ML17342A496
| ML17342A496 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Turkey Point  |
| Issue date: | 04/28/1986 |
| From: | Grace J NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION II) |
| To: | Woody C FLORIDA POWER & LIGHT CO. |
| Shared Package | |
| ML17342A497 | List: |
| References | |
| EA-86-038, EA-86-38, IEIN-82-51, NUDOCS 8605050188 | |
| Download: ML17342A496 (8) | |
See also: IR 05000250/1986004
Text
APR 28 1986
Docket Nos.
50-250
and 50-251
License
Nos.
and
EA 86-38
Florida Power and Light Company
ATTN:
Mr. C. 0.
Woody
Group Vice President
Nuclear Energy Department
P. 0.
Box 14000
Juno
Beach,
FL
33408
Gentlemen:
SUBJECT:
NOTICE OF .VIOLATION AND PROPOSED
IMPOSITION OF CIVIL PENALTY
(NRC INSPECTION
REPORT
NOS. 50-250/86-04
AND 50-251/86-04)
This refers to the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission
(NRC) inspection
conducted
on
January
15-16,
1986, at the Florida Power and Light Company
(FP&L) Turkey
Point Nuclear
Power Plant.
The inspection
was conducted to review the
circumstances
associated
with an unauthorized
entry of a plant worker into a
The individual received
an unplanned
occupational
radiation exposure of 0.5 rem.
The event,
which occurred
on January 8, 1986,
when the individual entered
the Traversing
Incore Probe
(TIP) area to perform
maintenance
on a TIP drive unit, was reported to the
NRC by a member of your
staff the following day.
During the entry, the worker's survey instrument
malfunctioned
as
a result of radiation levels in excess
of
1 R/hr in the area,
the maximum radiation level measurable
by the instrument.
Although the exposure
received
by the individual during the entry was not in excess
of the regulatory
limit, a substantial
potential for such
an exposure
existed.
An Enforcement
Conference
was held
on January
31,
1986, with you and members of your staff
during which the exposure,
associated
violations, the causes,
and your
corrective actions
were discussed.
Numerous
procedural
violations occurred before
and during the worker's
entry.
The violations included failure to notify health physics
personnel
prior to operation of the incore detectors,
performing work outside the
scope of the plant work order, failure to have two persons
present
during
the entry,
and failure to keep the worker's exposure within the limits
established
by the radiation work permit for the job.
Further, the worker's
foreman failed to provide adequate
instructions
on the plant work order for the
maintenance
tasks to be performed
by the worker.
The worker also received
inadequate
training in the use of the radiation survey instrument
issued to him
to control his exposure while in containment.
As
a result of inadequate
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instructions given to the worker,
he failed to recognize that the instrument
malfunctioned
when the radiation levels
exceeded
the upper limits of the
instrument.
Consequently,
the worker received
a whole body exposure of
approximately 0.5 rem while working in a radiation field of 6 R/hr.
The worker
was within a foot of an estimated
radiation field of 65-70 R/hr and potentially
could have received
a much higher exposure.
In February
1984,
a Notice of Violation and Proposed
Imposition of Civil Penalty
was issued for a similar incident at your facility involving two workers entering
the reactor
sump area (reactor cavity) at
a time when the retractable
incore
detector
thimbles were withdrawn and the
sump was classified
as
a locked high
radiation area.
One worker received
1.3 rem and the other worker received
0.20 rem during their stay in the area
(about
1 minute).
Subsequently,
the
civil penalty was mitigated completely because
your corrective actions
appeared
to be extensive
and comprehensive.
However, it appears
that implementation of
these corrective actions
was not as effective as it should
have been.
Adherence
to procedures
forms
a basic framework for providing effective, consis-
tent radiological controls for work in high radiation areas.
Short of providing
direct, continuous health physics
coverage for each
and every task,
these
proce-
dures
serve
as the formal mechanism for initiating necessary
communications
between various plant workers
and the health physics
support group.
This
communication results in appropriate
radiological support for the maintenance/
surveillence activities.
Bypassing
these
procedures
and thus failing to comply
with the radiological precautions
in them seriously
weakens
the health physics
control
program established
to protect the workers.
It is the licensee's
responsibility to ensure that these
procedures
are adhered to.
To emphasize
the importance of proper instruction
and supervision of individuals
performing work activities in high radiation areas,
I have
been authorized, after
consultation with the Director, Office of Inspection
and Enforcement,
to issue
the enclosed
Proposed
Imposition of Civil Penalty in
the amount of Fifty Thousand Dollars ($50,000) for the violations set forth in
the enclosed
Notice.
In accordance
with the "General
Statement
of Policy and
Procedure for NRC Enforcement Actions,"
10 CFR Part 2, Appendix
C (1985)
(Enforcement Policy), the violations described
in the enclosed
Notice have
been
categorized
as
a Severity Level III violation or problem.
The base civil penalty for a Severity Level III problem is
$50,000.
The staff
considered
increasing
the base civil penalty
amount
because
of the similarity of
this most recent event to the
1984 incident and to incidents against
which the
NRC previously has cautioned all licensees
to take preventive
measures
(e.g.,
Information Notice 82-51 "Overexposure
in Reactor Cavities,"
December
1982).
However,
because
FPSL reported the event
upon its discovery,
even though it was
not required to be reported,
and has apparently
taken extensive corrective actions,
I have decided
not to escalate
the base civil penalty.
Strong enforcement
action
will be taken if further violations in this area occur.
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APR 28 1986
Florida Power and Light Company
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You are required to respond to this letter an
In accordance
with Section
2.790 of the NRC's "Rules of Practice,"
Part 2,
Title 10,
Code of Federal
Regulations,
a copy of this letter and its enclosures
will be placed in the
NRC's Public Document
Room.
The responses
directed
by this letter and the enclosed
Notice are not subject to
the clearance
procedures
of the Office of Management
and Budget
as required
by
the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1980,
PL 96-511.
Sincerely,
Onginal signed bf
]. Nelson Grace
J.
Nelson Grace
Regional Administrator
Enclosures:
1.
Notice of Violation and Proposed
Imposition of Civil Penalty
2.
Inspection
Report
Nos. 50-250/86-04
and 50-251/86-04
~
~
c w/encls:
.
M. Wethy, Vice President
Turkey Point Nuclear Plant
C. J. Baker, Plant Manager
~
~
Turkey Point Nuclear Plant
. J. Acosta, Plant
gA Superintendent
J. Arias, Jr., Regulatory
and Compliance
Supervisor
d should follow the instructions
specified in the enclosed
Notice when preparing your response.
In your response,
you should document the specific actions
taken
and any additional actions
you
plan to prevent recurrence.
After reviewing your response
to this Notice,
including your proposed corrective actions,
the
NRC will determine whether
further
NRC enforcement
action is necessary
to ensure
compliance with NRC
regulatory requirements.
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