ML20127C438
| ML20127C438 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Trojan File:Portland General Electric icon.png |
| Issue date: | 08/12/1992 |
| From: | Liza Cunningham Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| To: | Metzler R NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY & HEALTH |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20127C442 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 9209020220 | |
| Download: ML20127C438 (7) | |
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UNITED STATES I
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION WASHINotoN. o.C. 20666
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muw Mr. Richard W. Metzler, Chief Certification and Quality Control Branch National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health Division of Safety Research Room S-105 944 Chestnut Ridge Road Morgantown, West Virginia 26505-2888
!UBJECT: PROBLEMS WITH MSA RESPIRATORS
Dear Mr. Metzler:
This letter is to bring to your attention an issue identified to us by.one of our power reactor licensees. This issue (see enclosure) focuses on quality control concerns with Mine Safety Associates (MSA) full face negative pressure respirators (Ultra View and Ultra Twin). These concerns range from respirator microphones being installed upside oown, filter gaskets installed upside down, a missing inhalation valve disc and improperly installed lens rings causing distortion of rubber around the lens covers. These deficiencies were identified by the licensee as part of their incoming quality control (QC) checks on all new respirators prior to field use.
The licensee notified MSA of these problems and a vendor representative was sent to the-reactor site to investigate the matter. The MSA representative inspected 20 respirators identified as having problems and confirmed that 11 had rubber distortion of some matter in the face piece area; the remaining 9 were able to be repaired on site. The 11 respirators with distorted rubber-were returned to MSA for evaluation. Two of the.11 respirators returned failed the vendor DOP testing criteria.
MSA claimed that th'ey did not know how these problems occurred and said that their QC was "as good as always." MSA representatives informed our licensee that they did not feel it was necessary to alert other MSA customers of these-problems unless other customers expressed similar problems.
If MSA is waiting for feedback from their customers, then wt: should point out that not many of the thousands of NRC licensees (aside from the 100 or so power reactor licensees) have comprehensive, sophisticated incoming QA/QC programs which test 100 percent of the negative pressure respirators prior to use. We suspect that the vast number of respiratory protection programs across the country for not have fc-mal aggressive incoming QC programs.
I would like to talk with you about MSA's apparent lack of willingness to inform their custome.rs of >ossible generic problems with their products.
While this is not a seriots worker safety issue at nuclear power reactor facilities, because th= respirators are used only in areas of relatively low concentrations of radioactive materials, we are considering issuing an
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4 information noticeito the: nuclear industry. The' purpose of this industry 4 notice would be to inform 'our=-licensees:of thisiissue so that. they raight iconsider expanding the scope of their own QC programs.
Please contact me ati
. (301)-~ 504-1067 or. Jim Wigginton at (301)-504-3059.
Sincerely,7 Original signed by reMolni J. Cunnine%
LeMoine J. Cunningham, Chief i
Radiation Protection Branch Division of-Radiation Protection-and Emergency Preparedness.
Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation l
Enclosure:
As stated IListribution:
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Page 1 of 2 Page 30 Of 46
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a, April 13, 1992:
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R. Huey FROM:
M. Murdock [U
SUBJECT:
Poor Quality Respirators Receivsd From MSA The following event scenario is being documented to identify the poor quality of respirators that were recently receivsd from-MSA.-
m-The scenario also details those correctiva actions that have been Jj taken, and a some questions that are still remaining.
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~n Etqenher. 1991 During the last week of December 1991,-the new small and 1arge respirators vara received at Trojan.
Utility workers-purchased the respirators from the sarehouse and were-preparing them for use.
This included sanitizing and complete inspection.
The Utility h*orhers,_ Joan Thackery and i
Margaret Brady, noticed that the microphtnen-vere-installed
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by the manufacturer upside down.
A corplate inspection of.all. newly purchased respirators, along with all respirators containing microphones, was-perfr med.
Those-found to be incorrect'vera corrected.
MSA was-notified, and their response was that:the microphones-would still work and that it would not result in the respirator's integrity.
March 11,-1992 Training was being given to all Rad Waste Handlers-and-Utility-Workers on the maintenance, inspection, cleaning,- and repair of respirators as part of their first quarter? training by MSA representative Bob Rucinski.
During this trainin Dennis Cross: noticed that one'of the new respirt, tors -
g, indicated by the_ gold lens ring as being allarga -- was in-feet, a medium respirator.
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April 13, 1992 MM-00B-92
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Page 2 The respirator was corrected and computa'r chtcxs shoved that the respirator had never been issued.
Again, all respirators recently purchased along with all the new small and large ones already in service were inspected.
No others were found to have this problem.
March 30, 1111 A new shipment of small and large respirators were received at the plant and purchased by Joan and Margaret from the warehouse (10 large, 10 small).
While preparing these respirators for use, they noticed the first respirator to have its microphone upside down and repaired it.
Further.
inspection showed that all 10 of the large and 7 of the-small respirators had problems.
The following is a list of the M
indications, tr -3
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- Upside down microphones.
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- Improperly installed lens rings.
Some were pinching the rubbor between the nating portions which caused the rubber to bulge out.
One had the lens not even seated in the rubber portion at the bottom of the face piece holder.
some rings were not lined up witi the center lines indicated at the top a,nd bottom of the respirator.
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- Microphones found installed at the 5 and 8 o' clock positions which were pressing into the rubber.
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- Upside down filter gaskets.
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- Missing inhalation valve disc.
- cap between the speaker assemblies and-the rubber.
- o rings on the speaker assemblies rotated to the wrong position.
Joan and Margaret called Dallas semerville to. inform him of these problems.
Dallas asked that they bring the respirators.
from the assembly room to the conference room and ha.would call MSA.
Bob Ruelnski of MSA was notified and arrived et the plant at 1200.
He inspected all of the 20 respirators and confirmed that all 10 large and 1 small had the rubber distorted in some manner in the face piece area.
The remaining 9 small respirators were able to be repaired.
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April-13, 1992 W.-0 0 5 -9 3 Paga 3 A complete inspection of all respirators in stock at the warehouse was performed with Bob Rucinski.
No problems were found.
A detailed inspection of all respirators purchased since December of 1991 and already in service in cabinets and ettergency lockers was also performed, and no problems identified.
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Problems with nicrophenes being ins 5 11ed upside down was in both ultra twin and ultra view respirators.
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Rubser distortion and missing pieces were isolated to ultra tvina only.
Q Another reeeting vill be conducted with representatives from MSA.
er. :Q along with Dallas So:serville, Joan Thackery, Margaret Brady, Spike Tord of the compliance group, and myself at-the plant-en
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April 14, 1992.
Iteits to be discussed will be the lack of quelity workmanship recently indicated with the MSA respirators,.:-
what MSA's results of investigating the problems were, and pMential reporting issues.
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