ML20039D247
| ML20039D247 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Trojan File:Portland General Electric icon.png |
| Issue date: | 03/14/1978 |
| From: | Minogue R NRC OFFICE OF STANDARDS DEVELOPMENT |
| To: | PORTLAND GENERAL ELECTRIC CO. |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20039D240 | List: |
| References | |
| FRN-46FR55271, REF-SSINS-9220, REF-SSINS-SSINS-9, RTR-REGGD-08.015, RTR-REGGD-8.015, RULE-PR-20 NUDOCS 8112310456 | |
| Download: ML20039D247 (2) | |
Text
F. AA +o Chmo t,g 1O Ohg M4 e*( Secretary of the Nuclear Trojan Nuclear Plant
- I.. n e m ust>61Atts 11ssion Docket 50-344 Regulatorv Coc:::
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flUCLE All llEGULATORY COMIAls310N License NPF-1 W AT.ltt N 010N, D. C. Mas d
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- % ].L.el March 14, 1978 NOTICE TO ALL LICENSEES AND OTHER INTERESTED PERSONS
SUBJECT:
MEDICAL SURVEILLANCE FOR RESPIRATOR USERS In view of a number of inquiries that we have received, the following infomation is provided on Nuclear Regulatory Comission (NRC) requirements for the medical surveillance of respirator users.
The NRC's regulation,10 CFR Part 20, E 20.103(c), pemits licensees to make allowance for the use of respirators provided that the equipment is used as stipulated in Regulatory Guide 8.15.
" Acceptable Practices for Respiratory Protection," t C.4.h., does require for those licensees who make allowance for the use of respirators
...detemination prior to assignment. of any individual to tasks requiring the use of respirators that such an individual is physically able to perfom the work and use the respiratory protective equipment.
A physician is to detemine what health and physical conditions are pertinent. The medical status of each respirator user is to be reviewed at least annually."
This NRC requirement is similar' to that of the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) (29 CFR 51910.134(b)(10)) and to the recomendations of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI Z88.2, 1969, s 3.7).
The purpose of the requirement is to protect the health of workers who might have to use respirators. The use of a respirator These demands
- imposes pa'rticular physiological demands on the wearer.
.could jeopardize the health or eeen the life of a user who has special medical problems.
A medical detemination identifies these special problems so that they can be taken into account in providing proper respiratory For some protection for a worker without endangering his health or life.
medical problems the kinds of respirators that may be used might have to be limited.
For more serious medical problems such as those that might lead to inability to breathe, heart " failure," vascular accident, or i
4 seizure, the use of respirators might be precluded entirely.
Please note that the NRC's guidance does not require a complete physical examination of each respirator user--only an initial medical detemination and an annual review of medical status.
The detemining physician might or might not require a physical examination as a part of his determination l
of an individual's medical status.
For example, a physician might decide to make most deteminations by reviewing questionnaires or by examination of medical records, and might wish to physically examine only those individuals whose questionnaire or records indicated possible significant health, problems.
0112310456 811224 PDR REGOD 08.015 C PDR l
Secretary of the Nuclear Trojan Nuclear Plant
, Regulatory Commission Docket 50-344
' License NPF-1
(
In related questions some licensees have asked whether it is necessary for their physicians to make the detennination of medical status for the employees of contractors at the licensees' sites.
It is not necessary that a licensee's physician make the determination.
Licensees can meet the requirement for making the determinations by obtaining proof from their contractors that the required determinations of medical status have been made.
There is no currently developed stan Ecd method for medical surveillance of this type. ' As part of the work under a technical assistance contract the NRC has asked the los Alamos Scientific Laboratory (LASL) to review the problems of medical surveillance of respirator users and assist in the development of more definitive guidance.
The ANSI Z88.'2 Comittee is also reviewing its recomendatior.s for medical surveillance as a part of the up-dating of the 1969 ANSI standard.
If more specific infomation on medical reqdirements can be developed, NRC guidance will be changed as appropriate.
Current NRC guidance, then, requires a detennination of medical status (not necessarily a physical examination) as set out in Regulatory Guide 8.15, 5 C.4.h.
The performances of physical examinations mentioned in i 7.4.3 of NUREG-0041, " Manual of Respiratory Protection Against Airborne Radioactive Materials," are suggestions that a licensee's physician might or might not wish to follow.
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