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Sandia National Laboratories

(Site Profile/Docket Number 065)

Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico

Special Exposure Cohort Petition Information

The Special Exposure Cohort (SEC) is a unique category of employees established by The Act (42 CFR Part 83). Claims compensated under the SEC do not have to go through the dose reconstruction process. To qualify for compensation under the SEC, a covered employee must meet specific requirements (e.g., must have at least one of 22 “specified cancers,” and have worked for a specified time period at one of the SEC sites). Classes of employees and work sites can be considered for addition to the SEC through a NIOSH petition process. More information about the Special Exposure Cohort can be found on our Frequently Asked Questions page.

Open/Active SEC Petitions

There is currently one open/active SEC petition, Petition 188, from Sandia National Laboratories.

Class(es) Added to the SEC

  • All employees of the Department of Energy, its predecessor agencies, and its contractors and subcontractors who worked in any area at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico, from January 1, 1949 through December 31, 1962, for a number of work days aggregating at least 250 work days, occurring either solely under this employment, or in combination with work days within the parameters established for one or more other classes of employees in the Special Exposure Cohort.

    Note: This class was established from Petition 162

  • All employees of the Department of Energy, its predecessor agencies, and their contractors and subcontractors who worked in any area at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico, from January 1, 1963 through December 31, 1994, for a number of work days aggregating at least 250 work days, occurring either solely under this employment, or in combination with work days within the parameters established for one or more other classes of employees included in the Special Exposure Cohort.

    Note: This class was established from Petition 188

Petitions Qualified for Evaluation

Below is a list of the petitions that qualified for evaluation. Select a petition on the list to view the table for that particular petition.

Petition 162 (Jan 1, 1957 to Dec 31, 1962)

Steps in Petition Process: Petition Details:

Date Received

January 19, 2010

Date Qualified for Evaluation

April 13, 2010

Summary of Information in Petition

Job Titles and/or Job Duties: All employees who worked within the Reactor Division

Period of Employment: January 1, 1957 through December 31, 1962

Note: The information above is what qualified for evaluation. During our evaluation of whether dose reconstructions can adequately be completed for the above job titles and period of employment, information may cause NIOSH to change some the dates or job titles/duties. Therefore, as this petition proceeds through the SEC petition process and if an SEC class is proposed, the proposed class may not exactly match the above information.

Copy of the Petition Received

Sandia National Laboratories Petition 162

Federal Register Notice Announcing that a Sandia National Laboratories SEC Petition has met the Minimum Qualifications for Review and Evaluation

April 28, 2010 [42 KB (1 page)]
(January 1, 1963 through May 21, 2011)

SEC Petition Evaluation Report

May 6, 2011 [306 KB (60 pages)]
(January 1, 1949 through December 31, 1962)

Evaluation Report Sent to the Advisory Board

May 6, 2011

Petition Discussed by the Advisory Board

The petition was discussed by the Advisory Board on May 25, 2011, during its regular meeting.

Note: Agendas and transcripts for Board meetings will be posted on the Advisory Board and Public Meetings page as soon as they become available.

Advisory Board Recommendation on SEC Petition

July 8, 2011 [29 KB (2 pages)]
(January 1, 1949 through December 31, 1962)

HHS Letters to Congress Regarding the SEC Petition

August 10, 2011 [78 KB (10 pages)]
(January 1, 1949 through December 31, 1962)

HHS Designation of Additional Members to the SEC

July 29, 2011 [35 KB (5 pages)]
(January 1, 1949 through December 31, 1962)

Federal Register Notice: Designation Regarding a Class of Employees for Addition to the Special Exposure Cohort

August 17, 2011 [38 KB (1 page)]
(January 1, 1949 through December 31, 1962)

Effective Date for the SEC Class

September 9, 2011

Federal Register Notice: Final Effect of Designation of a Class of Employees for Addition to the Special Exposure Cohort

September 27, 2011 [44 KB (2 pages)]

Letter to DOL Regarding the Addition of a New Class of Employees to the SEC

September 15, 2011 [17 KB (1 page)]
(January 1, 1949 through December 31, 1962)

Petition 188 (Jan 1, 1963 to May 21, 2011)

Steps in Petition Process: Petition Details:

Date Received

July 18, 2011

Date Qualified for Evaluation

October 21, 2011

Summary of Information in Petition

Job Titles and/or Job Duties: All personnel who worked in any area

Period of Employment: January 1, 1963 through May 21, 2011

Note: The information above is what qualified for evaluation. During our evaluation of whether dose reconstructions can adequately be completed for the above job titles and period of employment, information may cause NIOSH to change some the dates or job titles/duties. Therefore, as this petition proceeds through the SEC petition process and if an SEC class is proposed, the proposed class may not exactly match the above information.

Copy of the Petition Received

Sandia National Laboratories Petition [468 KB (8 pages)]

Federal Register Notice Announcing that a Sandia National Laboratories SEC Petition has met the Minimum Qualifications for Review and Evaluation

November 14, 2011 [51 KB (1 page)]
(January 1, 1963 through May 21, 2011)

SEC Petition Evaluation Report

February 21, 2012 [975 KB (79 pages)]
(January 1, 1963 through December 31, 1994)

Evaluation Report Sent to the Advisory Board

February 22, 2012

Petition Discussed by the Advisory Board

The petition was discussed by the Advisory Board on February 29, 2012, during its regular meeting.

Note: Agendas and transcripts for Board meetings will be posted on the Advisory Board and Public Meetings page as soon as they become available.

Advisory Board Recommendation on SEC Petition

April 9, 2012 [74 KB (2 pages)]
(January 1, 1963 through December 31, 1994)

HHS Letters to Congress Regarding the SEC Petition

May 11, 2012 [211 KB (10 pages)]
(January 1, 1963 through December 31, 1994)

HHS Designation of Additional Members to the SEC

May 11, 2012 [103 KB (5 pages)]
(January 1, 1963 through December 31, 1994)

Federal Register Notice: Designation Regarding a Class of Employees for Addition to the Special Exposure Cohort

June 1, 2012 [46 KB (1 page)]
(January 1, 1963 through December 31, 1994)

Effective Date for the SEC Class

June 10, 2012

Federal Register Notice: Final Effect of Designation of a Class of Employees for Addition to the Special Exposure Cohort

June 29, 2012 [44 KB (1 page)]
(January 1, 1963 through December 31, 1994)

Letter to DOL Regarding the Addition of a New Class of Employees to the SEC

June 18, 2012 [16 KB (1 page)]
(January 1, 1963 through December 31, 1994)

SEC Petitions Not Qualifying for Evaluation

There were two additional petition received that did not qualify for evaluation. One petition did not meet the minimum petition requirements for evaluation, and the other was already included in the SEC.

Worker Outreach Activities

Based on a recommendation from the Advisory Board to provide workers and site experts with opportunities to participate in developing the technical documents used in dose reconstruction, NIOSH established a Worker Outreach Program.

At Worker Outreach Meetings, current and former DOE and AWE employees have opportunities to obtain information about Site Profiles, Technical Basis Documents, and Technical Information Bulletins, and to provide information for consideration and possible use in dose reconstruction. This process is valuable to ensure that the technical documents used in dose reconstruction contain correct and useful information.

Below are the Worker Outreach Activities for the Sandia National Laboratories:

  • February 19, 2009
    Meeting with Representatives of Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU) Local 251; Albuquerque Metal Trades Council (MTC), AFL-CIO; Sandia Security Police Association; and New Mexico Building and Construction Trades Council, AFL-CIO
    Final Minutes [49 KB (8 pages)]
  • September 26, 2007
    Meeting with New Mexico Building and Construction Trades Council, AFL-CIO, Albuquerque, New Mexico
    Final Minutes [98 KB (24 pages)]
  • September 25, 2007
    Meeting with Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU) Local 251 and Albuquerque Metal Trades Council (MTC), Albuquerque, New Mexico
    Final Minutes [52 KB (9 pages)]
  • August 15, 2005
    Meeting with Security Police Association (Formerly IUPA Local 7002)
    Final Minutes [52 KB (4 pages)]
  • June 20, 2005
    Meeting with Office and Professional Employees International Union Local 251; Albuquerque Metal Trades Council
    Final Minutes [100 KB (17 pages)]
  • June 20, 2005
    Meeting with New Mexico Building and Construction Trades Council, Albuquerque, New Mexico
    Final Minutes [61 KB (5 pages)]

Technical Documents

If the energy employee’s personal radiation information is incomplete, NIOSH will use other sources to estimate the radiation dose. This may involve using technical documents called Site Profiles, Technical Basis Documents, and Technical Information Bulletins.

Site Profile

Technical Information Bulletins (TIBs)

Advisory Board and NIOSH Comments and Discussion Papers on Sandia National Laboratories

The Sandia National Laboratories discussion papers listed below are working documents prepared by NIOSH or its contractor for use in discussions with the Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health or its Working Groups or Subcommittees. Draft, preliminary, interim, and white paper documents are not final NIOSH or Advisory Board (or their technical support and review contractors) positions unless specifically marked as such. These documents represent preliminary positions taken on technical issues prepared by NIOSH or its contractor.

The discussion papers have been reviewed to identify and redact any information that is protected by the Privacy Act 5 USC §552a and have been cleared for distribution.

Public Comments on Sandia National Laboratories Documents

How to Submit Comments

Comments on Sandia National Laboratories Documents can be submitted to the NIOSH Docket Officer electronically by email at nioshdocket@cdc.gov or printed comments can be mailed to:

NIOSH Docket Office
Robert A. Taft Laboratories, MS-C34
1090 Tusculum Avenue
Cincinnati, OH 45226
Please include the Site Profile/Docket Number (065) on all comments.

Comments Received

At this time, no comments have been submitted.

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