ML19248D581
| ML19248D581 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | San Onofre  |
| Issue date: | 08/10/1979 |
| From: | Engelken R NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION V) |
| To: | SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA EDISON CO. |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 7908170038 | |
| Download: ML19248D581 (1) | |
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August 10, 1979 buuTHEHN CALIFUHNIA EDIEUN CUMPANY-dd50 hALN01 GNU 9 E. AVE.
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BU CA 91770 Hub)M)AD Gentlemen:
Enclosed is iE Bulletin !;o. 79-19 which requires E.ction by you with regard to your llRC license.
Should you have questions regarding this Bulletin or the actions re-quired of you, please contact this office.
Sincerely, anu --
de' E. ii. Engelken Director
Enclosure:
IE Bulletin flo. 79-19 iec
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7908070515 SSINS No:
6820 UNITED STATES flVCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION OFFICE OF INSPECTION AND ENFORCE!1ENT HASti1NGTON, D.C.
20555 August 10, 1979 IE Bulletin No. 79-19 PACKAGING OF LOW-LEVEL RADI0 ACTIVE WASTE FOR TRANSPORT AND BURIAL Description of Circumstances:
Low-level radioactive waste is that waste which can be transferred and shipped to one of three waste burial facilities which are located in and licensed by the Agreement States of Nevada, South Carolina, and Washington.
On July 10, 1979, the Governors of the three states notified NRC Chairman Hendrie of the serious and repeated disregard for rules ooverning the shipments of low-level radioactive wastes to these burial facilities.
Examples of violations of Acreement State, DOT and NRC rules follow:
Improperly packaged uranien fines ianitina packaged liquid scintillation vials in combistible waste is believed to have caused a fire and destruction of a truck at the Beatty, Nevada 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 beino a solid inorcanic salt (evaporator concentrates solidified with urea formaldehyde) from a reactor facility. The Governor of the State of Nevada ordered the drums to be shipped out of the state and the burial facility was temporarily closed.
On July 30, the first shipment into the reopened Beatty facility contained free liquid in " solid" material.
The radioactive contents were sand filters used at an insitu leachinq process at a uranium mill.
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 proposing a $10,000 fine for truck contamina-tion resulting f rom improper closures on 55-gallon drums of LSA material and for improper' loading of the drums on the vehicle.
These are a few examples of shir. nts of radioactive matecial to burial facilities which did not fully meet NRC, 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 may have to initiate actions which would deny use of the three burial sites by violators.
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7908070515
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IE Bulletin No. 79-19 August 10, 1979 Pagc 2 of 3 Sources of Information:
The DOT regulatory requirements can be found in 49 CFR Parts 170-179.
The NRC regulatory requirements can be found in 10 CFR Parts 19 to 71. The NRC regu-latory requirements for Agreement State licensees in non-agreemeat states are in 10 CFR Part 150. Copies of the regulations nay be purchased from the Superintendent of Documents, U. S. Government Printinq Office, Washington, D.C. 20402.
Infonnation about licensing requirenents for NRC packages can be obtained from the NRC Transportation Branch (301 427-4122).
Information about DOT packaging and transecrt ecuirements cen be obtained by callina the 00T Office of Hazardous Materials (202-426-2311).
Action To Be Taken By Licensee 2:
To assure the safe transfer, packhqing, and transport of low-level radioactive waste, each licensee is exnected to:
1.
'hintain a current set of DOT and NRC regulations concerning the transfer, packaging and transport of low-level radioactive waste naterial.
2.
Maintain a current set of requirerer.ts (license) placed on the waste burial firn by the fereenent State of Nevada, South Carolina, or Washington before packaging low-level radioactive waste naterial for transfer and shipment to 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 vho are responsible for the safe transfer, packaging and transport of low-level radioactive material.
4.
Provide management-approved, detailed instructions and operating procedures to all personnel involved in the transfer, packaging and transport of low-level radioactive naterial.
Special attention should be given to controls on the chemical and physical form of the low-level radioactive material and on the containnent integrity of the packaging.
5.
Provide training 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 NRC personnel.
6.
Provide training and periodic retraining to those employees who operate the processes which generate waste to assure that the volume of low-level radioactiva waste is minimized and that such waste is processed into acceptable chenical and physical form for transfer and shipaent to a low-level radioactive waste burial facility.
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IE Bulletin No. 79-19 August 10, 1979 Paqe 2 of 3 Sources of Information:
The DOT regulatory requirements can be found in 49 CFR Parts 170-179.
The NRC regulatory requirenents can be found in 10 CFR Parts 19 to 71.
The NRC regu-latory requirements for Agreement State licensees in non-acreenent states are in 10 CFR Part 150.
Copies of the regulations nay be purchased from the Superintendent of Documents, U. S. Government Printing Office, Washinaton, D.C. 20402.
Information about licensing requirements for NRC packages can be obtained from the NRC Transportation Branch (301-427-4122).
Information about DOT packaging 3rd transrcrt eeuirements cen be obtained by na the DOT Office of Hazardous 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.
Maintain a current set of requirerents (license) placed on the waste burial firn by the Acreenent State of Nevada, South Carolina, or Washinoton before packaging low-level radioactive waste naterial for transfer and shipment to the Agreement State licensee.
If a waste collection contractor is used, obtain the aporoariate requirements from the contractor.
3.
Designate, in writing, people in your oroanization who are responsible for the safe transfer, packaging end transport of low-level radioactive material.
4.
Provide management-approved, detailed instrJCtions and operatinq procedures to all personnel involved in the transfer, packacing and transport of low-level radioactive naterial.
Special attention should be given to controls on the chemical and physical form of the low-level radioactive material and on the containment integrity of the packaging.
5.
Provide trainina and periodic retraining in the DOT and NRC regulauory requirements, 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 NRC personnel.
6.
Provide training and periodic retraining to those erployees 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 shipment to a low-level radioactive waste burial facility.
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