IR 05000259/1982014

IE Insp Repts 50-259/82-14,50-260/82-14 & 50-296/82-14 on 820503-04.Noncompliance Noted:Failure to Perform Radiation Survey After Removal of Shield Plugs & Failure to Issue Permit for Removal of Demineralizer Cell Shield Plugs

ML20058H531
Person / Time
Site:	Browns Ferry
Issue date:	06/02/1982
From:	Barr K, Peery W NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION II)
To:
Shared Package
ML20058H439	List: IR 05000259/1982014 ML20058H433 ML20058H479 ML20058H501 ML20058H513
References
50-259-82-14, 50-260-82-14, 50-296-82-14, NUDOCS 8208030610
Download: ML20058H531 (4)

Text

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+4 UhllTED STATES 8* 'o,1

, NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

,E REGION 11 o,

'* 101 MARIETTA ST., N.W., SUITE 3100 8 ATLANTA, GEORGIA 30303

<g*****j Report Nos. 50-259/82-14, 50-260/82-14 and 50-296/82-14 Licensee: Tennessee Valley Authority 500A Chestnut Street Chattanooga, TN 37401 Facility Name: Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant Docket Nos. 50-259. 50-260 and 50-296 License Nos. DPR-33, DPR-52 and DPR-68 Inspection at Browns Fefrv site near Decat r, Al Inspector: _ m _

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Approved by: .

4/J. # 3-K. ar1 , buon Chief /D e Signed lechnical Inspection Branch Division of Engineering and Tecnnical Programs SUMMARY Inspection on May 3-4, 1982 Areas Inspected This special, announced inspection involved eight inspector-hours on site in the area of radiation protectio Results One violation was identifie PDR ADOCK 05000259 0 PDR

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REPORT DETAILS

_ Persons Contacted ljcensee Employees

• G. T. Jones, Plant Superintendent

• Hunkerpillar, Shift Supervisor (Operations)

• A. W. Sorrell, Health Physics Supervisor E. Cargill, Assistant to the Health Physics Supervisor W. Simpkins, Health Physicist in Charge of Dosi. metry L. Wilson, Health Physics-Technician NRC Resident Inspector

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• Chase

• Attended exit interview Exit Interview The inspection scope and findings were summarized on May 4,1982, with those persons indicated in paragraph 1 abov . Licensee Action on Previous Inspection Findings Not inspecte . Unresolved Items Unresolved items were not identified during this inspectio . Removal of Shield Plugs From a High Radiation Area At approximately 2300 hours0.0266 days <br />0.639 hours <br />0.0038 weeks <br />8.7515e-4 months <br /> on April 25, 1982, an Auxiliary Operator noted water flowing from a floor drain in the radwaste elevation 565 waste demin-eralizer room. The operator knew that the filter had been recently changed in the fuel pool demineralizer. (FPC) and he suspected that might be the source of the water. The operator, assisted by one other operator, removed the shield plugs from the top of the fuel pool demineralizer cell and deter-mined that the water was leaking from the demineralize There was no health physics coverage during removal of the shield plugs and no radiation survey was made during removal of the plug At approximately 2315 hours0.0268 days <br />0.643 hours <br />0.00383 weeks <br />8.808575e-4 months <br /> a health physics technician posted the area as as a radiation area and for contamination control but failed to make a radiation survey of the open demineralizer cel At approximately 0830 hours0.00961 days <br />0.231 hours <br />0.00137 weeks <br />3.15815e-4 months <br /> on April 26, 1982, another health physics techr.ician made a radiation survey of the open demineralizer cell and found readings of 2.5 rem /hr at

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contact with the top of the demineraiizer and 1.0 rem /hr at 18 inche Readings up to 100 rem /hr were found at other locations inside the demineralizer cell. A guard was posted to control entrance to the demin-eralizer area. Special Work Permit Numbers 01-R-03161 and 01-R-03158 were issued for work in the demineralizer cell to correct the leak and decontam-inate floor areas involved from the lea Although no apparent overexposures occurred as a result of the uncontrolled high radiation area in the open demineralizer cell, the potential for entry into the uncontrolled high radiation area existed during the period from approximately 2300 hours0.0266 days <br />0.639 hours <br />0.0038 weeks <br />8.7515e-4 months <br />, April 25, 1982 to approximately 0830 hours0.00961 days <br />0.231 hours <br />0.00137 weeks <br />3.15815e-4 months <br />, April 26, 1982. TLDs are processed on a monthly basis. The TLDs of the two operators showed readings on April 26, 1982, of 435 mrem and 35 mrem. The pocket dosimeters for individuals performing work on the demineralizer on April 26, 1982, showed a maximum reading of 225 mre Pocket dosimeter readings for individuals performing the floor decontamination showed a maximum of 2 mre IL CFR 20.201(b) requires that each licensee make such surveys as may be necessary for him to comply with the regulations in this part. Failure to make such a radiation survey on April 25, 1982, upon opening the fuel pool demineralizer cell, resulted in failure by the licensee to post and control the high radiation area in the demineralizer cell as required by 10 CFR 20.203(c)(1).

During the period of 2300 hours0.0266 days <br />0.639 hours <br />0.0038 weeks <br />8.7515e-4 months <br />, April 25, 1982 to 0830 hours0.00961 days <br />0.231 hours <br />0.00137 weeks <br />3.15815e-4 months <br />, April 26, 1982, the accessible high radiation area in the fuel pool demineralizer cell was not controlled by the licensee as required by Technical Specification 6.0.D.2 in that the area was not conspicuously posted, barricaded and entry thereto controlled by issuance of a Special Work Permi In addition, locked doors were not provided to prevent unuauthorized entry into the high radiation are At the time of this inspection the licensee was in the process of marking shield plugs whose removal could result in high radiation dose rates, instructing personnel that health physics must be present when shield plugs are removed, and that the potential for a high radiation area exists during plug removal. Also, health physics personnel are to be provided a list of typical dose rates expected during removal of shield plug The above f ailures to meet regulatory requirements constitutes a violation (50-259,260,296/82-14-01).

6. Enforcement Conference An Enforcement Conference was he~1d on May 27, 1982, in the Region II, NRC offices in Atlanta, GA. In attendance were members of the Tennessee Valley Authority managment and the Region II NRC staf D

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The NRC expressed concern that an area where very high dose rates existed ,

such as the 100 rem /hr field at the base of the demineralizer for thj spent fuel pool, could be accessible for a period of approximately eight hours without appropriate measures being taken to ensure positive access contro TVA management provided photographs to the NRC staff in support of their contention that the demineralizer lower vault area was not an area where a significant potential for personnel exposure was present due to its inaccessible nature, and also outlined the corrective measures taken at the plant to preclude recurrence of this type of event. These measures are:

(1) shield plugs will be labelled to indicate the magnitude of the hazard present, (2) discussion of this event will be included in plant training ,

and (3) the importance of performing complete work as a health physics technician has been reviewed with the plant radiation protection staf >

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