Press Release-I-12-026, NRC Bans President of Puerto Rico Company from NRC-Licensed Activities for Five Years

Press Release-I-12-026: NRC Bans President of Puerto Rico Company from NRC-Licensed Activities for Five Years

ML12138A386
Person / Time
Issue date:	05/17/2012
From:	Office of Public Affairs Region I
To:
Category:Press Release
References
Press Release-I-12-026
Download: ML12138A386 (2)

Text

NRC NEWS U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs, Region I 2100 Renaissance Blvd., King of Prussia, Pa. 19406-2713 E-mail: opa1@nrc.gov Site: www.nrc.gov Blog: http://public-blog.nrc-gateway.gov No. I-12-026 May 17, 2012

Contact:

Diane Screnci (610) 337-5330 Email: opa1.resource@nrc.gov Neil Sheehan (610) 337-5331 NRC BANS PRESIDENT OF PUERTO RICO COMPANY FROM NRC-LICENSED ACTIVITIES FOR FIVE YEARS The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued an order prohibiting the president of S&R Engineering in San Juan, Puerto Rico, from taking part in NRC licensed activities for a period of five years.

Jaime Sánchez is the president of S&R Engineering, which held an NRC license to possess, use and store radioactive material contained in a portable moisture density gauge.

During a conversation with an NRC inspector in August 2010, he claimed the company had transferred the gauge to an authorized recipient in accordance with an October 2009 order issued for failure to pay license fees. However, when contacted, the other company indicated it had not received the gauge and could not do so without an amendment to its NRC license.

An NRC investigation found that Mr. Sanchez deliberately submitted information to the NRC that was incomplete or inaccurate.

Mr. Sánchezs actions resulted in the NRC being uninformed as to the location of the licensed material and, for a time, being precluded from inspecting the safe use and storage of that material. Mr. Sánchezs misrepresentation to the NRC and his failure to address or correct the misinformation, has raised serious doubts as to whether he can be relied upon to comply with NRC requirements to provide complete and accurate information to the NRC, wrote Roy Zimmerman, the Director of the Office of Enforcement, in the order.

The NRC has also decided to withdraw a civil penalty proposed for S&R Engineering in January 2012 for improper possession of the same gauge. At the time of the issuance of the proposed $14,000 fine, the NRC told the company it would also consider additional daily civil penalties, but would waive the fine if the gauge was properly transferred to an authorized recipient within 30 days. During an inspection this past February, an NRC inspector verified that the gauge had been appropriately transferred and that S&R had met NRCs decommissioning requirements. As a result of these actions, the NRC has determined it was appropriate to withdraw the civil penalty and terminate the companys license.

Mr. Sánchez has 30 days to respond to the order or to request a hearing on the enforcement action.

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