ML20055A762
| ML20055A762 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | 07000984 |
| Issue date: | 06/06/1982 |
| From: | Book H, Brock B, Thomas R, Zurakowski P NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION V) |
| To: | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20055A754 | List: |
| References | |
| 70-0984-82-01, 70-984-82-1, NUDOCS 8207190415 | |
| Download: ML20055A762 (9) | |
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-q U. S. HUCLEAR RECUL\\ TORY COMMISSICN REGION V
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Report No. 70-984/82-01 Docket No.70-984 treen3, go, Safeguards Group SNM-942 Y
Licensee: Battelle Pacific Northwest Laboratories P. 0. Box 999 '
Richland, Washington 99352 Pacific Northwest Laboratories racility Nac:e:
Inspection at: Richland, Washington Inspection conducted:
April 26-29, 1982 Inspectors:
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- b. L. drocK, ruel racilities AllspeLLur Date Signed
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' L P. R. Zurakowski, Radia, tion dpecialist eDate signed Date Signed Approved by:
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R. D. Thomas, Chief, Materials Radiation
' Date Signed Protection Sectrion
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Approved by:
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9, H. E. Book, Chier, Hadiological datety brancn
' Date Signed Summary /
Inspection on April 26-29, 1982 (Report No. 70-984/82-01)
Areas Inspected: Organization, facility changes and modifications, internal audits, criticality safety, safety committee activities, training, operations review, environmental programs, radiation protection, and radioactive waste management.
Results: No items of noncompliance or deviations were observed within the scope of the inspection.
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DETAILS 1.
Persons Contacted
- C. R. Richey, Manager, Radiological Safety and Engineering, Occupational and Environmental Protection Department
- J. R. Houston, Associate Manager Radiological Safety and Engineering
- D. P. Higby, License Administrator D. E. Friar, Senior Engineer, Nuclear Safety
- V. C. Asmund, Senior Development Engineer J. E. Lester, Senior Technician, Material Department J. C. Dunn, Materials Engineering Laboratory (231-Z) Building Manager E. R. Job, Physical Science Laboratory (PSL) Building Manager M. J. Sula, Program Manager, Hanford Surface Environmental Program J. R. Berry, Associate Manager, Radiation Monitoring P. A. Eddy, Senior Research Scientist, Ground-Water Surveillance K. R. Price, Senior Scientist Environmental Evaluation Program M. R. Ellison, Training Coordinator N. P. Nisick, Staff Scientist S. R. Bierman, Senior Experimenter, Critical Mass Laboratory R. A. Clark, Project Manager, Steam Generator Exa mination Facility M. W. Leale, Staff Engineer, Waste Management G. E. Backman, Senior Technical Specialist, Waste Management R. C. Schrotke, Monitor Supervisor E. D. McFall, Supervisor Radiation Monitor
- Denotes those attending the exit interview.
2, Organization The licensee's operation has experienced some personnel reductions.
The effect on the Radiological and Nuclear Safety programs was minimized through personnel shifts that made use of the licensee's significant depth of technical expertise in the effected functional areas.
During the period of staff reductions, the licensee in fact implemented a new management system, the Operational Readiness Review System. This system provides assurance to management that for a specific project the operational risks are acceptable and that the operation is ready to start up.
The licensee is also implementing a training program revision that provides increased emphasis to operation specific training based on current evaluations being made by project managers (see Section 7).
The licensee continues to maintain an effective organization staffed in depth with well qualified people running effective programs.
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3.
Facility Changes and Modifications / Operations Review Approximately one man-day was expended visiting all facilities where licensed material is used or stored.
In addition, several licensee facilities under DOE jurisdiction were visited in order to gain perspective on the total operation.
In some facilities, it was found that NRC licensed material and material under DOE jurisdiction are stored together.
Two facilities visited that were under total DOE control were the Critical Mass Laboratory and the Steam Generator Examination facil.ity.
Of the enriched uranium possessed it was found that most of it was in storage.
Of the total amount possessed, only two grams was being used. The material being used was in the form of a mounted specimen for electron microscope and metallography examination.
No violation of good radiation or criticality safety practices were noted during the tour.
Criticality safety limits and Radiation Work Procedures (RWP's) were properly posted where required.
Some out of date NRC-3 Forms were noted in the Physical Science Laboratory.
The inspectors were assured that all out of date fonns will be replaced with current ones.
a.
Building 231-2 Room 46 discussed in Report 81-02, has been completed and is now operational.
It is being used for DOE work.where there is a high' probability of contamination. At the present time it is'not being used for work with NRC licensed material.
Licensed material is-being stored only, it is not being used.
b.
Building 306W Uranium varying in enrichment from 2.53% to 9% was observed in i
storage in a Building 306-W vault. The material.was observed to l
be safely stored 'in clearly marked containers along with DOE owned l
material.
No violation of good radiation or criticality safety.
practices were noted during this phase of the inspection.
c.
Physical Science Laboratory l
Uranium items varying. in enr'ichment from 2.53% to 9% were observed in I
safe and secure storage. A two gram s'pecimen mounted for. electron microscope and metallographic observation, being used in another
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part of the laboratory, was not observed.
It was properly signed out by the material custodian. The small amount of material precluded l
any criticality safety problems. The mounting of the material in i
plastic minimized the radiation safety problems.
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. 4.
Internal Review and Audit / Criticality Safety The licensee's internal review and audit program continues to be satisfactorily implemented.
Three criticality safety audits were made in buildings stcring licensed material since the previous NRC inspection (October 22-23,1981). The criticality safety audits of Building 306W were made on 12/28/81 and 3/4/82. The 3/4/82 audit was part of the annual appraisal. The criticality safety audit of Building 231Z was made 2/26/82.
In both cases there were no recomendations from previous audits requiring followup.
It was noted by the licensee during the 3/24/82 Building 306-W audit that the criticality alarm system previously the responsibility of Westinghouse Hanford Company (WHC) has been turned over to PNL because of the elimination of almost all of the WHC fissile material work in 306-E (the WHC portion of Building 306).
The Building 231-Z audit identified the need to update the Isolated Facility Authorization to reflect the assignment of a new Criticality Safety representative.
5.
Safety Committee Activities The seven member Safety Review Council continues to review all Safety Analyses Reports (SAR's).
The SAR for Building 331 scheduled to be
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reviewed earlier has been delayed pending resolution of some recently identified questions.
The latest revision to Building 303-C involving modifications of the vault storage racks was reviewed by the council.'
Additionally, modifications to Buildings 324 and 325 (not a SAR), related to R&D on waste vitrification was also reviewed by the council.
6.
Training The licensee is in the process of completely revamping their training program.
They are changing from the concept of a centralized training section located in the Occupational and Environmental Protection Department to job specific training administered by Program Managers of the departments needing the training. The training program proposed by the various Program Managers will be evaluated and coordinated by a training coordinator located in the Occupational and Environmental Protection Department.
The training will be given by qualified licensee personnel and consultants acceptable to the Program Managers and the Training Coordinator.
It was made clear to the inspectors that the Program Managers will be administratively responsible for giving the training and in some cases will give it themselves.
The job specific training will include the following areas where applicable:
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a.
Building Emergency Procedures Emergency signals, their meaning and expected response; emsrgency exit routing, staging areas af ter evacuation; location of fire alarm pullboxes and fire extinguishers, and the detailed emergency actions specific to the facility spelled out in the Building Emergency Procedure.
b.
Nuclear Facility Orientation Includes: building practices and procedures involving radioactive materials; and a tour of the building highlighting location of radiation zones, safety equipment and the Radiation Monitoring Office.
c.
General Laboratory Practices and Procedures Includes operational emergency procedures; normal operations and routine maintenance; packaging and transportation of hazardous materials; radioactive waste; effluent systems; and decontanination of the immediate work area.
d.
Fume Hood Training Includes routine operations and maintenance; emergency actions; introducing or removing materials from the hood; handling hazardous materials; decontamination of the immediate work areas; and radiation detection instruments.
e.
Glove Box Training Includes routine operations and maintenance; emergency actions; changing gloves; replacing bagout bags; introducing or removing material from the glove box; handling hazardous materials; radiation detection instruments; and decontamination of the glove box and immediate work area.
f.
Hot Cell Training Includes routine operation and maintenance; transfer and transport of material; manipulator removal, replacement and repair; snergency actions; radiation detection instruments; and decontamination of hot cell exterior surfaces, supporting equipment and galleries, g.
Special Equipment Usage Qualification Includes safe operation; operating and/or maintenance log; and emergency actions.
. h.
Radioactive Materials Shipping and Packaging Practices and Procedures Includes characterization of material; selection of approved container; packaging procedures; preparation of radioactive Shipment Record; and the application of quality control requirements to inspection and packaging activities.'
i.
Respiratory Protection Training and Maskfitting Includes hazards associated with airborne radioactivity; classification, inspection and use of respiratory protection equipment; instructions for obtaining and maintaining a current mask fit; fresh air training; and emergency actions involving respiratory protection.
j.
CPR Training As sanctioned by the American Heart Association; includes recognition of heart attack or airway obstruction signals and training on action to be taken.
k.
Crane Operator Training Includes crane capacities; electrical limits; correct way to
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pick up a load; distance of load to the floor; ratings of wire rope and slings.
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Forklift Operator Training Includes forklift familiarization: capacities, types of fuels, methods of lifts, speed limits, center of gravity, safety and maintenance, m.
General Radiation Safety Training and Retraining Training shall provide a review of basic radiation physics, radiation safety, radiological emergency procedures, basic understanding of biological ef fects of radiation and methods of assessment and radiation protectioO oractices and principles to maintain internal and external exposures as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA).
n.
General Safety Meetings General safety including Building Emergency Procedures and CPR Training.
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Accident Action Checklist Includes review and update of NPTA (Nuclear Process Technology and Analysis) section Accident Action checklist.
p.
Safety Walk Through Includes a visual check for safety, housekeeping, posted RWP's, regulations and unusual conditions.
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Operational and Procedural Changes Includes new experimental plans; changes in operating safety limits and operating specifications; procedural cnanges; system modifications; and new information.
Based on the above guidelines and other criteria supplied by the training coordinator, each program manager is being asked to submit a detailed training requirement for each staff member under his jurisdiction.
Af ter the training requirement has been submitted, a training schedule will be drafted.
Submittal of the detailed training requirement is mandatory and not voluntary.
The NRC inspectors were assured that all training will be documented in sufficient detail to evaluate the adequacy of the training. Also, the training effectiveness will be evaluated by tests of various kinds.
Some of the details have not been worked out as yet.
7.
Operations Review l
Although licensed SNM processing activities were minimal, it was noted that areas were appropriately posted, SNM was in appropriate and properly labeled containers, and the containers of SNM were stored in designated locations.
Specified SNM separations by enrichment groups were maintained.
l Only 69 gm of the U held under license was not in vault storage l
or otherwise stored in waste containers pending shipment. The 69 i
gm U was all in the form of UO2 pellets in metallographic mounts prepared for physical examinations.
No violations of good criticality safety practices were observed during the course of the observations.
8.
Environmental Programs l
The licensee's environmental program is more extensive than required l
for NRC licensed activities because of the preponderance of work done under DOE (Department of Energy) contracts. The program is a 5 ma n-year ef rort annually and evaluates subterr anean flow through analysis of samples from about 300 wells. Other samples analyzed are from food stuffs, soil, vegetation and air. The data for the past 6 mo nths were being prepared for publication and no review of it was conducted l
since thA licensed activities stack effluents and work environment samples were within regulatory limits (See Section 9).
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. The quality control program for the analysis of environmental samples includes submittal of replicate samples, blind samples (spiked appropriately) and spiked thermoluminescent dosimeters. The licensee also participates in an International TLD measurement program as well as an Environmental Protection Agency measurement evaluation. program. Some quality control oversight is also provided by the U.S. Geological Survey on samples analyzed by PNL.
Reports are issued at least annually on off-site sample evaluations.
Semi-annual reports are issued with on-site sample evaluations. The licensee feels that technical justification exists for conducting a less extensive program; however, they are willing to generate the additional data considering the additional confidence and benefits that may be developed from the program.
9.
Radiation Protection / Radioactive Waste Management The review of radiation protection and radioactive waste management practices were limited during this inspection to those actually observed during the tour of all facilities where licensed material is used or stored. During the tour the inspectors were informed that no licensed material had been transported to a low level waste disposal facility since the last inspection.
However, all licensed material stored in Building 231-Z is waste waiting tiansportation to a low level waste
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disposal site.
It is anticipated that this waste will be transported to a low level disposal site within the next year. The licensee's transportation activities and capabilities were covered in detail in Inspection Report 81-02.
The approximately 66 drums of waste waiting transportation were observed to be in good condition, properly labeled and safely stored in an outside area. The weathering effects on the drums appeared to be minimal.
In Building 231-Z and 306W personnel were observed to be using properly operating hand and foot counters with current calibration stickers.
No one was observed walking past a monitor without using it.
In all areas visited, properly calibrated, functional and appropriate portable monitoring instruments were observed. Radiation zones were properly posted and, where required, current RWP's were also posted. No violation of good health physics practices, or NRC regulations were observed during the tour.
The licensee has added a graphical presentation format capability for displaying air sample measurement results with the Hewlett-Packard Model 1000 computer. This format significantly contributes to the evaluation of trends in the data from various processing areas.
The tabular format presentation is programed to flag data, using an asterisk, that exceeds 1/6 MPC for releases to unrestricted areas. A review of the flagged data for the first quarter of 1982 did not indicate any problems as the flagged values remained within MPC and subsequently dropped to previous levels. The graphical presentations reviewed confirmed readily the absence of trending. The system is conservative
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8-to the extent that Pu-239 MPC's are used for alpha levels when in fact uranium is the SNM (special nuclear material) being processed.
The beta plus gamma levels are based on Sr-90. Air samples are routinely counted immediately after collection on a system that corrects for short half-life interfering radionuclides in order to identify those areas needing/ prompt attention. The air samples are counted again after 7 days of additional decay time to obtain a permanent record.
10.
Management Interview The scope and results of the inspection were discussed with representatives of licensee management at the conclusion of the inspection on April 29, 1982. The licensee was inormed that no items of noncompliance and no deviations were observed within the scope of the inspection.
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