Information Notice 2014-05, Verifying Appropriate Dosimetry Evaluation
| ML14028A513 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 05/12/2014 |
| From: | Marissa Bailey, Michael Cheok, Laura Dudes, Kokajko L NRC/FSME/DMSSA, NRC/NMSS/FCSS, Office of New Reactors, Division of Policy and Rulemaking |
| To: | |
| McIntosh A | |
| References | |
| IN-14-005 | |
| Download: ML14028A513 (6) | |
UNITED STATES
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
OFFICE OF NEW REACTORS
OFFICE OF NUCLEAR REACTOR REGULATION
OFFICE OF NUCLEAR MATERIAL SAFETY AND SAFEGUARDS
OFFICE OF FEDERAL AND STATE MATERIALS
AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20555 May 12, 2014 NRC INFORMATION NOTICE 2014-05: VERIFYING APPROPRIATE DOSIMETRY
EVALUATION
ADDRESSEES
All licensees. All Radiation Control Program Directors and State Liaison Officers.
PURPOSE
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing this information notice (IN) to alert
licensees to a potential for error in evaluating doses following the processing of personnel
dosimetry. It is expected that recipients will review this IN for applicability to their facilities and
consider actions, as appropriate. However, suggestions contained in this IN are not new NRC
requirements; therefore, neither specific action nor written response is required. The NRC is
providing this IN to the Agreement States for their information and for distribution to their
licensees as appropriate.
DESCRIPTION OF CIRCUMSTANCES
A licensee had been using film dosimetry provided by a dosimetry processor. The processor
would process the film at the end of the monitoring period, and report the dose evaluations to
the licensee.
During a routine review of its dosimetry records, the licensee discovered that its film data was
not being evaluated for the entire range of radiation types that the licensees radiation workers
may have encountered. The dosimetry processor investigated and re-evaluated the data, and
determined that some doses had been underestimated. In this case, there were no instances of
large dose underestimation.
DISCUSSION
It is the licensees responsibility to ensure, through communication with the dosimetry processor
and/or specification in procurement or contract documents, that the processor is evaluating
dosimetry for the type of radiation that most closely approximates the type of radiation that the
licensee is encountering.
ML14028A513 The dosimetry processor in this case was fully accredited. However, by way of reminder, the
NRC would like to emphasize the accreditation requirements in 10 CFR 20.1501(d):
All personnel dosimeters (except for direct and indirect reading pocket ionization chambers and
those dosimeters used to measure the dose to the extremities) that require processing to
determine the radiation dose and that are used by the licensees to comply with § 20.1201, with
other applicable provisions of this chapter, or with conditions specified in a license must be
processed and evaluated by a dosimetry processor -
(1) Holding current personnel dosimetry accreditation from the National Voluntary
Laboratory Accreditation Program (NVLAP) of the National Institute of Standards and
Technology; and
(2) Approved in this accreditation process for the type of radiation or radiations in the
NVLAP program that most closely approximates the type of radiation or radiations for
which the individual wearing the dosimeter is monitored.
CONCLUSION
The above discussion is intended to emphasize the licensees responsibility for ensuring that all
applicable factors that may affect the accuracy of a dosimetry evaluation, whether provided by
an outside or in-house dosimetry processor, have been considered and have been taken into
account. These include a proper characterization of the radiation fields that are to be
monitored.
In addition, the licensee should review:
the ability of the dosimetry processor to provide the needed service;
the currency of the processors NVLAP accreditation;
the NVLAP accreditation for providing services in the radiation categories relevant to the
licensee; and, the possible need to make adjustments to accommodate any significant differences between
the radiation fields at the licensees facility and those used in NVLAP testing.
All of these factors should be evaluated periodically to ensure that all of these factors are being
considered and any necessary adjustments are made.
CONTACT
This IN requires no specific action or written response. If you have any questions about the
information in this notice, please contact one of the technical contacts listed below or the
appropriate regional office.
/RA/ /RA/
Michael C. Cheok, Director Laura A. Dudes, Director
Division of Construction Inspection Division of Materials Safety and
and Operational Programs State Agreements
Office of New Reactors Office of Federal and State Materials
and Environmental Management Programs
/RA/ /RA Jim Andersen for/
Lawrence E. Kokajko, Director Marissa G. Bailey, Director
Division of Policy and Rulemaking Fuel Cycle Safety and Safeguards
Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Office of Nuclear Material Safety
and Safeguards
Contact(s): Sami Sherbini, PhD, RES
(301) 415-7833 E-mail Sami.Sherbini@nrc.gov
Angela McIntosh, FSME
(301) 415-5030
E-mail Angela.McIntosh@nrc.gov
Enclosure: FSME List of Recently
Issued Generic Communications
CONTACT
This IN requires no specific action or written response. If you have any questions about the
information in this notice, please contact one of the technical contacts listed below or the
appropriate regional office.
/RA/ /RA/
Michael C. Cheok, Director Laura A. Dudes, Director
Division of Construction Inspection Division of Materials Safety and
and Operational Programs State Agreements
Office of New Reactors Office of Federal and State Materials
and Environmental Management Programs
/RA/ /RA Jim Andersen for/
Lawrence E. Kokajko, Director Marissa G. Bailey, Director
Division of Policy and Rulemaking Fuel Cycle Safety and Safeguards
Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Office of Nuclear Material Safety
and Safeguards
Contact(s): Sami Sherbini, PhD, RES
(301) 415-7833 E-mail Sami.Sherbini@nrc.gov
Angela McIntosh, FSME
(301) 415-5030
E-mail Angela.McIntosh@nrc.gov
Enclosure: FSME List of Recently
Issued Generic Communications
ADAMS ACCESSION NO.: ML14028A513 OFC RMSB RES RMSB ASPB
NAME AMcIntosh SSherbini CEinberg DWhite
DATE 1/30/14 2/10/14 2/25/14 2/18/14 OFC RES FSME/DWMEP NRR NMSS
NAME SRichards LCamper UShoop SAtack
DATE 2/19/14 2/24/14 2/27/14 2/18/14 OFC NMSS NRO OGC NRR/DPR
JAndersen for SChidakel via email SBahadur
NAME MCheok
MBailey
DATE 4/16/14 4/21/14 4/08/14 4/21/14 OFC NRR/DPR FSME/MSSA
NAME LKokajko LDudes
DATE 4/23/14 5/12/14 OFFICIAL AGENCY RECORD
IN 2014-05 List of Recently Issued Office of Federal and State Materials
and Environmental Management Programs Generic Communications
Date GC No. Subject
Addressees
04/28/2014 IN-2014-06 Damage of Industrial All U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Radiographic Equipment due to Commission material licensees
Falling Equipment and Improper possessing industrial radiographic
Mounting equipment, regulated under 10 CFR
Part 34; all Agreement States
Radiation Control Program Directors;
all holders of and users of a
transportation package certificate of
compliance under Title 10 of the Code
of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) Part
71, Packaging and Transportation of
Radioactive Material, that possess
industrial radiographic equipment
regulated under 10 CFR Part 34, and
all holders of or applicants for an early
site permit, standard design
certification, standard design approval, manufacturing license, or combined
license under 10 CFR Part 52, Licenses, Certifications, and
Approvals for Nuclear Power Plants.
04/16/2014 RIS-2014-02 Withdrawal of NRC Generic All holders of and applicants for
Letter 95-08, 10 CFR 50.54(p) construction permits or operating
Process for Changes to Security licenses for nuclear power reactors
Plans Without Prior NRC under the provisions of Title 10,
Approval Energy, of the Code of Federal
Regulations (10 CFR) Part 50,
Domestic Licensing of Production and
Utilization Facilities. All holders of
and applicants for a combined license, standard design approval, or
manufacturing license under 10 CFR
Part 52, Licenses, Certifications, and
Approvals for Nuclear Power
Reactors. All applicants for a standard
design certification, including such
applicants after initial issuance of a
design certification rule.
IN 2014-05 List of Recently Issued Office of Federal and State Materials
and Environmental Management Programs Generic Communications
Date GC No. Subject
Addressees
03/13/2014 RIS-2014-03 Notice of 10 CFR Part 37 All holders of and applicants for U.S.
Implementation Deadline for Nuclear Regulatory Commission
NRC Licensees (NRC) licenses that possess Category
1 and Category 2 quantities of
radioactive material, NRC Master
Material Licensees, Agreement State
Radiation Control Program Directors, and State Liaison Officers
03/04/2014 IN-99-03, Exothermic Reactions Involving All operating uranium recovery
Rev. 1 Dried Uranium Oxide Powder facilities that produce uranium oxide
(Yellowcake) powder (yellowcake). All Agreement
States with the authority to regulate
uranium mills (i.e., Utah, Colorado, Texas, Ohio, Illinois, and Washington).
01/10/2014 RIS-2014-01 Regulatory Requirements for All distributors of general license
Withholding of Proprietary devices submitting a request that
Information from Public information be withheld from public
Disclosure disclosure under the provisions of Title
10 of the Code of Federal Regulations
Section 2.390, Public Inspections, Exemptions, Requests for
Withholding. All Agreement and Non- Agreement States, and State Liaison
Officers.
11/15/2013 IN-2013-22 Recent Licensing Submittals All materials licensees, certificate
Containing Personally holders, applicants, and other entities
Identifiable Information subject to regulation by the U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission for
the use of source, byproduct, and
special nuclear material. All Radiation
Control Program Directors and State
Liaison Officers.
Note: This list contains the six most recently issued generic communications, issued by the Office of
Federal and State Materials and Environmental Management Programs. A full listing of all generic
communications may be viewed at the NRC public Web site at the following address:
http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/gen-comm/index.html