Title
10 CFR 20.1601 requires control for access to
high radiation areas (
HRAs) and subpart (c) allows a licensee to apply to the NRC for approval of alternative methods for controlling
HRA access. At Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant, the NRC-approved alternate methods for controlling access to
HRAs include station
TS 5.7. Specifically,
TS 5.7.1.b for
HRA access requires, in part, that Access to, and activities in each such area shall be controlled by means of a Radiation Work Permit (
RWP)... Additionally,
TS 5.7.1.e for
HRA access requires, in part, that ...entry into such areas shall be made only after dose rates in the area have been determined and entry personnel are knowledgeable of them. Contrary to the above, on October 26, 2013, a worker willfully entered a posted and barricaded
HRA inside the Unit-2
containment spray pump room on a
RWP that did not authorize
HRA entry and without being knowledgeable of the radiological conditions prior to entry. Corrective actions for this issue included performance management of the individuals involved in accordance with station management protocols. Because this violation was
Severity Level IV, and it was entered into the licensees
CAP as
CAP 1403583, this violation is being treated as a
NCV consistent with Section 2.3.2 of the
NRC Enforcement Policy.
