Epidemiologic Studies

Rocky Flats Plant Site

INTRODUCTION

Overview
This is the fourth in a series of seven volumes which constitute a guide to records of the Rocky Flats Plant useful for conducting health-related research. The primary purpose of Volume IV is to describe record series pertaining to production and materials handling activities at the Department of Energy's (DOE) Rocky Flats Plant, now named the Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site, near Denver, Colorado. History Associates Incorporated (HAI) prepared this guide as part of its work as the support services contractor for DOE's Epidemiologic Records Inventory Project.

This introduction briefly describes the Epidemiologic Records Inventory Project and HAI's role in the project, provides a history of production and materials handling practices at Rocky Flats, and identifies organizations contributing to production and materials handling policies and activities. Other topics include the scope and arrangement of the guide and the organization to contact for access to these records. Comprehensive introductory and background information is available in Volume I.

Other volumes in the guide pertain to administrative and general topics, facilities and equipment, waste management, workplace and environmental monitoring, and employee health. In addition, HAI has produced a subject-specific guide, titled The September 1957 Rocky Flats Fire: A Guide to Record Series of the Department of Energy and Its Contractors, which researchers should consult for further information about records related to this incident.

The Epidemiologic Records Inventory Project
The Epidemiologic Records Inventory Project is indicative of DOE Secretary Hazel R. O'Leary's efforts to support openness initiatives in the areas of environment, safety, and health. In view of the importance of various administrative, organizational, and operational records to epidemiologic and health-related studies, a moratorium on the destruction of such records has been in effect since 1989.

In May 1992, the DOE Office of Epidemiology and Health Surveillance (EH-42), responsible for the coordination of all health-related activities throughout the DOE complex, directed each DOE and DOE contractor site to prepare an inventory of all records useful for worker or community health-related studies. EH-42 prepared and furnished each site with guidelines that defined epidemiologic records, provided instructions for describing record series, outlined the sites' role in inventorying epidemiologic records, and discussed the relationship of the epidemiologic inventory to DOE's comprehensive records inventory. The epidemiologic inventories should be completed in 1995. It should be noted, however, that some of the information contained in the site records inventories, such as the location of active (still in use) records or the volume of the records, may change over time. The continued usefulness of the inventories and this guide depends on their systematic update.

Role of HAI
In August 1993, DOE selected HAI as its support services contractor for the Epidemiologic Records Inventory Project. HAI, a professional records management, archives, and historical research services firm incorporated in 1981, has provided records management, historical research, and technical support for a number of DOE projects. HAI's role in the project includes verifying the accuracy, comprehensiveness, and quality of existing inventories, providing guidance to site records management teams, and, in some cases, performing additional records inventories.

BACKGROUND

History of Production and Materials Handling
The Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) assigned Rocky Flats two main weapons-production missions: the fabrication of nuclear weapon components, specifically plutonium pits, and the processing of plutonium from retired nuclear warheads.

The life cycle of a nuclear weapon is comprised of seven phases: conception, feasibility studies, development engineering (prototype study), first production (start-up), quantity production and stockpile, and retirement and dismantlement. Activities at Rocky Flats concerned the fourth through seventh phases, with particular emphasis on start-up and quantity production. Rocky Flats produced most of the plutonium pits, or triggers, for use in nuclear weapons. A pit is a first-stage fission bomb which is used to detonate the second-stage fusion reaction in a hydrogen or nuclear bomb. Pits are generally constructed from varying amounts of plutonium, uranium, beryllium, aluminum, and stainless steel, depending on the specific weapon being produced.

The plant also manufactured components for other portions of the weapon since it had the facilities, equipment, and expertise required for handling the materials involved. A component is a single part of a weapon which is joined with other components to form an assembly, or larger piece of a weapon. Assemblies are then joined with other components and assemblies to form a complete weapon. Assemblies and components are specifically created for one of several weapons programs. Each program is identified by a code number such as W76 or W88.

Plant production operations originally occurred in four self-contained areas of the plant site, known as A, B, C, and D.(1) As weapons requirements changed and operations expanded, the areas grew beyond the original self-contained boundaries. Plant A (Building 444), built in 1953, fabricated depleted uranium parts almost exclusively until a change in weapons concepts refocused operations on beryllium components. Plant B (Building 881) came online in 1953 to recover enriched uranium and to produce parts from the recovered uranium. In 1966, a growing requirement for stainless steel components brought "J-Line" operations to Building 881 from American Car and Foundry Industries (ACF) in Albuquerque, New Mexico, when the AEC curtailed ACF's contract. In 1984, Building 460 also began conducting J-Line operations. Plant C was built in 1953 to hold plutonium operations and is now known as Building 771. During plant expansion in 1958, Buildings 776 and 777 were put online for plutonium operations as well. Production units in Building 991, Plant D, also built in 1953, conducted the final assembly of the product. Rocky Flats shipped completed components and assemblies to the Pantex Facility in Amarillo, Texas, for incorporation into the finished weapons. Retired weapons and weapon components were sent back to Rocky Flats as "site returns," where they were disassembled and their valuable materials recovered for reuse.(2)

In November 1989, while the plant was shut down for an annual inspection, DOE announced its decision to cease plutonium operations permanently at the site.(3) After production and disassembly operations at Rocky Flats ceased, DOE transferred these activities to other facilities.

Production and Materials Handling Organizations

Dow Chemical Company (1952-1975)
During the first decade of weapons production at Rocky Flats, activities were centered under the manager of the Production Organization and further subdivided by plant areas A (Building 44), B (Building 81), and C (Building 71) Production divisions. Plant area D Operations and Quality Control activities were managed by a separate division under the Executive Office. Supporting functions were conducted by the Technical Staff, Engineering, and Accountability and Production Control organizations and the Analytical Laboratory. In 1956, Dow created a fourth production section under the Production Division to encompass activities in Area 83. A member of the Technical Staff Department became the nuclear safety official in 1963. From approximately 1969 to 1971, production and supporting activities apparently occurred under the Manufacturing Manager, Quality Manager, and Director of Research and Development. In August of 1971, Dow reorganized these operations under the Assistant General Manager for Operations, who supervised the Fabrication, Quality, Support, Chemical Operations, Development Projects, and Product Sections. Dow created the office of Nuclear Safety Director, supervised by the Plant General Manager, in July 1972.

Rockwell International (1975-1989)
During Rockwell's tenure, the organization of the plant underwent little change. The Office of the Assistant General Manager administered the Production Operations, Chemical Operations, Production and Nuclear Materials Control, Development Product Engineering, Research and Development, and Quality Engineering and Control organizations responsible for most of the weapons production and support activities at Rocky Flats. Restructuring in April 1977 placed the Production, Chemical Operations, and Quality Engineering and Control Departments under the supervision of the Operations Division Plant Director. Rockwell also placed the Research and Development and Support Operations Divisions at the same organizational level as the Operations Division. In March 1981, the Chemical Operations Department was renamed the Plutonium Operations Department. Later that same year, Rockwell realigned all of the departments under the Operations Division and the other divisions onto an equivalent division level. Safeguards and Materials Management moved into this array in June 1984. The Nuclear Safety Department operated out of the Health, Safety, and Environment Division during this time, changing its name to Nuclear and Facilities Safety in 1979.

EG&G (1990-1995)
When EG&G took over the management and operations contract in 1990, Rocky Flats had ceased producing weapon components, although production-related organizations continued to exist for another two years. During that time, EG&G reorganized the site several times to transform it to cleanup status. For the first half of 1990, production, safety, and material operations were centered under the Associate General Manager for Defense Production. By the end of 1990, however, EG&G terminated the Defense Production Division and split its activities between the Plutonium Production, Plutonium Recovery, and Non-Plutonium Operations organizations. By 1993, the site had completed its transition to cleanup status.

ACCESS

For more complete information regarding access to the records, please refer to Volume I. The Department of Energy's Rocky Flats Plant: A Guide to Record Series Useful for Health-Related Research.

For specific information or permission to review Rocky Flats records, contact:

U.S. Department of Energy
Records Management Department
Contracts and Services Division
Rocky Flats Office
P.O. Box 928
Golden, CO 80402-0928
Telephone Number: (303) 966-6177

SCOPE

Pit and component production involved the use, manufacture, and assembly of highly regulated, sensitive, and precision-made materials and components. To insure that all stages of production met the painstaking material and design specifications developed during planning phases, a detailed paper trail was created during all stages of the production process. Each component in production was accompanied by a "traveler," which detailed every operation undergone by the component, from fabrication to testing, to visual and radiographic inspection. The word "traveler" indicated that these forms physically accompanied a component throughout the manufacturing process. As components became part of larger assemblies, the travelers were also combined, along with inspection test results, radiograph results, and related materials, to form what is commonly referred to as a Bomb Book or War Reserve (WR) Bomb Book.

These books, officially named Stockpile Approved Product Records (SAPRs), are the most complete historical record for each nuclear weapon and weapon component in the nation's weapons stockpile. They contain many types of information, including employee names and identification numbers, buildings or locations where production occurred, the type of part or process being undertaken, and M-document numbers. M-documents are written procedures that provide detailed, step-by-step instructions for the processes followed by the workers and contain information regarding the types of chemical mixtures, solvents, and handling requirements used for each of those steps.

A large part of the production activities entailed maintaining meticulous tracking records for all of the nuclear materials involved in production and research. DOE required plant operators to maintain tight control over all of the materials entering, leaving, or moving about the plant area. This included raw materials and components coming from contractors and other DOE facilities, assemblies leaving the site for Pantex, items moving between onsite production areas, scrap materials awaiting decontamination and recovery, materials used for special orders, and materials lost through normal handling and use.

This volume contains descriptions of the various records regarding product and material tracking, specifications, manufacturing, and testing and inspections activities which were created by numerous organizations and groups. Material inventory and tracking summary reports, inspection and certification test results, engineering drawings and specifications, and procedure instructions are among the documents produced for production activities and described here. The records in this volume were created by such diverse groups as Production Control, Product Engineering, Non-Nuclear Projects, Technical Writing, Non-Destructive Testing, Final Part Certification, Nuclear Safety, Metallography Laboratory, Analytical Laboratories, Nuclear Materials Control and Accountability, Special Order Engineering, Metallurgical Operations, and Program Planning and Control. As part of DOE's current weapons complex reconfiguation plan, production-related records are in the process of being transferred to other locations, primarily Los Alamos National Laboratory and the Kansas City Plant.

This volume reflects information collected from research conducted during site visits from March 1994 through January 1995. Users of this volume should note that omissions are likely due to the nature of the records targeted for research. For example, the June 6, 1989, seizure of records by the Federal Bureau of Investigation rendered an unknown quantity of records unavailable for review by HAI staff. Moreover, HAI team members did not inventory records stored in radiation-controlled areas.

HAI relied on existing finding aids prepared for Rocky Flats records. HAI was unable to verify that these research tools include all records that may exist. In addition, researchers should note that records at all of the repositories listed in this guide may be moved, transferred to a different location, reviewed for changes in disposition authority, and changed to a different format (i.e., from paper to microfilm).

ARRANGEMENT

1. In the early years, Rocky Flats' facilities were known by different names. Building 444 was referred to as Building 44 or Plant A; Building 771 was referred as Building 71 or Plant C; Building 881 was referred to as Building 81 or Plant B, and Building 991 was referred to as Building 91 or Plant D.

2. Background material was taken from ChemRisk, Project Tasks 3 & 4: Final Draft Report: Reconstruction of Historical Rocky Flats Operations and Identification of Release Points (1992), 43-96.

3. Michelle A. Hanson, "Site History of Rocky Flats" (Washington, DC: United States Department of Energy History Division, January 1993), 17.