ML19254A816
| ML19254A816 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 08/10/1979 |
| From: | Engelken R NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION V) |
| To: | HATTORI CORP. OF AMERICA (FORMERLY SEIKO TIME CORP.) |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 7909060075 | |
| Download: ML19254A816 (1) | |
Text
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UNITED STATES e
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c?' e NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISS:ON 3
REGION V
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WALNUT CR E EK. CAL!FORNI A 043A August 10, 1979 4pIKU TIME CORPURATIO.N 040 F I F T t1' A V F,,N U E U$"" IUNK NY 10019 Gentlemen:
Enclosed is IE cuSetin No. 79-19 which requires action by you with regard to your IIRC 1. cense.
Should you have questions regarding this Bulletin or the actions re-quired of you, please conact this office.
Sincerely,
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f.c R. H. Engeiken Director
Enclosure:
IE Bulletin flo. 79-19 790906007 6 7..
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Accession flo:
7903070515 SSIllS No:
6820 UillTED STATES flUCLEAR REGULATORY C0"MISSIO:1 0FFICE OF INSPECTION AND ENFORCENEllT WASHINGTO:1, D.C.
20555 August 10, 1979 IE Bulletin flo. 79-19 PACKAGIflG OF LOW-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTE FOR TRA! SPORT AND BURIAL Description of Circunstances:
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 Chairnan Hendrie of the serious and repeated disrecard for rules covernino the shipments of low-level radioactive wastes to these burial facilities.
Examples of violations of Agreement State, DDT and fiRC rules follow:
Inproperly packaged uraniun fines igniting packaged liquid scintillation vials in combustible waste is believed to have caused a fire and destruction of a truck at the Beatty,flevada 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 inoroanic 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 leaching process at a uraniun 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 fron 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 from improper closures en 55-gallon drums of LSA material and for improper loading of the drums on the vehicle.
These are a few examples of shipments of radioactive material 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 che situation is not rectified, they may have to initiate actions which olators.
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IE Bulletin flo. 79-19 August 10, 1979 Page 2 of 3 Sources of Information:
The DOT regulatory requirements can be found in 49 CFR Parts 170-179.
The f;RC regulatory requirenents can be found in 10 CFR Parts 19 to 71.
The flRC recu-latory requirements for Agreenent State licensees in non-agreement states are in 10 CFR Part 150.
Copies of the regulations nay be purchased from the Superintendent of Documents, U. S. Governnent Printing Office, Washincton, D.C. 20402.
Information about licensing requirements for flRC packages can be obtained from the f;RC Trar.sp;rtatien Branch (301 127 1122).
Information about DDT packaging and transport requirements can be obtained by calling the DDT Office of dazardous Materials (202-426-2311).
Action To Be Taken By Licensees:
To assure the safe transfer, packaging, and transport of low-lc.el radioactive waste, each licensee is expected to:
1.
Maintain a current set of DDT and ?!RC regulations concernino the transfer, packaging and transport of low-level radioactive waste material.
2.
Maintain a current set of requirements (license) placed on the waste burial firm by the Agreement State of fievada, South Carolina, or Washington before packaging low-level radioactive waste naterial for transfer and shipnent 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 who 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 pe sonnel involved in the transfer, packaging and transport of low-level radioactive material.
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 packagina.
5.
Provide trainino and periodic retraining in the DOT and tiRC regulatory requirements, the waste burial license requirements, and in your instruc-tions and operating procedures for all pe-sonnel involved in the transfer, packaging and transport of radioactive material.
Maintain a record of training dates, attende s, and subject riaterial for future inspections by flRC 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 radioactive waste is minimized and that such waste is processed into acceptable chemical and physical form for transfer and shipment to a low-level radioactive waste burial facility.
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IE Bulletin fio. 79-19 August 10, 1979 Page 3 of 3 7.
Establish and inplenent a management-controlled audit function of all transfer, packagina and transport activities to provide assurance that personnel, instructions and procedures, and process and transport equip-ment are functioning to ensure safety and compliance with regulatory requirenents.
8.
Perfern, within 60 days of the date of this bulletin, a management-controlled audit of your ac+ivities associated with the transfer, packaging and trans-port of low-level radioactive waste, fiaintain a record of all audits for futu" insoections by !!RC or DDT insrectors.
(f;ote: If you have an estab-lished audit function and have perforned such an audit of all activities in Itens 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 subnitted to the Director of the appropriate fiRC Regional Office and a copy should be forwarded to the ilRC Office of Inspection and Enforcenent, Division of Fuel Facility and Materials Safety Inspection, Washington, D.C.
20555.
Provide answers for 1978 and for the first six nonths of 1979 to the following questions:
1.
How many low-level radioactive waste shipnents did you make? What was the volume Of low-level radioactive viaste shipped?
(Power reactor licensees who report this infomatinn in accordance with Technical Specifications do not need to respond to this question.)
2.
What was the quantity (curies) of low-level radioactive waste shipped' 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 waste?
IT 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 items.
Approved by r,AO, B180225 (R0072); clearance expires 7-31-80.
Approval was given under a blanket clearance snecifically for identified generic problens.
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