Safety in the Underground Construction and Operation of the Exploratory Studies Facility at Yucca Mountain

Yucca Mountain, located on the Nevada Test Site, is being considered as a potential repository site for spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. To determine the suitability of Yucca Mountain as a repository, the Department of Energy constructed an underground Exploratory Studies Facility (ESF) where tests and experiments will be performed. This book addresses safety issues which will impact the construction and operation of the ESF and other similar underground facilities. The authors discuss proactive strategies for underground safety management with an emphasis on planning for safety, safety regulations, and the enforcement of such regulations. Also included are illustrations of successful approaches in creating a safe environment for those who work underground.

• Front Matter
• Underground Construction Safety: Be Sure You're on the Right Track
• Department of Energy's Construction Safety Program
• OSHA Regulations and Their Implications
• Underground Regulatory Safety Today
• Safety Engineering Design Analysis For Tunneling Equipment
• Milwaukee Water Pollution Abatement Program: Underground Safety--Dealing With OSHA
• OSHA Today and Tomorrow
• Underground Operations at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant: A True Safety Culture
• Safety in Construction and Operation of Underground Facilities
• Underground Safety at the Äspö Hard Rock Laboratory
• Safety Management in PNC's Shaft Excavation Effects Project in Japan
• The Channel Tunnel
• Appendix A: Symposium Agenda