Information Notice 2009-27, Revised International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale User'S Manual

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Revised International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale User'S Manual
ML092510055
Person / Time
Issue date: 11/13/2009
From: Dan Dorman, Robert Lewis, Mcginty T, Tracy G
NRC/FSME/DMSSA, NRC/NMSS/FCSS, Division of Construction Inspection and Operational Programs, Division of Policy and Rulemaking
To:
References
IN-09-027
Download: ML092510055 (4)


UNITED STATES

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

OFFICE OF NUCLEAR REACTOR REGULATION

OFFICE OF NUCLEAR MATERIAL SAFETY AND SAFEGUARDS

OFFICE OF FEDERAL AND STATE MATERIALS AND

ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS

OFFICE OF NEW REACTORS

WASHINGTON, DC 20555-0001 November 13, 2009 NRC INFORMATION NOTICE 2009-27: REVISED INTERNATIONAL NUCLEAR AND

RADIOLOGICAL EVENT SCALE USERS MANUAL

ADDRESSEES

All holders of a license, certificate, permit, approval, or registration issued under Title 10 of the

Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR). Specifically, this includes:

All holders of an operating license or construction permit for a power reactor, test reactor or

research reactor issued under 10 CFR Part 50.

All holders of or applicants for an early site permit, standard design certification, standard

design approval, manufacturing license, or combined license issued under 10 CFR Part 52.

All holders of a materials license, certificate, approval, or registration issued under

10 CFR Parts 30, 31 through 36, 39, 40, 61, 70, 71, 72, and 76.

All Agreement State Radiation Control Program Directors and State Liaison Officers.

PURPOSE

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing this information notice (IN) to inform

addressees that the 63 Member States of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have

approved an updated version of the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES)

Users Manual. The NRC will use this updated guidance to submit information to the IAEA on

certain reactor, fuel cycle facility, and materials events. This IN does not contain NRC

requirements. It is for information purposes only, and no specific action or written response is

required.

BACKGROUND

In 1990, international experts convened by the IAEA and the Organization for Economic

Cooperation and Development, Nuclear Energy Agency developed the INES with the aim of

communicating the safety significance of events at nuclear facilities. As described in NRC

Generic Letter 1992-09, Limited Participation by NRC in the IAEA International Nuclear Event

Scale, dated December 31, 1992 (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System

(ADAMS) Accession No. ML031070459), the NRC initiated limited use of the system in 1992 to

rate reactor events that resulted in the declaration of an Alert or higher emergency

classification. After further review, and as described in NRC Regulatory Issue

Summary 2002-01, Changes to NRC Participation in the International Nuclear Event Scale, dated January 14, 2002 (ADAMS Accession No. ML013200502), the NRC expanded its

participation to include events associated with various other sources of radiation. NRC

participation now covers a wide spectrum of practices, including industrial uses such as

radiography, radiation sources in hospitals, activities at nuclear facilities, and the transport of

radioactive material. By putting events from all these practices into a proper perspective, use of

INES can facilitate a common understanding between the technical community, the media, and

the public.

DISCUSSION

Events are classified on the INES scale at seven levels: Levels 4-7 are termed accidents and

Levels 1-3 incidents. Events without safety significance are classified as Below Scale/Level

0. An explanation of the classification levels can be found at http://www.iaea.org/Publications

/Factsheets/English/ines.pdf. The NRC transmits information to the INES website only for those

events rated at a Level 2 or higher unless an event rating is specifically requested by another

IAEA Member State. Since beginning full participation in 2002, this threshold has resulted in

less than one reactor event per year submitted to IAEA, and on average about 5 materials

events per year.

In June 2008, 63 Member States of the IAEA approved a revised edition of the INES Users

Manual (2008 Edition), to aid in the rating of events, which has just been published by the IAEA

(see http://www-pub.iaea.org/MTCD/publications/PubDetails.asp?pubId=8120). The updated

manual includes the information from the 2001 INES Users Manual, which focused primarily on

reactors and fuel cycle facilities, and incorporates further guidance for the rating of materials

events, including those involving the transport, storage, and use of radioactive material and

radiation sources. The INES Users Manual (2008 Edition) is now being used by the NRC and

the Agreement States to assist in determining the rating of events and to transmit those that are

INES Level 2 or higher. The NRC will continue its current practice of notifying the IAEA within

2 business days when an event at a U.S. facility has a provisional INES rating of Level 2 or

higher. Notifications are immediately posted for public viewing at the IAEA Web site http://www- news.iaea.org/news/. The changes incorporated into the INES Users Manual (2008 Edition)

should be transparent to licensees.

CONTACT

This information notice requires no specific action or written response. Please direct any

questions about this matter to the technical contacts listed below.

/RA by TQuay for/ /RA/

Timothy J. McGinty, Director Daniel H. Dorman, Director

Division of Policy and Rulemaking Division of Fuel Cycle Safety and Safeguards

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards

/RA/ /RA/

Robert Lewis, Director Glenn Tracy, Director

Division of Materials Safety Division of Construction Inspection

and State Agreements and Operational Programs

Office of Federal and State Materials and Office of New Reactors

Environmental Management Programs

Technical Contacts: Rebecca Sigmon, NRR Cynthia G. Jones, Ph.D., NSIR

(301) 415-4018 (301) 415-0298 E-mail: rebecca.sigmon@nrc.gov E-mail: cynthia.jones@nrc.gov

Note: NRC generic communications may be found on the NRC public Web site, http://www.nrc.gov, under Electronic Reading Room/Document Collections.

CONTACT

This information notice requires no specific action or written response. Please direct any

questions about this matter to the technical contacts listed below.

/RA by TQuay for/ /RA/

Timothy J. McGinty, Director Daniel H. Dorman, Director

Division of Policy and Rulemaking Division of Fuel Cycle Safety and Safeguards

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards

/RA/ /RA/

Robert Lewis, Director Glenn Tracy, Director

Division of Materials Safety Division of Construction Inspection

and State Agreements and Operational Programs

Office of Federal and State Materials and Office of New Reactors

Environmental Management Programs

Technical Contacts: Rebecca Sigmon, NRR Cynthia G. Jones, Ph.D., NSIR

(301) 415-4018 (301) 415-0298 E-mail: rebecca.sigmon@nrc.gov E-mail: cynthia.jones@nrc.gov

Note: NRC generic communications may be found on the NRC public Web site, http://www.nrc.gov, under Electronic Reading Room/Document Collections.

ADAMS Accession Number: ML092510055 TAC ME1764 OFFICE DIRS/IOEB Tech Editor BC/DIRS/IOEB D/NRR/DIRS

NAME RSigmon CHsu EThomas for JThorp McC for FBrown

DATE 9/9/09 9/11/09 email 10/2/09 10/5/09 OFFICE NSIR PGCB:DPR PGCB:DPR BC:PGCB:DPR

NAME CJones DBeaulieu CHawes MMurphy

DATE 10/6/09 10/6/09 10/28/09 11/13/09 OFFICE NRO FSME NMSS D:DPR

NAME GTracy RLewis DDorman TMcGinty (TQuay for)

DATE 11/03/09 11/06/09 11/10/09 11/13/09 OFFICIAL RECORD COPY