ML20039B419
| ML20039B419 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 08/15/1979 |
| From: | Book H NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION V) |
| To: | Sniezek J NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION V) |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8112230012 | |
| Download: ML20039B419 (1) | |
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION g.'
E REGION V o,
g 1990 N. CALIFORNIA BOULEVARD
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SUITE 202, WALNUT CREE K PLAZA e
WALNUT CRE E K. CALIFORNI A 94596 i
AUG 15 839 MEMORANDUM FOR:
J. H. Sniezek, Director Division of Fuel Facilities and Materials Safety Inspection IE:HQ FROM:
H. E. Book, Chief, Fuel Facility and Materials Safety Branch Region V
SUBJECT:
NUCLEAR ENGINEERING, BEATTY, NEVADA INSPECTION OF INCOMING SHIPMENT AND DECONTAMINATED TRAILER EnclosM is the report of an inspection conducted at Beatty, Nevada after Governor List of Nevada signed an Executive Order to reopen the Nuclear Engineering site.
Radiation level surveys and checks for removable contamination were conducted on a decontaminated Tri-State trailer and on a shipment at a truck stop in Las Vegas. That shipment was destined for Beatty.
It should be noted that Nuclear Engineering considers the names of its customers as proprietary information but have not really pressed the point as yet. Such a situatior would greatly complicate reporting and enforcement actions by NRC and D01.
No significant health and safety hazards were disclosed during the inspection.
C H. E. Book, Chief Fuel Facility and Materials Safety Branch
Enclosure:
IE Inspection Report No. 99990005/79-05 p_
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EWNUEN 99990005 PDR
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U. S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COM4ISSION OFFICE OF INSPECTION AND ENFORCEMEhT REGION V Pa,nrt No.
79-05 State of Nevada Docket No.
99990_005 License No.
13-11-0043-02 Safeguards Group Licensee:
Nuclear Engineerino Company Beatty,tievada Facility Nan,e:
Beatty Facility
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Inspection at:
Beatty. Nevada Inspection conducted:
July 25-27,1979 l
l Inspmctors:
73,N.N///["hrl/o Df7/ggf-/3, /777 B.A.Riedling,RadiationSpecialist
- Date Signed Date Signed Date Signed N
W!/3 /7f Approved By:
H. E. Book, Chief, Fuel Facility and Materials Date Signed Safety Branch Sumnery:
The purpose of this special inspection, which took place from July 25 through l
July 27,1979, was to observe shipments arriving at Nuclear Engineering Company's Beatty facility after Governor List signed an Executive Order to reopen the site (see Reports 79-03 cnd 79-04).
No shipments arrived at Beatty during this inspection, but radiation level surveys and swipe checks of a decontaminated trailer at the Beatty facility and of a radioactive materials shipment at a Las Vegas truck stop were made during 1
this inspection.
i No significant health and safety hazards were disclosed during the inspection, f
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/W9 RV Form 719(?)
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G DETAILS Persons Contacted Brian Thayer, Acting Site Assistant Manager, NEC0 Robert Phalen, Acting Radiation Safety Officer, NECO Darwin Garvin, Inspector, Department of Transcortation (DOT) ibbert Gill, Inspector, Department of Transportation Steven Bump, Inspector, State of Nevada Radiologic Health Section Richard A. Williams, Home Transportation Company Driver
,Backaround On July 24,19/9 at 10:15 a.m., Region V was ^infctmed by Mr. Jahn Vaden of the State of Nevada Radiologic Health Section that Governor List had signed an Executive Order (see Reports 79-03 and 79-04) to reopen the th:. ear Engineering Company's (flECO) Beatty, Nevada facility. He further remarked that State of Nevada and Department of Transportation (DOT) inspectors would be on site on July 25,1979 and that a shipment was expected to arrive at flEC0 on the afternoon of July 25. An NRC inspector was dispatched to the site.
Inspection Activities The inspector arrived on site at NEC0's Beatty facility at 7:30 a.m..on July 25, 1979.
The trailer that had been used to transport the leaking shipment of solidified evaporator waste bottoms and uncompressible radioactive waste from the Consumers Power Company's Palisades Plant in Covert, Michigan (see Reports 79-03 and 79-04) was observed to be in NECO's decontanination area. Reian Thayer stated that NECO personnel had steam-cleaiied the trailer and tha+ swipes were going to be taken to see if further decontamination effort was required. He said that the floorboards of the trailer would be torn out if it was necessary.
Messrs. Bump, Garvin and Gill arrived on site.
Mr. Thayer cornented that NEC0's corporate office had notified them that the first st.ipment of radioactive material to be received after the site reopening was not expected to arrive at Beatty prior to July P.7,1979.
Mr. Bump remarked that the Governoc's Executive Order required all shippers to certify to the State that all shipping requirements were met.
It also required that all shipments be inspected no longer than 48 hours5.555556e-4 days <br />0.0133 hours <br />7.936508e-5 weeks <br />1.8264e-5 months <br /> prior to the time the consignor releases the shipment for transport. The certification must be 4
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completely filled out and must accompany the shipping papers. Copies of the certificate were to be distributed to NEC0's San Ramon and Louisville offices with the original going to the State of Nevada Department of Human Resources.
Neither Mr. Bump nor NEC0's Beatty facility had copies of either the Governor's Executive Order or the newly required certification form.
On July 26, 1979, Mr. Thayer stated that a shipment was expected to arrive the next morr.?ng. lie also remarked that Steve Bump (who had returned to Carson City' on the evening of July 25, 1979) would be present to witness the arrival of that shipment.
No shipments arrived on July 26, 1979.
At 9:40 a.m. on July 27, 1979, Ms. Riedlinger and Me'ssrs. Bump, Garvin, and Gill were present at the NEC0 site.
The NRC inspector surveyed the decontaminated trailer number 544132 (Missouri License 441-930; seeReports79-03and79-04). Swipes were also taken to check-for the presence of removable contamination.
Results are shown in Annex A of this report. NECO's results are shown in Annex B.
The NRC inspector made the survey with both a P-11 (pancake) thin window GM detector and a conventional P-7 GM detector. Botn sets of results are reported in 4mex A, The P-ll pancake probe gi/es significantly higher results because the tnin window permits the detection of many low energy beta particles not measured by conventional instruments, and the construction of the probe results in a slightly closer approach to the source of radiation and the measurement of '
a slightly larger area during any one measurement.
Radiation level survey results with the P-7 probe confimed NECO's results. A l
NECO representative demonstrated to the inspector the reproducibility of his raeasurstents using the E-520 instrument.
These results were less than 0.5 mr/hr (see Annex B), the acceptable dose rate as described in 49 CFR 173.397(c).
Contamination swipe results were not in total agreement with NEC0's findings.
However, all results were less than 2200 dpm per 100 square centimeters, NECO's action level, which is also 10 percent of the limit in 49 CFR 173.397(a).
The inspector concluded that the trailer met the requirements of 49 CFR 173.398 and could be returned to service.
At approximately 1:20 p.m. on July 27,1979, NEC0 received a telephone call from Home Transportation Company indicating that a shipment of radioactive material was at the Husky Truck stop on Cheyenne Road in las Vegas near I-15.
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. As the shipment could not arrive at Beatty prior to 3:30 p.m., when NECO closes, the DOT and State representatives decided to drive to Las Vegas and check the shipment while it was at the truck stop. The NRC inspector accompanied them.
Upon arrival at the truck stop, the inspectors located the truck driver and reviewed the documentation describing the shipment. The Bill of Lading described the load as containing 5.89 mil 11 curies of Ra-226 on solid filters in DOT-17H, 55-gallon radioactive waste drums. The shipment was indicated as
" Exclusive Use." The control number was number 2-9066, and the shipper's number was G10523.
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The shipping papers did include the newly reouired certification, which was examined by the State inspector. Mr. Bump stated that the form was completed properly.
rocedures acconpanied the shipment,'as did a certificate from the Emergency p(W. R. Valentine, Chief, Nuclear Operations Branch of Todd Research, consignor Galveston, Texas) stating that he understood 'the condit1ons of NEC0's license.
A Radioactive Shipment / Transfer Record dated July 25,19i9 showed the following survey results:
On Contact At Six Feet less Than:
front 0.1 0.1 Results in Back 0.2 0.1 mr/hr Right Side 0.1 0.1 Left Side 0.2 0.1 Occupied Area 0.05 Although the NRC did not have jurisdiction over this shipment, surveys were made by the NRC inspector. Results are indicated below.
Measurements made with instrument or probe at the surface of the trailer.
Readings are in mr/hr.
Dici/ Master TA PUG-IAB, P-7 Probe Front 0.1 0.025 Back 0.1 0.05 Right Side 0.4 0.1 Left Side 0.2 0.1 Occupied Area 0.0 0.0 The digi / master exposure ratemeter is NRC #000356 calibrated in June 1979 and due for recalibration on September 15, 1979. The TA PUG-IAB instrument and probe was discussed previously.
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u Two swipes each were taken of the surface of two drums on the shipnent (four swipes total). The swipes were given a prelhninary check at the time of the inspection with the TA PUG-IAB and P-7 probe.
They were recounted on July 28, 1979 using the !!RC PC-55 gas ficw proportional counter.
Results showed no significant removable contamination above background level.
Barrels that were examined by the inspectors were labeled " Radioactive LSA."
A newspaper article concerning the Governor's Order to reopen the site is attached as Annex C.
Attachments:
Annex A-C e
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Frc..t 4 TroMec bdiation Level survegs and Containination CnecKs me.d e. - in ancL under Trailer # '/'//32_.
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l Rctdiation Level Sunteus -
TA Hodel FuG IAB, NRc%-oot/2SO rd-ste.ts catib rated. 6/79. Due -(er recalib rglion.
Trailer y @'/l32-on_?/4/77. Probe.on ce#rthctaol6l i f!cce (et undercarrica) oE_ trailer udn Cp%e.Ec'P-ll, probe (s-t4 <,$be) Probg usin P-7 I
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,locdionI o.75mr/4r o.2 ine/A-Locattonic 0.70tnc/nr
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[e dion Previeucly O.25-mfd z, w pee. m i.o m u n ce.s o.vo er A <
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NEco used -their Eberline E-520
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ansteuonent calibratect cn 5/28/77 and
. clue Ec.m recalibration en 7/zs'/79 and
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dmencirated 40 itic inspec-t oi ne reper> ducibilit tweasurerwenic$ ef Gein 3,
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_Keculto casume, 50'4 counter efEciM3 -.BctcKcjroundaac_.c.4btmeted.
mide ha'lec Ouhid e trailee Suaipc_ A.
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- ANNEX 13 -
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Surveyor:
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Re= ads: Activiticq 5. neater than the elion Level 1 xecuke the ir.=ediale
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(U U
Las Vegas Review. Journal---in Wednesday, J uly '25,1979 )
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' The firm is expressing intereH iii
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CAltSON CITY (AP)- A co'ntro. sumer's Power, Palisades PI' ant., Co e' opening a plant in North Las Vegas
- versialnuclear dmnp at Heatty, one of vert, Mich.
three in the nation, was reopened There was also a May 13 fire at the incastrialarea.
Both governors were critical of the Tuesday by Gov. Robert List after he ' Beatty plant, about 150 miles north of NitC, but, an NRC official countered was assured of tougher federal con-Las Vegas, involving a truck carrying that a major rea. son for lax enforce-trols to stop problems such as leaky wastes from firrns and hosr>itals in ment has been understaffed, under-South-rn California.
trained st ate agenclea which hava t ak-waste ua,tainus.
List issued an executive order spell-Spexesmen for Nevada, South Car-en over regulation of wastes.
ing out strict new conditions for ship-olina and Washington recently urged List's executive order states that I menta uf thelow-level radioactive ma-the NltC and Department of Trans-any generator of nuclear wastes must i terials from industries, hospitals and portation to upgrade their controls, get a compliance certificate from Ne-i
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other generators of such waste.
List said Nevada had made such re-vada if the wam ore headed for i He added that the Nuclear Regula-quests on " numerous" occasions be!
tory Commission and federal Depart-fore but got no acti,w until the Beatty Beatty, and shipna-nta must he in-ment of Transportation promised to: shutdown was ordered.
spected befr.re untering Nevada.
improve controls over packaging and(. List and Arizona Gov. Bruce Bab-He said am broker shipping the transport of the wastes and to strictly i LDt Mso joined in a recent call for wastes must inspect the loads and enforce exiging requirements.
~ " tour.her rules,saying nuclear mishaps make sure there are no violations of The Beatty dump, operated by Nu-in 1 oth those states underscored bu.
rules. And any truckers hauling the dear Engineering Co. Inc., was closed O reaucrMic confusion.
loads must make sure warning signa July 2. The hther states with such In Asona's case, radioactive triti-are posted on their sigs and that the q
dumps are South Carolina and Wash-um was released from a firm making 7
materials for luminons wrist watches.
16ds are secured properly..
ington.
.VD List. closed the dump after the dis-The firm, American Atomics, recentlyl The NItC already has agreed'to covery of leaking waste containers on ' agreed to ainndon the plant and move send an inspection team to make regu-a truck which had come from Con-out of Arizona-lar site inspections at hoth source gen-erators and. collectors of. nuclear
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wast es.
The federal agency alb'piomisedi st rong enforcement action against vio-lators, and said reports of the inspeci tion team would be made available to statesinvolvedc
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ANNEX C
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