Updating the Department of Energy Accelerator Safety Order and Guide

D.R. Nelson¹ and D.C. Parzyck² (¹USDOE, Office of Science; ²USDOE, Fermilab Site Office)

The Department of Energy (DOE) Accelerator Safety Order, DOE O 420.2B, was reissued in July 2004. The order was first issued in November 1992 and reissued in 1998 and 2001 to reflect progress in the DOE approaches to assuring safe operations at accelerator facilities. A revised version of the DOE Accelerator Facility Safety Implementation Guide was completed in January 2005 to facilitate understanding of the DOE safety expectations provided in the DOE order. Both the order and the implementation guide reflect significant changes in the DOE approach to safety management and experience gained on accelerator operations in recent years. Revision of the DOE order and implementation guide was accomplished through involvement of DOE Headquarters, DOE field offices and DOE contractors. The direct involvement of knowledgeable and experienced individuals from these three stakeholders assures that the order and implementation guide reflect a “best-practice” approach to safe operation of accelerator facilities. The revised order provides a clear delineation of DOE accelerator facilities from DOE nuclear facilities. The revised implementation guide provides a process for tailoring safety standards for various types of accelerator facilities and covers more comprehensively the various hazards encountered in accelerator operations. The order and implementation guide provide a balanced and tailored approach to meet DOE safety expectations. These documents fully support operation of DOE accelerator facilities consistent with the principles that underlie the DOE Integrated Safety Management System. The order and guide also provide a framework for safe management of the full range of accelerator facilities from bench-top demonstration projects to full-scale research facilities that may be miles in length or circumference. The implementation guide is designed to support the entire history of an accelerator facility, pre-operational, operations and post-operations.

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