ML20132G846

Press Release 96-186, NRC Revises Criteria for Reporting Abnormal Occurrences to Congress

ML20132G846
Person / Time
Issue date:	12/19/1996
From:	NRC OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS (OPA)
To:
References
PR-96-186, NUDOCS 9612270059
Download: ML20132G846 (2)

Text

w c United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission Office of Public Affairs Washington, DC 20555 Phone 301-415-8200 Fax 301-415-2234 Internet:opa@nrc. gov No.96-186 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (Thursday, December 19, 1996)

NRC P.EVISES CRITERIA FOR REPORTING ABNORMAL OCCURRENCES TO CONGRESS

.The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is revising the criteria used to determine which licensee events will be included in its annual abnormal occurrence report to Congress.

The revisions are meant to better define which events are significant enough to qualify as abnormal occurrences. The'new criteria are consistent with recent changes in NRC regulations and are based on more specific reporting thresholds to permit easier and more consistent evaluation of events.

The Energy Reorganization Act of 1974 requires the Commission to submit the abnormal occurrence reports to Congress.

The Act defines an abnormal occurrence as an unscheduled incident or event that the Commission has determined to be significant from the standpoint of public health and safety. For each occurrence, the report must contain the date and place, the nature and probable consequence, the cause or causes, and any action taken to prevent recurrence.

Examples of incidents that will be reported to Congress under the revised criteria include:

(1) An unintended radiation dose to an adult of 25 rems or more during a one-year period. (Under NRC regulations, the permissible dose limits are 5 rems per year for workers and 0.1 rem per year for members of the public.)

(2) An unintended medical administration that exceeds limits set out in the criteria and represents either a dose that is at least 50 percent greater than the dose prescribed, or a prescribed dose that is (a) the wrong radiopharmaceutical; (b) delivered by the wrong route of administration; (c) delivered to the wrong treatment site; (d) delivered by the wrong treatment mode; or (e) involving a leaking radioactive source.

9612270059 961219 PDR PRESS R HG-96-186 PDR EW\

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A proposed version of the revised criteria was' published in

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the Federal Register-for public comment on January _9, 1996.

Changes made as a result of the comments received are described in a Federal Register notice published on December 19.

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