Information Notice 1987-55, Portable Moisture/Density Gauges: Recent Incidents of Portable Gauges Being Stolen or Lost

Portable Moisture/Density Gauges: Recent Incidents of Portable Gauges Being Stolen or Lost
	ML031210641
Person / Time
Site:	Beaver Valley, Millstone, Hatch, Monticello, Calvert Cliffs, Dresden, Davis Besse, Peach Bottom, Browns Ferry, Salem, Oconee, Mcguire, Nine Mile Point, Palisades, Palo Verde, Perry, Indian Point, Fermi, Kewaunee, Catawba, Harris, Wolf Creek, Saint Lucie, Point Beach, Oyster Creek, Watts Bar, Hope Creek, Grand Gulf, Cooper, Sequoyah, Byron, Pilgrim, Arkansas Nuclear, Three Mile Island, Braidwood, Susquehanna, Summer, Prairie Island, Columbia, Seabrook, Brunswick, Surry, Limerick, North Anna, Turkey Point, River Bend, Vermont Yankee, Crystal River, Haddam Neck, Ginna, Diablo Canyon, Callaway, Vogtle, Waterford, Duane Arnold, Farley, Robinson, Clinton, South Texas, San Onofre, Cook, Comanche Peak, Yankee Rowe, Maine Yankee, Quad Cities, Humboldt Bay, La Crosse, Big Rock Point, Rancho Seco, Zion, Midland, Bellefonte, Fort Calhoun, FitzPatrick, McGuire, LaSalle, 05000000, Zimmer, Fort Saint Vrain, Shoreham, Satsop, Trojan, Atlantic Nuclear Power Plant
Issue date:	10/29/1987
From:	Cunningham R; NRC/NMSS/IMNS
To:	;
References
	IN-86-067 IN-87-055, NUDOCS 8710230213
	Download: ML031210641 (11)
	v • d • e

SSINS No. 6835 IN 87-55 UNITED STATES

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

OFFICE OF NUCLEAR MATERIAL SAFETY AND-SAFEGUARDS

WASHINGTON, ti.C. 20555 October 29, 1987 NRC INFORMATION NOTICE NO. 87-55:' PORTABLE MOISTURE/DENSITY GAUGES: RECENT

INCIDENTS OF PORTABLE GAUGES BEING STOLEN

OR LOST

[Refer also to NRC Information Notice No. 86-67, August 1m, 1986, Same subject]

Addressees

All NRC licensees authorized to possess portable gauges.

Purpose

This notice is intended to inform licensees of the recent increase in incidents

of portable gauges being lost or stolen during' use, transportation,' and storage.

It is expected that recipients will review the information for-applicability to

their licensed activities and consider actions, if appropriate, to preclude

similar problems from occurring at their facili-ties. However, suggestions

contained in this information-notice do not constitute NRC requirements;

therefore, no specific action or written response is required.

Description of Circumstances

Several incidents have occurred recently where portable moisture and density

gauges have been lost or stolen from'licensees, either from job sites or from

vehicles during transportation. Gauges lost or stolen were not secured or were

stolen while left unattended by the users.

In one recent event, a gauge was stolen after the user failed to lock the case

and failed to chain the case to the truck, which itself was left unattended.

This event resulted in four violations of NRC requiremients.. In another case, a

gauge was stolen after be-ng left outdoors, unattended, over a weekend, at a

construction site.

Discussion:

A primary contributing factor in these incidents was the failure of the gauge

users to secure and maintain control over the gauges.

Title 10 CFR 20.207 requires that licensed material (e.g., portable gauges)

must be under the constant surveillance and immediate control of the licensee, or must be secured in storage. At construction sites, the licensee must

constantly control access to the gauge during use at the site, and keep it in

locked storage when not in use.

8710230213 7-A

IN 87-55 October 29, 1987 NRC licensees transporting portable gauges are subject to the regulations in

10 CFR Part 71. Section 71.5(a) incorporates certain regulations (49 CFR

170-189) of the Department of Transportation (DOT), to which these licensees are

also subject. Licensees who transport gauges to and from temporary job sites

in private vehicles are shippers acting as private carriers, and as such, must comply with the DOT regulations governing both shippers and carriers.

Title 49 CFR 177.842(d) requires that packages containing radioactive material

(i.e., the gauge in its case) must be blocked'and braced to prevent movement of

the package during transportation (see Information Notice 87-31, attached). For

pickup trucks, this requirement is usually met when the gauge is secured within

its case, and the case is secured and locked to the bed of the truck.

The NRC has also noted several incidents where gauges were damaged in transporta- tion accidents or by being run over by construction vehicles. The most prevalent

cause of such incidents is the failure by the licensee to secure and lock the

cargo door, combined with a failure to properly secure the device/case to the

bed of the vehicle. Licensees are reminded that they should use care to avoid

these types of incidents. If a gauge is damaged, the area around the gauge

should be restricted, and the licensee's radiation safety officer and NRC should

be promptly notified.

No specific action or written response is required by this notice. If you have

any questions regarding this information notice, please contact the appropriate

NRC regional office or this office.

Richar E. Cunningham, Drector

Division of Industrial and

Medical Nuclear Safety

Office of Nuclear Material Safety

and Safeguards

Technical Contact:

Don Mackenzie, NMSS

(301) 427-4052 Attachments:

1. Information Notice No. 86-67

2. List of Recently Issued NRC Information Notices

SSINS: 6835 IN 86-67 UNITED STATES

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

OFFICE OF INSPECTION AND ENFORCEMENT

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20555 AUGUST 15, 1986 IE INFORMATION NOTICE NO. 86-67: PORTABLE MOISTURE/DENSITY GAUGES: RECENT

INCIDENTS AND COMMON VIOLATIONS OF REQUIREMENTS

FOR USE, TRANSPORTATION, AND STORAGE

Addressees

All NRC licensees authorized to possess, use, transport, and store sealed sources

contained in portable gauges used to measure the moisture content and/or density

of construction materials.

Purpose

This notice is intended to bring to the attention of licensees the recent

increase in incidents involving the use, transportation, and storage of portable

gauges and the number of common violations identified during NRC inspections.

It is expected that recipients will review the information for applicability

to their facilities and consider actions, if appropriate, to preclude similar

problems from occurring at their facilities. However, suggestions contained

in this information notice do not constitute NRC requirements; therefore, no

specific action or written response is required.

Description of Circumstances

An abnormally high number of incidents have occurred recently where portable

moisture/density gauges have been damaged at temporary job sites by heavy

construction equipment or where the gauges have been lost or stolen from

licensee vehicles during transportation. Gauges damaged at construction sites

were left unattended. Gauges lost or stolen from vehicles were not secured to

the vehicle or were stolen while left unattended by the users.

Inspections initiated by these incidents and routine inspections that have been

preformed reveal common violations of NRC requirements. These violations

include failure to:

(1) have a shipping paper in the transport vehicle

(2) transport gauges in authorized packages

8608120509

- IN 86-67 August 14, 1986 (3) maintain records of tests performed on transport cases and on sealed

sources

(4) use authorized and/or qualified users

(5) use authorized storage locations

(6) conduct leak tests and physical inventories to conduct those tests and

inventories within the required time interval

(7) wear film or TLD badges or estimate doses to personnel who had lost their

badges or evaluate and report possible overexposures

Discussion:

The cause of these incidents, invariably, is the failure of the gauge users to

secure and maintain control over the gauges.

10 CFR 20.207 requires that licensed material (in these cases the sealed

sources in the gauges) must be under the constant surveillance and immediate

control of the licensee or must be secured in storage when in an unrestricted

area. An unre-stricted area is defined in 10 CFR 20.3(a)(17) as any area to

which access is not controlled by the licensee for purposes of protection of

individuals from exposure to radiation and radioactive materials and any area

used for residential quarters. A construction site is usually an unrestricted

area; so the licensee must constantly control access to the gauge while in

storage or during use at the site.

NRC licensees transporting portable gauges are subject to 10 CFR 71. 10 CFR

71.5(a) incorporates certain regulations (49 CFR 170-189) of the Department of

Transportation (DOT) to which these licensees are also subject. Licensees who

transport gauges to and from temporary job sites in licensee or private vehicles

are acting as private shippers and, as such, must comply with the DOT regulations

governing shippers. 49 CFR 177.842(d) requires that packages containing

radioactive material (i.e, the gauge in its case and containing radioactive

sealed sources) must be blocked and braced to prevent movement of the package

during transportation. For pickup trucks, this requirement is usually met when

the gauge, in its case, is chained or tied to the bed of the truck.

Licensees are reminded that they must use, transport, and store the gauges in

accordance with the conditions of their NRC license, other commitments made to

the NRC, and applicable regulations. A discussion of other requirements and

license conditions commonly violated is attached.

IN 86-67 August 15, 1986 No specific action or written response is required by this notice. If you

have any questions regarding this information notice, please contact the

Regional Administrator of the appropriate NRC regional office or this office.

Jam G. Partlow, Director

Division of Inspection Programs

Office of Inspection and Enforcement

Technical Contact:

J. R. Metzger, IE

(301) 492-4947 Attachments:

1. Other Common Violations

2. List of Recently Issued IE Information Notices

IN 86-67 August 14, 1986 Attachment 1' OTHER COMMON VIOLATIONS

49 CFR 172.201, 172.202, 172.203(d), 172.204, and 177.817(e) specify the contents

of the shipping paper and the location in a vehicle where the shipping paper

must be stored. Shipping papers must not be stored in or on the case containing

the gauge or in the glove compartment of the vehicle.

49 CFR 173.475 requires that before each shipment the shipper ensures by

examination or appropriate test that'the proper shipping case or box is used, that the case is in unimpaired physical condition, and that each closure device

on the case is properly installed, secured, and free of defects.

49 CFR 172.301, 172.304, 172,308, 172.310, 172.403, and 178.350 specify the

labeling and marking of the case used for shipping. Vehicles transporting one

or more gauges usually do not require placards (49 CFR 172.504, Table 1).

49 CFR 173.415(a) and 173.476(a) require that shippers maintain on file results

of tests conducted on shipping cases and on the sealed sources contained in the

gauges. Licensees can usually obtain these test results from the manufacturer

of the gauges.

Gauges must be used only by properly authorized and trained individuals. A

common license condition usually names individuals who are authorized to use the

gauges or who must be physically present to supervise their use. Occasionally, licensees are allowed by a license condition to name authorized users. Authorized

users must have successfully completed an approved training course given by the

manufacturer or a consulting firm. Certain licensees are authorized to provide

in-house training. The Radiation Protection Officer (RPO) also may be named

on the license, but is always specified in documents submitted to the NRC. When

this individual is no longer employed as RPO, the licensee must request an

amendment to the license to name a replacement.

A specific license condition or statement in a submitted document specifies the

temporary and permanent storage facilities for the gauges. Private residences

(including basements and garages) are usually not allowed as storage facilities.

Vehicles used to temporarily store gauges overnight at private residences must

not be used by individuals who are not authorized users for purposes other than

those authorized on the license. For example, friends or relatives of an

authorized user must not use a vehicle containing a gauge unless those individuals

are performing a purpose authorized on the license as authorized users.

A specific license condition will specify the interval between leak tests. This

interval is usually 6 months and may be greater on some licenses for gauges that

are stored and not being used. Many licensees also are required by license

condition to conduct a physical inventory at 6-month intervals.

IN 86-67 August 15, 1986 Attachment 1 Licensees are usually committed by a referenced document to wear film or TLD

badges when using or transporting the gauges. When not worn by the users, the

badges must not be stored near or on the gauges. For lost badges, the licensee

is required by 10 CFR 20.201 to estimate the user's dose for the period for

which the badge was lost. For film or TL badge reports indicating that doses

greater than the limit in 10 CFR 20.101 may have been received, the licensee

must evaluate the reading (10 CFR 20.201) to determine if it has been caused by

an actual exposure to the user. This evaluation includes, at a minimum, questioning the user about the use of the gauge and badge and having the film

or TLD badge processor reexamine the badge. Although, true overexposures of

gauge users are rare, the occurrences must be reported to the NRC as required

by 10 CFR 20.405.

Attachment 2 IN 86-67 August 15, 1986 LIST OF RECENTLY ISSUED

IE INFORMATION NOTICES

Information Date of

Notice No. Subject Issue Issued to

86-66 Potential For Failure Of 8/15/86 All power reactor

Replacement AC Coils Supplied facilities holding

By The Westinghouse Electric an OL or CP

Corporation For Use In Class

lE Motor Starters And

Contractors

86-65 Malfunctions Of ITT Barton 8/14/86 All power reactor

Model 580 Series Switches facilities holding

During Requalification Testing an OL or CP

86-64 Deficiencies In Upgrade 8/14/86 All power reactor

Programs For Plant Emergency facilities holding

Operating Procedures an OL or CP.

86-63 Loss Of Safety Injection 8/6/86 All PWR facilities

Capability holding an OL or CP

86-62 Potential Problems In West- 7/31/86 All power reactor

inghouse Molded Case Circuit facilities holding

Breakers Equipped With A an OL or CP

Shunt Trip

86-61 Failure Of Auxiliary Feed- 7/28/86 All power reactor

water Manual Isolated Valve facilities holding

a CP

86-60 Unanalyzed Post-LOCA Release 7/28/86 Allpower reactor

Paths facilities holding

an OL or CP

86-31 Unauthorized Transfer And 7/14/86 All NRC general

Sup. 1 Loss Of Control Of Industrial licensees that possess

Nuclear Gauges and use industrial

nuclear gauges

86-59 Increased Monitoring Of 7/14/86 All NRC licensees

(

Certain Patients With authorized to use

Implanted Coratomic, Inc. nuclear-powered

Model C-100 and C-101 cardiac pacemakers

Nuclear-Powered Cardiac

Pacemakers

OL = Operating License

CP = Construction Permit

Attachment 2 IN 87-55 October 29, 1987 LIST OF RECENTLY ISSUED

INFORMATION NOTICES 1987 Information Date of

Notice No. Subject Issuance Issued to

87-54 Emergency Response Exercises 10/23/87 All holders of OLs

or CPs for nuclear

power reactors.

87-53 Auxiliary Feedwater Pump 10/20/87 All holders of OLs

Trips Resulting from Low or CPs for nuclear

Suction Pressure power reactors.

87-52 Insulation Breakdown of 10/16/87 All holders of OLs

Silicone Rubber-Insulated or CPs for nuclear

Single Conductor-Cables power reactors.

During High Potential Testing

87-51 Failure of Low Pressure 10/13/87 All nuclear power

Safety Injection Pump Due reactor facilities

to Seal Problems holding an OL or CP.

87-50 Potential LOCA at High- 10/9/87 All nuclear power

and Low-Pressure Interfaces reactor facilities

from Fire Damage holding an OL or CP.

87-49 Deficiencies in Outside 10/9/87 All nuclear power

Containment Flooding reactor facilities

Protection holding an OL or CP.

87-48 Information Concerning the 10/9/87 All nuclear power

Use of Anaerobic Adhesive/ reactor facilities

Sealants holding an OL or CP.

87-47 Transportation of Radio- 10/5/87 All NRC licensees

graphy Devices authorized to manu- facture, distribute

and/or operate radio- graphic exposure

devices and/or

source changers.

87-46 Undetected Loss of Reactor 9/30/87 All PWR facilities

Coolant holding on OL or CP.