ML19242C880
| ML19242C880 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | General Atomics |
| Issue date: | 08/10/1979 |
| From: | Engelken R NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION V) |
| To: | Wellhouser H GENERAL ATOMICS (FORMERLY GA TECHNOLOGIES, INC./GENER |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 7908140078 | |
| Download: ML19242C880 (1) | |
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- ,,,e August 10, 1979 Docket tios. 50-163 50-89 General Ato.mic Company P. O. Box 8160S San Diego, California 92138 Attention: iir. H. ii. Weilhouser, Manager l'uclear Material Control Division Gentlemen:
Enclosed is IE Bulletin No. 79-19 whicn requires action by you with regard to your reactor facility (ies) ';ith an operating license.
Should you have questions regardinc this Bulletin or the actions required of you, please contact this office.
Sir:erely, Q n,u -
fct R. H. Engelken Director
Enclosures:
1.
IE Bulletin Ilo. 79-19 2.
List of Bulletins Issued in Last Six Months 7908140072 o
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Accession No:
7908070515 SSIf!S No:
6820 UNITED STATES flUCLEAR REGULATORY CO*"1ISSIOM OFFICE OF IllSPECTION AND ENFORCEMEf!T WASHIfmTON, D.C.
20555 August 10, 1979 IE Bulletin flo. 79-19 PACKAGING OF LOW-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTE FOR TRANSPORT Afl0 CURIAL Descripcica of Circunscarces:
Low-level radioactive waste is tha'. waste which can be transferred and shipped to one of three waste burial facilities which are lucated in and licensed by the Agreenent States of fievada, South Carolina, and Washington.
On July 10, 1979, the Governors of the three states notified NRC Chairman Hendrie of the serious and repeated disrecard for rules coverning the shipments of low-level radioactive wastes to these burial facilities.
Examples of violations of Agreement State, DOT and flRC rules follow:
Inproperly packaged uraniun fines ignitina packaged liquid scintillation vials in combustible waste is believed to have caused a fire and destruction of a truck at the Beatty, f!evada burial facility on May 14, 1979.
On July 2,1979, three of twelve steel containers shipped to the Beatty burial facility were found to be leaking radioactive material.
The material was described on the bill of lading as being a solid inorganic salt (evaporator concentrates solidified with urea formaldehyde) from a reactor facility.
The Governor of the State of fievada ordered the drums to be shipped out of the state and the burial facility was tenporarily closed.
On July 30, the first shipment into the reopened Beatty facility contained free licuid in " solid" material.
The radioactive contents were sand filters used at an insitu leachinq process at a uranium nill.
Forty-three shipments with sixty-three deficiencies were observed during the package inspection program between April 10 and July 5, 1979, by the Agreement State of South Carolina, at the Barnwell, S.C. burial facility. The shipments were from reactor, medical, industrial and military facilities.
On June 28, 1979, the Federal Highway Administration issued a Notice of Violation to a reactor facility proposinq a $10,000 fine for truck contanina-tion resulting from improper closures on 55-gallon drums of LSA material and for improper loading of the druns on the vehicle.
These are a few examples of shipments of radioactive raterial to burial facilities which did not fully neet flRC, DOT and Agreement State requirements which were developed to protect the health and safety of the public.
The Governors of the three States with licensed burial facilities have indicated that if the situation is not rectified, they ray have to initiate actions which would deny use of the three burial sites by violators.
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IE Bulletin No. 79-19 August 10, 1979 Page 2 of 3 Sources of Information:
The DDT regulatory requiremer'.s 'an be found in 49 CFR Parts 170-179.
The NRC regulatory requirenents can be round in 10 CFR Parts 19 to 71. The NRC regu-latory requirements for Agreement State licensees in non-agreement states are in 10 CFR Part 150.
Copies of the regulations may be purchased from the Superintt udent of Documents, U. S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402.
Information about licensing reauirements for NRC packages can be obtained from the NRC Transcortation Branch (301-427-4122).
Information about DOT packaging and transport esquirements can be cttained by calling the DDT Office of Hazardcus Materials (202-426-2311).
Action To Be Taken By Licensees:
To assure the safe transfer, packaging, and transport of low-level radioactive waste, each licensee is expected to:
1.
Maintain a current set of DOT and NRC regulations concerning the transfer, packaging and transport of low-level radioactive waste material.
2.
Paintain a current set of requirements (license) placed on the waste burial firn by the Agreenent State of Nevada, South Carolina, or Washington before packaging low-level radioactive waste naterial for transfer and shipment +o the Agreement State licensee.
If a waste collection contractor is used, obtain the appropriate requirements from the contractor.
3.
Designate, in writing, people in your organization who are responsible for the safe transfer, packaging and transport of low-level radioactive raterial.
4.
Provide management-approved, detailed instructions and operating procedures to all personnel involved in the transfer, oackaging and transport of low-level radioactive naterial.
Special attention should be given to controls on the chenical and physical form of the low-level radioactive material and on the containment integrity of the pcckaging.
5.
Provide trainino and periodic retraining in the DOT and NRC regulatory requirenents, the waste burial license requirements, and in your instruc-tions and operating procedures for all personnel involved in the transfer, packaging and transport of radioactive material. Maintain a record of training dates, attendees, and subject naterial for future inspections by URC personnel.
6.
Provide traininq and periodic retraining to those employees who operate the processes which generate waste to assure that the volume of low-level radioactive waste is minimized and that such waste is processed into acceptable chenical and physical form for transfer and shipnent to a icw-level radioactive waste burial facility.
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IE Eulletin Mo. 79-19 August 10, 1979 Page 3 of 3 7.
Establish and implenent a managenent-controlled audit function of all transfcr, packagino and transport activities to provide assurance that personnel, irstructions and procedures, and process and transport equip-ment are functioning to ensure safety and compliance with regulatory requirements.
8.
Perform, within 60 days of the date of this bulletin, a nananenent-controlled audit of your activities associated with the transfer, packaging and trans-port of low-level radioactive waste.
Maintain a record of all audits for future inspections by NRC or DOT inspectors.
(Note: If you have an estab-lished acci: function and have performed such an audit of all activities in Items 1-6 within the past six months, this audit requirement is satisfied.)
9.
Report, in writing within 45 days, your plan of action and schedule with regard to the above items.
In addition, provide responses to the three questions below.
Reports should be submitted to the Director of the appropriate NRC Regional Office and a copy should be forwarded to the NRC Office of Inspection and Enforcenent, nivision of Fuel Facility and flaterials Safety Inspection, Washington, D.C.
20555.
Provide answers for 1978 and for the first six nonths of 1979 to the following questions:
1.
How nany low-level radioactive waste shipnents did you nake? tl hat was the volune of low-level radioactive waste shipped?
(Power reactor licensees who report this information in accordance with Technical Specifications do not need to respond to this question.)
2.
What was the quantity (curies) of low-level radioactive waste shioped? What were the major isotopes in the low-level radioactive waste?
(Power reactor licensees who report this information in accordance with Technical Specifications do not need to respond to this question.)
3.
Did you generate liquid low-level radioactive vaste?
If the answer is 'yes,' what process was used to solidify the liquid waste?
Licensees who do not generate low-level radioactive waste should so indicate in their responses and do not need to take other actions specified in the above itens.
Approved by GAO, B180225 (R0072); clearance expires 7-31-80.
Approval was given under a blanket clearance snecifically for identified qeneric problens.
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9 Enclosure IE Bulletin No. 79-19 August 10, 1979 Page 1 of 3 LISTING OF IE DULLETINS ISSUED IN LAST SIX MONTHS Bulletin Subj ect Date Issued Issued To No.
79-18 Audibility Problems 8/7/79 All Power Reactor Encountered on Evaluation facilities with an of Personnel From High OL Noise Areas 73-17 Fipe Crack:, in Stagnan:
7/25/79 All PWR's with Borated Water Systens at operating license PNR Plants 79-16 Vital At ea Access Controls 7/26/79 All Holders of and applicants for Power Reactor Operating Licenses who anticipate loadina fuel prior to 1981 79-15 Deep Draft Pung 7/11/79 All Power Reactor Deficiencies Licensees with a CP and/or OL 79-14 Seismic Analyses for 6/2/79 All Power Reacter As-Built Safety-Related facilities with an Piping Systen OL or a CP 79-13 Crackinq In Feeduater 6/25/79 All PWRs with an System Piping OL for action. All B'ARs with a CP for information.
79-02 Pipe Support Base Plate 6/21/79 All Power Reactor (Rev. 1)
Designs Using Concrete Facilities with an Expansion Anchor Bolts OL or a CP 79-12 Short Period Scrams at 5/31/79 All GE BWR Facilities BWR Facilities with an OL 79-11 Faulty Overcurrent Trip 5/22/79 All Power Reactor Device in Circuit Breakers Facilities with an for Engineered Safety OL or a CP Systens 79-10 Requalification Traininq 5/11/79 All Power Reactor Progran Statistics Facilities with an OL nbh
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I'E Bulletin No. 79-19 August 10, 1979 Enclosure Page 2 of 3 LISTIf!G OF IE BULLETINS ISSUED IN LAST SIX NONTiiS Bulletin Subject No.
Date Issued Issued To 79-09 Failures of GE Type AK-2 4/17/79 All Power Reactor Circuit Breaker in Safety Related Systems Facilities with an OL or CP 79-08 Everts Rel= ant to EW' 4/14/79 All BWR Power Reactor Reactors Identified During Three Mile Island Incident Facilities with an OL 79-07 Seismic Stress Analysis 4/14/79 All Power Reactor of Safety-Related Piping Facilities with an OL or CP 79-05C306C Nuclear Incident et Three 7/26/79 To all PWR Power Mile Island - Supplerent Reactor Facilities with an OL 79-06B Review of Operational 4/14/79 All Combustion Engineer-Errors and Systen Nis-alignnents Identified ing Designed Pressurized During the Three tiile Water Power Reactor Island Incident Facilities with an Operating License 79-06A Review of Operational 4/18/79 All Pressurized Water (Rev 1)
Errors and Systen Mis-alignments Identified Power Reactor Facilities During the Three Mile of Westinghouse Design Island Incident with an OL 79-06A Review of Operational 4/14/79 All Pressurized Water Errors and System Mis-alignments Identified Power Reactor Facilities During the Three Mile of Westinghouse Design Island Incident with an OL 79-06 Review of Operational 4/11/79 All Pressurized Water Errors and Systen Mis-alignments Identified Pmier Reactors with an During the Three Mile OL except R&P facilities Island Incident n i-b 1.
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a IE Bulletin No. 79-19 Enclosure August 10, 1979 Page 3 of 3 LISTING OF IE BULLETINS ISSUED IN LAST SIX MONTHS Bulletin Subject Date Issued Issued To No.79-05B Nuclear Incident at 5/21/79 All B&W Power Reactor Three Mile Island Facilities with an OL 79-05A Nuclear Incident at A/5/79 All B&W Power Reactor Three Mile Island Facilities with an OL 79-05 Nuclear Incident at A/2/79 All Pover Reactor Three Mile Island Facilities with an OL and CP 79-04 Incorrect Weights for 3/30/79 All Power Reactor Swing Check Valves Facilities with an Manufactured by Velan OL or CP Engineering Corporation 78-12B Atypical Weld Material 3/19/79 All Power Reactor in Reactor Pressure Facilities with an Vessel Welds OL or CP 79-03 Longitudinal Uelds Defects 3/12/79 All Power Reactor In ASME SA-312 Type 304 Facilities with an Stainless Steel Dipe Spools CL or CP 11anufactured by Ycungstown Welding and Engineering Co.79-01A Environmental Qualification 6/6/79 All Power Reactor of Class 1E Equipnent Facilities with an (Deficiencies in the Envi-OL or CP ronnental Qualification of ASCO Solenoid Valves) 3 b~,
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