A REGULATORS PERSPECTIVE ON TRITIUM HANDLING

Tritium handling will continue throughout the foreseeable future withi n the U.S. Department of Energy complex. Changes are occurring that em phasize greater care in tritium handling. Technological improvements ( e.g. ''hardware'' advances) are only part of the solution. The other a rea of improvement concerns the support or ''software'' side. Improved programs and procedures affecting operations, maintenance, surveillan ce, and emergency response are being implemented. The heightened empha sis on worker safety issues is the discussion of the two major assessm ents and their lessons learned.