DOE O 225.1 Chg 1, Accident Investigations
Functional areas: Information Technology
To prescribe requirements for conducting investigations of certain accidents occurring at Department of Energy (DOE) operations and sites; to improve the environment , safety and health for DOE, contractors, and the public; and to prevent the recurrence of such accidents.
Chg 1, 10-26-95. Cancels parts of DOE 5484.1
Version history and related documents
Superseded by
A newer version replaces this document.
- DOE O 225.1 Chg 2Accident Investigations (Apr 26, 1996)
Related documents
Document text
Text extracted from the attached file. Refer to the original document for the authoritative version.
Section 1
U.S. Department of Energy ORDER
Washington, D.C.
SUBJECT: ACCIDENT INVESTIGATIONS
DOE O 225.1
Approved: 09-29-95
Review Date: 09-29-97
Chg 1: 10-26-95
1. OBJECTIVE. To prescribe requirements for conducting investigations of certain
accidents occurring at Department of Energy (DOE) operations and sites; to
improve the environment , safety and health for DOE, contractors, and the
public; and to prevent the recurrence of such accidents.
2. CANCELLATION.
a.
b.
DOE 5484.1, ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION, SAFETY, AND HEALTH PROTECTION
INFORMATION REPORTING REQUIREMENTS, of 10-17-90, Paragraphs 1 through 5,
6a (1) through (10), both 6f (1) through (8) and the second misnumbered
6f, and Chapters I and II.
Cancellation of the above Order paragraphs does not, by itself, modify
or otherwise affect any contractual obligation to comply with such an
Order. Canceled Orders which are incorporated by reference in a
contract shall remain in effect until the contract is modified to delete
the reference to the requirements in the canceled Orders.
3. APPLICABILITY.
a. DOE Elements. Except for the exclusions in paragraph 3c, below, this
Order applies to all DOE Elements.
b. Contractors.
(1) Except for exclusions in paragraph 3c, below, the Contractor
Requirements Document (CRD), Attachment 1, sets forth the
requirements to be applied to the universe of contractors awarded
contracts for the operation, management, maintenance,
construction, demolition, or remediation of a DOE-owned or -leased
facility.
(2) Contract compliance with the CRD will be required to the extent
set forth in the contract. Contractors shall continue to comply
with the requirements of the paragraphs of the Order identified in
paragraph 2, above, that are canceled by this Order until their
contracts are modified to delete the reference to the requirement
of those canceled Order paragraphs.
c. Exclusions. Activities conducted under the authority of the Director,
Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program, as described in Public Law 98-525.
Vertical line denotes change.
DISTRIBUTION: INITIATED BY:
All Departmental Elements Office of Environment, Safety
and Health
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2 DOE O 225.1
9-29-95
4. RETIREMENTS.
a. Categorization. DOE Field Elements shall ensure the reporting of
all accidents and categorize them as soon as possible, in
accordance with the algorithm in Attachment 2, to determine if a
Type A or Type B investigation is required.
b. Conducting the Investigation. Accidents categorized as either a
Type A or Type B shall be investigated as follows.
(1) Appoint the Accident Investogation Board.
(a) The Appointing Official (see paragraph 5,
Responsibilities) within 3 calendar days of the
accident, shall formally appoint DOE employees to a
DOE Accident Investigation Board. The Board shall
consist of an Accident Investigation Board Chairperson
and three to six Members, at least one of whom shall
be a DOE Accident Investigator.
(b) The Board appointment shall be in writing and shall
include the scope of the investigation, individuals
being appointed, special provisions of the
investigation, and a 60-day or other completion date
for the final report.
(c) The DOE Accident investigation Board Chairperson
shall:
1 Be a DOE senior manager with demonstrated
managerial competence, preferably a member of
the Senior Executive Service;
2 Manage the investigation process and represent
DOE in all matters regarding the accident
investigation;
Section 2
3 Be knowledgeable of DOE accident investigation
techniques and experienced in conducting
accident investigations through participation in
at least one Type A or Type B investigation;
4 Notify DOE, Federal, State, or local
investigative or law enforcement agencies of
suspected unlawful activity identified during
the accident investigation; and
5 Coordinate board activities with all
organizations having an interest in the
accident
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DOE O 225.1 3
9-29-95
(d) DOE Accident Investigation Board Members shall be DOE
employee subject matter experts in areas related to the
accident. At least one Member shall be a DOE Accident
Investigator with knowledge of the DOE accident
investigation techniques and experienced in conducting
investigations through participation in at least one Type A
or Type B investigation.
(e) The DOE Accident Investigation Board Chairperson and Members
shall:
1 Report only to the Appointing Official during the
investigation;
2 Be independent of the direct line management chain
responsible for day-to-day operation or oversight of
the site at which the accident occurred; and
3 Not include both a supervisor and his or her
subordinate.
(2) Investigate the Accident.
(a) The Board shall be responsible for conducting a thorough
investigation of all individuals, organizations, and
facilities having a stake in the accident.
(b) The Board shall determine the facts of the accident by
examining the accident scene, examining DOE and contractor
documentation, interviewing witnesses, and performing
engineering analyses. The Board shall also examine
policies, standards, and requirements that are applicable to
the accident being investigated as well as management and
safety systems at Headquarters and Field Offices that could
have contributed to or prevented the accident.
(c) The Board shall be supported by advisors and consultants and
shall analyze the facts and identify causal factors and
judgments of need for corrective actions.
(d) Prior to completion of the investigation, the Board shall
conduct an internal review of the investigation process to
ensure that:
1 All of the facts, standards, and requirements relating
to the accident have been identified, a thorough
analysis of them has been conducted and causal factors
have been determined; and
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4 DOE O 225.1
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2 Judgments of need for corrective actions have
been stated, and can be supported by the facts,
for development of corrective actions.
(3) Reporting Investigation Results.
(a) The Board shall report investigation results without
determining individual fault or proposing punitive
measures. The report shall contain judgments of need
for corrective actions based upon objective analysis
of the facts, root and contributing causes, and DOE or
contractor management systems that could have
prevented the accident.
(b) The Board shall offer the facts section of the draft
investigation report to the affected DOE and
contractor line management for review for factual
accuracy prior to completion of the report.
(c) Prior to completion of the investigation, the Board
shall:
1 Conduct a review of the report to ensure its
technical accuracy, completeness, and internal
consistency; and
2 Ensure that it also includes an analysis of
management control and safety systems that may
have contributed to the accident.
Section 3
(d) The Board Chairperson and Board Members shall sign and
date the final investigation report and, if
appropriate, include a minority report section should
any Member wish to offer an opinion different from
that of the Board.
(e) The Board shall then submit the final investigation
report to the Appointing Official for acceptance
within the time frame established by the Appointing
Official. The Appointing Official shall signify in
writing in the front of the report that the report and
findings are accepted and the investigative phase of
the accident is completed.
c. Investigation Close-Out. The Appointing Official shall close Type
A and Type B investigations after ensuring the following.
(1) DOE and contractor line organizations affected by the
investigation have had an opportunity to conduct a factual
accuracy review of the draft report and present comments to
the Board.
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DOE O 225.1 5
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(2) A statement signed by the Appointing Official is included in
the final report accepting the investigation report and the
Board's findings, thus concluding the onsite part of the
investigation.
(3) The Board Chairperson and the senior manager of the site
have conducted a formal briefing of Headquarters and field
line management on the outcome of the investigation.
(4) The final report is transmitted to senior managers of
organizations identified in the judgments of need in the
report with a request for their organizations to prepare
corrective action plans.
(5) Lessons learned from the accident investigation are
disseminated DOE-wide.
(6) Action plans are completed, and corrective actions are
implemented to satisfy the judgments of need identified in
the final investigation report.
5. RESPONSIBILITIES.
a. Assistant Secretary for Environment, Safety and Health (EH-1).
(1) Develops and maintains DOE accident investigation policies,
procedures, standards, and guidelines, and oversees their
implementation.
(2) Serves as Appointing Official of Type A Accident
Investigation Boards.
(3) Develops and disseminates uniform DOE accident investigation
techniques and provides training to DOE Accident
Investigation Board Chairpersons, Investigators, and
readiness teams.
(4) Maintains a list of prospective DOE Accident Investigation
Board Chairpersons and Investigators.
(5) Reviews Type A and Type B accident investigation reports and
provides comments to the Appointing Official and Board
Chairperson as appropriate.
(6) Provides concurrence or comments on corrective action plans
resulting from Type A and Type B investigations, and
verifies completion of approved corrective actions and
satisfaction of judgments of need.
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6 DOE O 225.1
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b. Secretarial Officers.
(1) Cooperate with the Board during the investigation.
(2) Review draft Type A and Type B investigation reports for
factual accuracy within the time frame allowed for the
investigation.
(3) Approve corrective action plans resulting from Type A and
Type B investigations for satisfaction of judgments of need
identified by the Board.
c. Heads of Field Elements.
(1) Determine whether adequate protection can most effectively
be achieved by continuing to operate under the terms of
existing contracts requiring compliance with old Orders or
by modifying the contract to incorporate the requirements of
revised Orders. Field Elements are responsible for
determining that implementation of new rule or Order
requirements will provide adequate protection prior to
requesting contract modification to drop old Order
requirements from contracts.
Section 4
(2) After incorporating this Order into contracts, ensure its
implementation and identify a single point of contact for
that purpose.
(3) Serve as Appointing Officials of Type B Accident
Investigation Boards.
(4) Ensure establishment of accident investigation readiness
capability by trained contractors (see Attachment 1).
(5) Provide cooperation and assistance to DOE Accident
Investigation Boards.
(6) Ensure that a sufficient number of DOE Accident Board
Chairpersons and Investigators are available to implement
this Order, and upon request, provide them to other DOE
sites.
(7) Review draft Type A and Type B investigation reports for
factual accuracy within the time frame allowed for the
investigation.
(8) Initiate actions to address applicable lessons learned from
investigations conducted at other DOE sites.
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DOE O 225.1 7 (and 8)
9-29-95
(9) Ensure that corrective action plans are:
(a) Developed to address judgments of need identified by
the Board;
(b) Approved by the Secretarial Officer;
(c) Concurred on by the Assistant Secretary for
Environment, Safety and Health; and
(d) Implemented and tracked to completion.
(10) Provide two copies of the final accident investigation
report and corrective action plan to the Secretarial
Officer, Operations Office, and Field Element, and four
copies to the Assistant Secretary for Environment, Safety
and Health.
6. CONTACT. Questions concerning this Order can be directed to the Office
of Oversight, Office of Environment, Safety and Health, phone
301-903-3777.
BY ORDER OF THE SECRETARY OF ENERGY:
ARCHER L. DURHAM
Assistant Secretary for
Human Resources and Administration
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DOE O 225.1 Attachment 1
9-29-95 Page 1 (and 2)
CONTRACTOR REQUIREMENTS DOCUMENT
ACCIDENT INVESTIGATIONS
Type A and Type B Accident Investigations
1. In the performance of this contract, contractors shall support Type A
and Type B investigations of accidents at sites under their cognizance.
Type A and Type B investigations are conducted by formally appointed DOE
Accident Investigation Boards comprised of DOE employees, supplemented
by advisors and consultants, and may take from 2 to 6 weeks to complete.
2. Contractors shall establish and maintain a readiness to respond to
accidents, mitigate the consequences, assist in collecting and
preserving evidence, and assist with the conduct of the investigation.
This shall include preserving the accident scene to the extent that it
is under the control of the contractor, documenting the accident scene
through photography and other means, providing office space and
equipment for the Accident Investigation Board, meeting regularly with
the Board for discussions of issues surrounding the accident, and
providing general administrative assistance.
3. Contractors shall also prepare, implement, and track approved corrective
action plans to completion that satisfy judgments of need identified by
the Accident Investigation Board.
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DOE O 225.1 Attachment 2
9-29-95 Page 1
ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION CATEGORIZATION ALGORITHM
1. INTRODUCTION. Accidents shall be analyzed as soon as possible to
determine if either a Type A or Type B investigation shall be conducted
based on the criteria indicated below. Uncertainty in categorization
shall be mutually resolved by the Assistant Secretary for Environment,
Safety and Health, and the Head of Field Elements. The following
categorization criteria shall apply to any accident resulting from DOE,
its contractor, or subcontractor operations.
Section 5
2. HUMAN EFFECTS.
a. Accidents Requiring Type A Investigations.
(1) Any fatal, or likely to be fatal, injury, chemical or
biological exposure to an employee or a member of the
public.
(2) Any one accident that requires the hospitalization for
treatment of three or more individuals, or has a high
probability of resulting in the permanent total disability
due to injuries, chemical exposures, or biological exposures
of DOE, contractor, or subcontractor employees or members of
the public.
(3) A single individual radiation exposure resulting in:
(a) A total effective dose equivalent of 25 rem or more;
(b) A dose equivalent to the lens of the eye of 75 rem or
more;
(c) A shallow dose equivalent to an extremity or skin of
250 rem or more;
(d) The sum of the deep dose equivalent for external
exposure and the committed dose equivalent to any
organ or tissue other than the lens of the eye of 250
rem or more; or
(e) A dose equivalent to the embryo or fetus of a declared
pregnant worker of 2.5 rem or more.
b. Accidents Requiring Type B Investigations.
(1) Any one or series of injuries, chemical exposures, or
biological exposures that results in hospitalization of one
or more employees or members of the public for more than 5
continuous days, or that results in permanent partial
disability of one or more employees or members of the
public.
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Attachment 2 DOE O 225.1
Page 2 9-29-95
(2) Any one accident or series of accidents within a 1-year time
period, resulting in five or more lost-workday cases, or any
series of similar or related accidents involving five or
more persons, one or more of which is a lost-workday case.
(3) A single radiation exposure to an individual that results
in:
(a) A total effective dose equivalent of at least 10 rem
but less than 25 rem;
(b) A dose equivalent to the lens of the eye of at least
30 rem but less than 75 rem;
(c) A shallow dose equivalent to an extremity or skin of
at least 100 rem but less than 250 rem;
(d) The sum of the deep dose equivalent for external
exposure and the committed dose equivalent to any
organ or tissue other than the lens of the eye of at
least 100 rem but less than 250 rem; or
(e) A dose equivalent to the embryo or fetus of a declared
pregnant worker of at least 1 rem but less than 2.5
rem.
3. ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS.
a. Accidents Requiring Type A Investigations. Release of a hazardous
substance, material, waste, or radionuclide from a DOE facility
(onsite or offsite), in an amount greater than five times the
reportable quantities specified in 40 CFR Part 302, that results
in serious environmental damage.
b. Accidents Requiring Type B Investigations. Release of a hazardous
substance, material, waste, or radionuclide from a DOE facility
(onsite or offsite), in an amount equal to or greater than two
times but less than five times the reportable quantities specified
in 40 CFR Part 302, that results in serious environmental damage.
4. PROPERTY EFFECTS.
a. Accidents Requiring Type A Investigations.
(1) Estimated loss of, or damage to, DOE or other property,
including aircraft damage, equal to or greater than $2.5
million or requiring estimated costs equal to or greater
than $2.5 million for cleaning, decontaminating, renovating,
replacing, or rehabilitating structures, equipment, or
property.
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DOE O 225.1 Attachment 2
9-29-95 Page 3 (and 4)
Section 6
(2) Any apparent loss, explosion, or theft involving radioactive
or hazardous material under the control of DOE, contractors,
or subcontractors in such quantities and under such
circumstances to constitute a hazard to human health and
safety or private property.
(3) Any unplanned nuclear criticality.
b. Accidents Requiring Type B Investigations.
(1) Estimated loss of, or damage to, DOE or other property of
less than $2.5 million but more than $1 million, including
aircraft damage, and costs of cleaning, decontaminating,
renovating, replacing, or rehabilitating structures,
equipment, or property.
(2) The operation of a nuclear facility beyond its authorized
limits.
5. OTHER EFFECTS.
a. Accidents Requiring Type A Investigations. Any accident or series
of accidents for which a Type A investigation is deemed
appropriate by the Secretary or the Assistant Secretary for
Environment, Safety and Health.
b. Accidents Requiring Type B Investigations. Any accident or series
of accidents for which a Type B investigation is deemed
appropriate by the Secretary; Assistant Secretary Environment for
Safety and Health; Associate Deputy Secretary for Field
Management; Cognizant Secretarial Officer; or Head of the Field
Element. This includes for example, Departmental cross-cutting
issues and issues warranting the attention of local news or
interest groups.
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