05000266/FIN-2009005-06
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Finding | |
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| Title | Failure to Maintain Proper Control of Radioactive Material Within the Radiologically Controlled Area |
| Description | A self-revealed finding of very low safety significance and associated Non-Cited Violation of 10 CFR 20.1101(b) was identified for the failure to adequately control radioactive material to prevent its migration outside the radiologically controlled area (RCA), as required by licensee procedures. On May 21, 2009, a contract worker performing inspections of the main electrical transformers located outside the RCA picked-up a wadded-ball of debris (unmarked tape) and placed it in his front pants pocket. The debris was later found to be radioactively contaminated when the worker alarmed the protected area exit radiation monitors a few hours later as he attempted to leave the site. The tape was likely used to cover contaminated hoses that were previously used within the Point Beach RCA, but had escaped the licensee\'s control and migrated (blew) into the transformer area outdoors where it was found by the worker. The licensee\'s storage of radioactive material in an outdoor satellite RCA and/or the licensee\'s radioactive material control practices during refueling outages when the containment building equipment hatch was open to the environment led to the escape of the material outside the RCA. The contractor\'s assigned work duties should not have involved exposure to radioactive material; consequently, the worker was unnecessarily exposed to radiation from the contaminated tape. A dose evaluation completed by the licensee\'s consultant determined that the effective dose equivalent to the worker\'s thigh from exposure to the contaminated ball of tape was approximately one mrem. The licensee\'s corrective action called for expanded radiation protection oversight during movement of material in outdoor areas. Procedures were revised to include a post-outage walkdown of outdoor areas near the RCA yard. Additionally, the licensee planned to construct an enclosure so that storage/transfer of contaminated materials could be performed indoors. The finding was more than minor because it impacted the program and process attribute of the Public Radiation Safety Cornerstone and adversely affected the cornerstone objective of ensuring adequate protection of public health and safety from exposure to radiation, in that, unnecessary radiation exposure was received by an individual from inadequately controlled radioactive material. The finding was determined to be of very low safety significance because: (1) it involved a radioactive material control problem that was contrary to NRC requirements and the licensee\'s procedure; and (2) the dose impact to a member of the public (the contract worker) within the licensee\'s restricted area was less than 5 millirem total effective dose equivalent. The cause of the radioactive material control problem involved a cross-cutting component in the human performance area for inadequate work control, in that, job site conditions including environmental conditions (high winds, night time work, etc.) impacted human performance and consequently, radiological safety, during movement of material/equipment in outdoor areas (H.3.(a)). (Section 4OA5.1 |
| Site: | Point Beach  |
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| Report | IR 05000266/2009005 Section 4OA5 |
| Date counted | Dec 31, 2009 (2009Q4) |
| Type: | NCV: Green |
| cornerstone | Pr Safety |
| Identified by: | Self-revealing |
| Inspection Procedure: | |
| Inspectors (proximate) | D Jones D Mcneil E Sanchez Santiago J Cassidy J Gilliam J Jandovitz M Kunowski M Thorpe Kavanaugh N Feliz Adorno R Edwards R Jickling R Ruiz S Burton |
| CCA | H.5, Work Management |
| INPO aspect | WP.1 |
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Finding - Point Beach - IR 05000266/2009005 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Finding List (Point Beach) @ 2009Q4
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