ML19331C418
| ML19331C418 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | 07000457 |
| Issue date: | 08/10/1979 |
| From: | Seyfrit K NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION IV) |
| To: | WESTERN ATLAS INTERNATIONAL, INC. (FORMERLY DRESSER |
| Shared Package | |
| ML19331C419 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8008180297 | |
| Download: ML19331C418 (1) | |
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B U.1 140 T ' ~' b IGN TX 170Q1 Gentlemen:
Enclosed is IE Iulletin No. 79-19, which requires ac-ica by.you with regard to your NEO license.
Should you hase questions regarding this Bulletin or the ac:1ons required of you, please con:act this office.
Sincerely, 1 I Q
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Se[yfri:2,4kdk
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,e d [I Karl V.
j Director
Enclosures:
1.
'2.
List of Eu11etins Issued in I,ast Six Months i
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UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGLn.ATORY COMMISSION OFFICE OF INSPECTION AND ENFORCEFENT WASHING 10N, D.C.
20555 IE Bulletin No. 79-19 Date: August 10, 1979 Page 1 of 3 PACKAGING OF LOV-LEVEL RADI0 ACTIVE WASTE FOR TRANSFORT AND BURIAL Description of Circumstances:
Low-level radioactive waste is that vaste which can be transferred and shipped to one of three vaste 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 vastes to these burial 'acilities.
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 found to be leaking radioactive saterial.
The saterial 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.
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 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 3arnwell, South Carolina burial facility.
The shipments were from reactor, medical, industrial and military facilities.
On June 23, 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 Leproper closures on 55 gallon drums of LSA sacerial 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, D0T and Agreement State requirements which were developed to protect the health and safety of the public.
The Governors of the three States with licensed barial 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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II 3ulletic No. 79-19 Date: August 10, 1979 Page 2 of 3 Sources of Informatics:
The DOT regulatory requirese::s can be found in 19 CIR Parts 170-179. The NRC regulato n requirements can be found in 10 CFR Ps:ts 19 to 71 The NRC regu-14 tory requirements for Agreesent State licensees in se -agreement states are in 10 CyR Part 150. C: pies of the regulaticas say be purdased fres de Superintendent of Doc.:me::s, U, S. Gover:sent ?:inting Office, Vashingt::,
D.C. 20402.
Info:saties about licensing requirements for NRC packages can be obtained frem the NRC Transportatics 3 ranch (301-427-4122).
Info:matic: abcut ECT packaging and ::ansport requirements can be obtained by calling de ECT Office of E2:ardens Materials (202-426-2311).
Action To 3e Taken 3y I.icensees:
To assure de safe ::ansfer, packaging, and transper: of lev-level radicactive vaste, each licensee is expected to:
1.
Maintain a current set of DCT and NRC regulaticas cencerning de ::ansfer, packaging and ::ansport of lev-level radioactive vaste raterial.
2.
Maintain a curre : set of requirements (license) placed c de vaste burial fi:3 by the Agreement State of Nevada, South Carolina, or Washing::: before packaging lev-level radicactive vaste saterial for transfer and shipment to the Agre==e-: State licensee.
If a vaste collectica contractor is used, ebtain the appr:priate require ents frem the ecstractor.
3.
Oesignate, in writing, people in your c:gani:stics who are respcasible for de safe transfer, packaging and ::2: sport of lev-level radi: active I
saterial.
I a.
Provide sacagement-appr:ved, detailed instructices and :perating p :cedures to all persennel involved in the transfer, packaging and ::ansport of lev-level radioactive material. Special attenties should be give ::
ecterols c de chemical a:d physical fars of,.he icv-level radioactive i
i aaterial and 0: the c ::ai: ment integrity of the packaging.
l 5.
Provide training and peri:dic re :sising in de DCT and NRC regulate:p requirements,.he vaste burial license requirese::s, and in your inst::c-
-'e ::ansfer, ticas and operating procedures for all persensel involved packaging and ::2: sport of radioactive saterial. Maintain a record of
- 2ining dates, attendees, and subject sa:erial for future i:spectices by NRC perseccel.
6.
? cvide ::sining and periodic retraining :: th:se empl:yees who :perate the processes veich genera:e vaste :s assure da: the veluse of lev-level radicactive vaste is sinirized and that such vaste is pr: cessed ist acceptable chemical and physical fers f:: ::ansfer and shipment to a lev-level radicactive vaste burial facili g.
e, IE Bulletin No. 79-19 Date: August 10, 1979 Page 3 of 3 7.
Establish and implement a management-controlled audit function of all transfer, packaging 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 requirements.
8.
Perform, within 60 days of the date of this bulletin, a sacagement-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 your have an estab-lished audit 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 Enforcement, Division of Fuel Facility and Materials Safety Inspection, Washington, D.C.
20555.
Provide answers for 1978 and for the first six months of 1979 to the following questions:
1.
How many low-level radioactive waste shipments did you make? khat was the volume 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 shipped? khat were the major isotopes in the low-level radioactive waste?
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(Power reactor licensees who report this information in accordance with Technical Specifications do not need to respond to this question.)
l 3.
Did you generate liquid low-level radioactive waste? If the answer i
is 'yes,' what process was used to solidify the liquid waste?
I.icensees who do not generate low-level radioactive waste should so indicate l
in their responses and do not need to take other actions specified in the above items.
Approved by GAO, B180225 (R0072); clearance expires 7-31-80.
Approval was given under a blanket clearance specifically for identified generic problems.
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IE Bulletin No. 79-19 August 10, 1979 LISTING OF IE BULLETINS ISSUED IN LAST SIX MONTHS Bulletin Subject Date Issued Issued To No.79-01A Environmental Qualification 6/6/79 All Power Reactor of Class IE Equipment Facilities with an Operating License (OL) or Construction Permit (CP) 79-02 Pipe Support Base 3/8/79 All Power Reactor Place Designs Using Facilities with an Concrete Expansion Operating License Anchor Bolts (OL) or Construction Permit (CP) 79-02 Pipe Support Base 6/21/79 All Power Reactor (Rev. 1)
Plate Designs Using Facilities with an Concrete Expansion Operating License Anchor Bolts (OL) or Construction Permit (CP) 79-03 Longitudinal Weld 3/12/79 All Power Reactor Defects In ASME SA-312 Facilities with an Type 304 Stainless Operating License Steel Pipe Spools (OL) or Construction Manufactured by Permit (CP)
Youngstown Welding and Engineering Company 79-04 Incorrect Weights 3/30/79 All Power Reactor for Swing Check Facilities with an Valves Manufactured Operating License by Velan Engineering (OL) or Construction Corporation Permit (CP) 79-05 Nuclear Incident at 4/1/79 All Power Reactor l
Three Mile Island Facilities with an Operating License (OL) or Construction l
Permit (CP)
Enclosure Page 1 of 3 l
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e IE Bulletin No. 79-19 August 10, 1979 79-05A Nuclear Incident at 4/5/79 All Power Reactor Three Mile Island Facilities with an Operating License (OL) or Construction Permit (CP)79-05B Nuclear Incident at 4/21/79 All B&W Power Reactor Three Mile Island Facilities with an Operating License (OL) 79-06 Review of Operational 4/11/19 All Pressurized Water Errors and System Power Reactor Facilities Misalignments Identified Except 3&W Facilities During The Three Mile Island Incident 79-06A Review of Operational 4/14/79 All Westinghouse PWR Errors and System Facilities with an Misalignments Identified Operating License During the Three Mile (OL)
Island Incident 79-06A Review of Operational 4/18/79 All Pressurized Water (Rev. 1)
Errors and System Mis-Power Reactor Facilities alignments Identified of Westinghouse Design During the Three Mile with ac Operating License (OL)
Island Incident 79-06B Review of Operational 4/14/79 All Cembustion Engineer-Errors and System ing PWR Facilities with Misalignments Identified an Operating License During The Three Mile (OL)
Island l
79-07 Seismic Stress Analysis 4/14/79 All Power Reactor of Safety-Related Piping Facilities with an Operating License (CL) or Construction Permit (CP)
Enclosure Page 2 of 3 l
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IE Bulletin No. 79-19 August 10, 1979 79 sb Events Relevant to BWR 4/14/79 All BWR Power Reactor Reactors Identified Facilities with an During Three Mile Island Operating License Incident (OL) or Construction Permit (CP) 79-09 Failures of GE Type AK-2 5/11/79 All Power Reactor Circuit Breaker in Safety Facilities with an Related Systems Operating License (OL) or Construction Permit (CP) 79-10 Requalification Training 5/11/79 All Power Reactor Program Statistics Facilities with an Operating License (OL) 79-11 Faulty Overcurrent Trip 5/22/79 All Power Reactor Device in Circuit Breakers Facilities with an for Engineered Safety Operating License (OL) or Systems a Construction Permit (CP) 79-12 Short Period Scrams at 5/31/79 All Power Reactor Facilities BWR Facilities with an Operating License (OL) or a Construction Permit (CP) 79-13 Cracking In Feedwater 6/ 25 /79 All PWRs with an Operating System Pipisg License (OL) for action.
All BWR with a Construction Permit (CP) for information 79-14 Seismic Analyses for 7/2/79 All Power Reactor facilities As-Built Safety-Related with an Operting License Piping System (OL) or a Construction Permit (CP) 79-15 Deep Draft Pump 7/11/79 All Power Reactor Facilities Deficiencies with a Construction Permit and/or Operating License (OL) 79-16 Vital Area Access Controls 7/26/79 All Power Reactors with an Operating License (OL) or anticipating fuel loading prior to January 1981.
79-17 Pipe Cracks in Stagnant 7/26/79 All PWRs with Operating Borr.ted Water Systems at License (0L)
PWR Plants 79-18 Audibility Problems 8/6/79 All Power Reactor Encountered on Evacuation Facilities with an of Personnel from High-Operating License (0L)
Noise Areas Enclosure Page 3 of 3
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