ML19321A893
| ML19321A893 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | 07001062 |
| Issue date: | 08/10/1979 |
| From: | Seyfrit K NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION IV) |
| To: | TODD SHIPYARDS |
| Shared Package | |
| ML19321A812 | List: |
| References | |
| IEB-79-19, NUDOCS 8007240348 | |
| Download: ML19321A893 (1) | |
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UNIT 5D STATES E,,.3.. ( ['gi NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION REGION IV sf.. [E U. '-
611 RYAN PLAZA DRIVE. SUITE 1000 os
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August 10, 1979 T000 SMIqARDS CORPORATION HESEA?;.* AND TECHNICAL DIVISION P. O '. ti C X ic00
$5LXE5ICN TX 77551 Gentle =en:
Enclosed is IE Bulle.,.
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'4, which requires action by you with regard to your NRC license.
Should you have questions regsrding this Bulletin or the actions required of you, please contact this office.
Sincerely, b
wg Karl V. Sey ra.t Director
Enclosures:
1.
' 2.
List of Bulletins Issued in Last Six Months I
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UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION OFFICE OF INSPECTION AND ENFORCEMENT WASHINGTON, D.C.
20555 IE Bulletin L. 79-19 Date: August 10, 1979 Page 1 of 3 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 governing the shipments of low-level radioactive wastes to these burial facilities.
Examples of violations of Agreement State, DOT and NRC rules follow:
Improperly packaged uranium fines igniting packaged liquid scintillation vials in combustible 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 fou:id'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 Nevada ordered the drums to be shipped out of the state and the burial facility was temporarily closed.
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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 uranium mi.'l.
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, South Carolina burial facility. The shipruents 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 track contamina-tion resulting from improper closures on 55 gallon drums of LSA material and for improper loading of the diums on the vehicle.
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IE Bulletin No. 79-19 Date: August 10, 1979 Page 2 of 3 Sources of Information:
The DOT regulatory requirements can be found in 49 CFC
- arts 170-179. The NRC regulatory requirements can be found in 10 CFR Parts 3 to 71.
The NRC regu-latory requirements for Agreement State licensees in son-acreement states are in 10 CFR Part 150. Copie; of the cegulations may be purchased from the Superintendent of Documents, U. S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402.
I Information about licensing requirements for NRC packages can be obtained from the NRC Transportation Branch (301-427-4122).
Information about DOT packaging and transport requirements can be obtained by calling 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 requirements (license) placed on the waste J
ourial fion 'by 'the ' Agreement State of Nevada, South Carolina, or Washington before packaging low-level radioactive waste material 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 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 personnel 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 packaging.
5.
Provide training and periodic retraining in the DOT and NRC regulatory requirements, the waste burial license requirements, a_d 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 material for future inspections by NRC personnel.
6.
Provide training and oeriodic 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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