ML20115G572
| ML20115G572 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Neely Research Reactor |
| Issue date: | 05/30/1996 |
| From: | AFFILIATION NOT ASSIGNED |
| To: | |
| References | |
| REN-I-GANE-051, REN-I-GANE-51, NUDOCS 9607190205 | |
| Download: ML20115G572 (3) | |
Text
T' Akh-b W
..f 6Med ( %& M "The Wrong Way to Handle Radiation Safety @6 JLL 10 M0 :07 In the past year Georgia Tech has become the site of what started as a safety nightmare for Health PhysicistEOFGiBEliasSfdde'dfE in embarrassment for a new president.
A lawsuit alg3GifsWUdor,gigi Tech and intensive investigations by the Nuclear RehlTtory Commission (NRC) has raised fundamental questions about the rights of employees to report safety violations to the NRC.
What happened over a period of a year that devastated an excellent radiation safety program which was supported and commended by previous presidents for three (3) decades?
The problem started when the Radiation Safety Officer, acting under the instructions of the Radiation Protection Committee, terminated several research experiments at the Neely Nuclear Research Center and at the 700,000 Curie Hot Cell Complex because of unsafe conditions.
Following this action, the Vice President for Research made plans to restructure the Office of Radiation Safety by placing it directly under the center director, who was also in fact the principal investigator of the experiments that had been halted.
In spite of numerous protest from experts in the field of Health Physics and others, the reorganization became official on July 1, 1987.
However, it had not been formally approved by the state or federal authorities.
The entire operating Radiation Safety staff reported exclusively to the Neely Research Center director.
Whereas before it formerly had a direct line to the President, there was none.
A figurehead RSO was appointed who did not work at the Research Center nor perform any of the day to day functions on the campus.
This person also opposed the reorganization. While the RSO formerly reported and was an active member of the Radiation Protection Committee this relationship was abolished.
Also, the committee and most of its members was abolished.
Under the new organization the old RSO's title was changed to Manager of Radiation Safety, a position equivalent to Hot Cell Operator, Reactor Operator, and the counting room specialists.
Both the new RSO and the Manager of Radiation Safety reported to the director of the Research Center who was the major user of large quantities of radioactive materials.
To complicate things more, the director of the center was made responsible for all matters pertaining to radiation safety at Georgia Tech.
Immediately the center director, a Nuclear Engineer, began to mandate Health Physics policies.
The Health Physics staff was informed not to l
document incidences in their personal log books but to either I
inform him in writing or verbally so he could follow up on such i
matters.
In August, 1987, a reactor operator contaminated the top of the 5 megawatt research reactor when he opened an irradiated
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j container of topaz without informing the Health Physics staff. A
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Page 2 routine health physics survey the following day discovered the spill.
The Manager of Radiation Safety advised the center director of the incident as required and recommended he inform the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Safeguards Committee and follow up by documenting the incidentthe newly farmed None of this was properly done by the director who was in charge of both the radiation safety and reactor operations programs.
The inevitable conclusion was predictable because in December, 1987, a federal inspector from the NRC on a routine hea.1th physics inspection, was informed of the August incident lnr t V first time.
Th^ incp:;ter ;;..; G h became rather thorough and later vvve+-up. S he required the Georgia Techinspection 7%
president and others to attend an NRC enforcement conference.
Afterwards, the news headlines reported that the NRC had serious concerns with the. management control at the Neely Research Center.
The reactor was shut down until the NRC was satisfied that Georgia Tech management was committed to radiation safety.
Further NRC investigations insued.
As the situation deteriorated the Director accused members of the contacting (whistle blowing)
Health Physics staff of Nuclear Reserch Center.
the NRC about safety problems at the intimidated, The Health Physics staff was harrassed, their jobs.
and threatened to the point they all feared lodsing On February 11, 1988, two of the three professional Health the Neely Research Center Director. Physicists employees of the Radiation The third, the Manat;er of Radiation Safety, was informed for the first time by reading the newspaper that the president intended to reassign him to another position.
News of the firings and reassignment made national headlines and the president made some remarks implying that health physicist were pseudo-scientists.
The two fired employees filed a lawsuit for defamation of character and violation of federal laws protecting workers rights.
were rehired to new positions on the campus but notIn response to the safety.
in radiation The reassignment of the Manager of Radiation Safety was held in abeyance.
Georgia Tech upper management defended their actions on the grounds that they were upgrading the Health Physicist staff.
The president, who had only been in office four months, stated his surprise that none of the staff had degrees in Health Physics and were unqualified for the job.
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l On March 25, 1988, two new Manager of Radiation Safety and Deputy Manager by Georgia Teche j
to take place of the former group.
Both of these persons have i
less education and experience than the former staff.
This totally new staff reports as before to the Director of Neely Nuclear Center.
The former Manager of Radiation Safety temained for a time l
but continued to be harrassed and intimidated.
He I
requested to be transferred to another state university where heeventually now serves as their RSO in a properly organized program.
l As of this date the lawsuit is still in litigation, several NRC investigations are still in progress, the entire original Health Physicists staff, including student assistants, are gone and the president of Georgia Tech has concluded that the reorganization was "a mistake."
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