in a reconnaissance vehicle, will be conducted in the future. 

This nonsystematic approach to monitoring has proven inadequate for protecting the U.S. food supply. In response, the FDA enacted the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) program of 1997 (U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 1995, 2001). In the U.S., the FDA has established action levels in suspect seafood for the toxins causing some of the shellfish poisonings (see Table 7.3). When an action level is reached, the HACCP plan must be followed to prevent unsafe product from reaching consumers. 

To increase equipment reliability and plant efficiency, corrosion inhibitors are used in boiler and cooling water programs to control fouling and deposition on critical heat-transfer surfaces. In cooling systems, corrosion inhibition is commonly achieved through the use of passivators, which encourage the formation of a protective metal oxide film on the metal surface ( 1). ... 

The SUSTECH program was launched by a consortium of the major chemical companies in Europe in April 1994. In doing so, they created a framework which would enable them to collaborate effectively in areas of research and development, which would be critical for the long term future of the process industries in Europe. The focus for collaboration would be those areas that while attracting public concern were nevertheless not areas in which the companies would normally compete. Such areas as sustainable development, protection of the environment, and technologies for making more efficient use of the earth s resources were ready targets for collaborative action. 

All of the effort expended in designing plant-safety systems is of little value unless accompanied by an adequate prooftest program and regular maintenance. These safety systems—consisting of such components as safety-relief valves, tank vents, critical alarms, and protective isolation and shutdown devices—do not operate on a continuous basis. Rather, they are only called into service periodically to warn of, or to prevent, conditions that could lead to plant accidents. [8]... 

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