ML19354D597
| ML19354D597 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 12/14/1989 |
| From: | Dan Collins, John Miller NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION I) |
| To: | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML19354D596 | List: |
| References | |
| REF-QA-99900001 EA-89-247, NUDOCS 8912280180 | |
| Download: ML19354D597 (5) | |
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U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION i
REGION I L
Report No. 99900001/89-014 1-Docket No. 999-00001 License No Non-Licensee Licensee: -General Foods Corporation
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Maxwell House Division-TT25 Hudson Street
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Hoboken, New Jersey 0703D Facility Name: Maxwell House Plant Inspection-At: 1125 Hudson Street Hoboken, New Jersey 07030 Inspection Conduc d: October 12, and December 4, 1989 Inspector:
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David J. Coll ns,- Health Physicist (dat'e/
Approved by:
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JohsvMiller, Adting Chief date Nuclear Materials Safety Section C g
Inspection Summary:
Special, ar,nounced safety inspection conducted October'12, and December 4,1989 (Inspection Report No. 999-00001/89-014).
Areas Inspected: ' Activities relating to the inadvertant removal and loss of a generally licensed density gauge containing 50 mil 11 curies of cesium-137.
Results: ' One apparent violation of 10 CFR 31.5, unauthorized transfer / disposal of-generally licensed material.
8912280180 891215 PDR QA999 EMVGENF 99900001 PDC
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DETAILS 1.
Persons Contacted Maxwell House Division George Murphy, Manager, External Affairs Jane Cannavale, Engineer Steve Tibus, Boiler House Engineer others were also contacted during this inspection 2.
- Summary A generally licensed gauge containing a 50 millicurie cesium-137 source was reported missing from its install. d location on October 4,1989. The Ohmart Corporation Model SR-1A gauge w s mounted externally to the discharge piping of an instant coffee drying machine. During the annual plant shutdown this year (July 25 through August 7,1989) a contractor had made modifications to the dryer's discharge piping, including the area where the gauge was mounted.
The gauge was inadvertently remcved during these modifications and was last seen with its source shutter padlocked closed on August 2, 1989.
The licensee discovered the-gauge was missing on October 4, 1989 when personnel attempted to leak test the source.
A Confirmatory Actior. Letter was issued on October 18, 1989 confirming the licensee's commitments to attempt to locate the gauge. The licensee submitted an interim response on October 24,1989(attached), summarizing the actions taken.
The licensee's final response dated November 29, 1989 (attached), was reviewed by NRC Region I on December 4,1989.
All attempts by the iicensee and NRC tn locate the gauge have failed. The licensee surmises that the gauge was inadvertently sent to one of three scrap yards or a landfill.
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Chronology The Maxwell House Division of General Foods Corporation at Hoboken, New Jersey produces ground and instant coffees.
The facility has several generally licensed gauges pursuant to the provisions of 10 CFR 31.5(a).
The facility also possesses gauges which are specifically licensed.
Some of the installed gauges are not being used and their shutters are padlocked closed.
During the annual plant shutdown, which this year extended from July 25 through August 7,1989,. maintenance is performed which cannot be done during normal operations, such as the extensive rework of the dryer discharge piping on the plant's A-1 agglomerator for instant cof fee.
The plant shutdown results in hourly plant staff, maintenance personnel, contractors, supervisory and management staff being in the plant. Normal access to the plant is through pedestrian gates for all except upper management staff.
All truck traffic exiting the plant is recorded.
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3 The A-1 agglomerator occupies two floors of its building, with the dinharge piping located in the large bay bulk handling area on the lower floor. A l
contractor crew disassembled the discharge piping upon which the generally licensed gauge was mounted.
As the piping was removed, it was placed on the floor of the tote bin handling area nearby. At least one person saw the piping on the floor et the handling area, and saw the SR-1A density gauge still mounted on the piping, with the shutter padlocked shut, as late as August 2, 1989.
Materials removed during the dismantling of the piping were placed into two sets of trash containers.
Plant procedure calls for records to be kept of both the contents of materials leaving the plant and of the hauler.
The first trash containers held scrap metals which were sent to one of three metal scrap recycling yards.
One was located in the Newark area and two were in Jersey City.
The second containers held normal trash, and are typically sent to landfills through trash removal contractors.
The maintenance outage was completed and plant operations resumed on August 7, 1989.
For this reason, the licensee suspects that the gauge left the facility between August 2 and 7, 1989.
The licensee staff identified the loss of gauge during routine leak testing on October 4, 1989.
The licensee noti'i9d NRC Region I of the missing gauge on October 4,1989.
The licensee routinely performs leak tests of all the density gauges in the plant every six months, although this is only required for the specifically licensed gauges. The Ohmart SR-1A gs.uge is required to be leak tested every three years.
In the search for the gauge, the licensee interviewed staff, contractor representatives, scrap yard officials, and truck drivers.
The licansee conducted an extensive plant search for the gauge without success.
The licensee also made diligent efforts to contuct the scrap yards and waste haulers who were potentially involved with the disposition of the gauge.
NRC Region I issued Confirmatory Action Letter (CAL) 89-12 dated October 18,1989 (attached).
The licensee submitted an interim response on October 24, 1989 (attached), summarizing the actions taken.
l The. licensee's final response dated November 29,1989 (attached), was reviewed by NRC Region I on December 4,-1989. There has been no information developed as a result of the licensee's investigation, inquiries, media releases, or reward offer which has resulted in the identification of the loss path or recovery of the unit.
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Density Gauge Description i
The Ohmart Corporation SR-1A density gauge consists of three separate units:
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the radioactive source holder shield unit with its ON/0FF/ STANDARDIZE handle I
and padlock eye; the radiation detector unit; and the electronics module which accepts the detector's electronic output and performs the control
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functions desired from the unit. The shield unit weighs 140 pounds. The control unit in this case was designed to stop the flow of material inside a pipe to which the source holder and the detector unit had been clamped.
The sealed source has no contact with any process material. The radiation emitted by the cesium-137 sealed source passes through the pipe walls, through the materials being observed and controlled, and to the detector unit.
Each item in the path of the radiation reduces the strength of the radiation beam, but no item becomes radioactive.
The source holder unit is constructed of steel and lead.
It is cylindrical ir, shape approximately 12 inches long and about 7 inches in diameter.
One end of the cylinder has o rectangular plate, and the other end has an L or T shaped handle.
The end with the handle also has a padlock eye to secure the radiation beam in the 0FF position.
The SR-1A unit was loaded with 50 mil 11 curies of cesium-137. The unit is designed and rated to hold 1562 millicuries of cesium-137 without exceeding 100 millirem per hour (mrem /hr) at 5 centimeters (cm) or exceeding 5 mrem /hr at 30_cm from the gauge.
Installation records indicated that dose rates around the gauge were 0.05 to 0.1 mrem /hr at 5 cm from the accessible areas of the gauge.
Estimated dose rates from the unshielded source ere 168 -
175 mrem /hr at 30 cm and 152 - 157 rem /hr at I cm.
There are markings on the shield unit indicating the presence of radioactive material and
-handling procedures.
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Inspec. tor Findings The inspector interviewed the engineers responsible for the unit, toe managn/ upervisors of the scrap yards that may have inadvertently recewed the page, and the licensee's External Affairs Marager.
No individuel had a recc.11ection of seeing the unit af ter its removal from the installed location.
Interviews by plant management with plant and contractor staff revealed no information about the unit.
None of the scrap yard representa-ti'.as recalled seeing the unit, and all agreed to show the information concerning the unit to their staffs.
The SR-1A unit was removed from its installed location without the knowledge of the staff responsible for its control. The unit had been locked in its inoperable position for about three to four years, and no effort had been made to remove the unit from its installed location.
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There are no records of the cognizant staff being notified of the impending removal of the piping on which the gauge was installed, and there was no record that any of the contractor supervision, labor, or engineering staff persons had paid any attention to the warnings posted on the unit, nor had any of these individuals questioned the presence of a padlocked piece of equipment during their modifications.
The general license authorized by 10 CFR 31.5(a) permits a general licensee to transfer a generally licensed gauge, such as the Ohmart SR-1A, only in two ways:
(1) 10 CFR 31.5(c)(8) limits the transfer of a generally licensed gauge to a person holding a specific license pursuant to Parts 30 and 32, except as provided in 10 CFR 31.5(c)(9).
(ii) 13 CFR 31.5(c)(9) authorizes the transfer of a generally licensed' ga sge to another general license only if the device remains in use at a particular locatior, or the gauge remains in the original shipping container prior to first use.
The transfer of the Ohmart SR-1A gauge to a scrapyard, landfill, or unknown g
is an apparent violation of 10 CFR 31.5;c)(8).
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Exit Interview 0-*
An telephone exit interview was held on December 14, 1989 by Dr. Lee k
Bettenhausen and the inspector with Mr. George Murphy. The inspection
..sults were summarized.
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