ML20138L072

Discusses Insp 50-271/85-21 on 850809 & Forwards Notice of Violation & Proposed Imposition of Civil Penalty in Amount of $50,000.Incident on 850808 Re Unplanned Occupational Radiation Exposure of 1.3 Rem Also Discussed

ML20138L072
Person / Time
Site:	Vermont Yankee
Issue date:	10/22/1985
From:	Murley T NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION I)
To:	Murphy W VERMONT YANKEE NUCLEAR POWER CORP.
Shared Package
ML20138L076	List: ML20138L072 ML20138L084
References
EA-85-105, NUDOCS 8510310166
Download: ML20138L072 (4)

See also: IR 05000271/1985021

Text

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. .

D C5'

OCT 2 21985

Docket No. 50-271

License No. DPR-28

EA 85-105

Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Corporation

ATTN: Mr. Warren P. Murphy

Vice President and Manager

of Operations

RD 5, Box 169

Brattleboro, Vermont 05301

Gentlemen:

SUBJECT: NOTICE OF VIOLATION AND PROPOSED IMPOSITION OF CIVIL PENALTY

(NRC Inspection No. 50-271/85-21)

This refers to a special NRC inspection which was conducted on August 9, 1985

at the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station, Vernon, Vermont. The inspection

was conducted to review the circumstances associated with a radiological

incident in which a Chemistry & HP Technician received an unplanned occupational

radiation exposure of approximately 1.3 rem. The report of the inspection

, was forwarded to you on August 20, 1985 . The exposure, which occurred on

August 8, 1985 when the individual entered the Traversing Incore Probe (TIP)

room to perform a survey, was reported to the NRC by a member of your staff on

the same day. During the entry, the technician's survey meter went off scale,

indicating radiation exposure rates in excess of 1000 R/hr in the room. Although

the exoosure received by the individual during the entry was not in excess of

the regulatory limit, a substantial potential for such an exposure existed.

An enforcement conference was held on September 5, 1985 with you and members

of your staff during which the exposure, associated violation, causes and your

corrective actions were discussed. Further, on September 9, 1985, a Confirma-

tory Action Letter was issued to document the long term corrective actions

planned to prevent a recurrence.

Although the technician was informed by the Chemistry & HP Supervisor pricr to

entering the TIP room that high exposure rates could be expected in the room

since one TIP had been stuck in the core earlier that day, the technician was

not instructed in precautionary actions to take and procedures to follow to

minimize radiation exposure if h'y, exposure rates were encountered. Further,

the training received by the technician and his on-the-job experience (7 months)

were nnt sufficient to provide him with enough experience to take timely

precaut:onary actions on his own. As a result, the technician is believed to

have been exposed to radiation levels of about 100-200 R/hr and received a whole

body exposure of approximately 1.3 rem. Further, the technician was within a

few feet of a 1000 R/hr field and potentially could have received a much higher

exposure.

CERTIFIED MAIL

RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED

OFFICIAL RECORD COPY CP PKG VY 4 - 0001.0.0

10/21/85

8510310166 8510GG2

PDR ADOCK 05000271

Q PM

. -

9

Vermont Yankee Nuclear -2-

Power Corporation

The NRC is concerned that formal, written and approved procedures for personnel

entry into the TIP room, that could have prevented this exposure, had not been

prepared or implemented, despite the fact that on at least two previous occasions,

NRC inspectors had informed your staff of that need. The reliance on a more

structured approach, as that necessitated by procedures, could have resulted in

a more thorough evaluation of the need for obtaining the detailed survey results

and could have prevented the high exposure received by the technician.

To emphasize the importance of proper instruction and supervision of individuals

performing these activities and of adequate procedures for performing work acti-

vities, I have been authorized, after consultation with the Director, Office of

Inspection and Enforcement, to issue the enclosed Notice of Violation and Pro-

posed Imposition of Civil Penalty in the amount of Fif ty Thousand Dollars

(S50,000) for the violation set forth in the enclosed Notice. In accordance

with the " General Statement of Policy and Procedure for NRC Enforcement Actions,"

10 CFR Part 2, Appendix C, (1985) (Enforcement Policy), the violation described

in the enclosed Notice has been categorized as a Severity Level III. The base

civil penalty for a Severity Level III violation is $50,000. The NRC considered

mitigation of the penalty. However, no mitigation was proposed because (1) given

the inexperience of the technician and the extremely high radiation fields in

the area, the technician could have received a serious overexposure, (2) NRC

inspectors had previously warned your staff that the absence of formal written

procedures for entering the TIP room could result in unplanned expostires, yet

such a procedure which could have prevented this event was not prepared, and

(3) comprehensive long term corrective actions including permanent procedures

,

governing entry into any high radiation area were not in place at the time of

j the enforcemer.t conference.

,

'

You are required to respond to this letter and should follow the instructions

specified in the enclosed Notice when preparing your response. In your response,

! you should document the specific actions taken and any additional actions you

, plan to prevent recurrence. After reviewing your response to this Notice,

j including your proposed corrective actions, the NRC will determine whether

i further enforcement action is necessary to ensure compliance with regulatory

requirements,

j

I

In accordance with Section 2.790 of the NRC's " Rules of Practice", Part 2,

i Title 10, Code of Federal Regulations, a copy of this letter and its enclosure

l will be placed in the NRC Public Document Room.

i

The responses directed by this letter and the enclosed Notice are not subject

to the clearance procedures of the Office of Management and Budget as required

i by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1980, PL 96-511.

!

i

Sincerely,

Original signed by

l Thomas E. Marley,

i Thomas E. Murley

i

Regional Administrator

,

l Enclosure:

Notice of Violation and Proposed

Imposition of Civil Penalty

0FFICIAL RECORD COPY CP PKG VY 4 - 0004.0.0

(

(

l .

\

Vermont Yankee Nuclear -3-

Power Corporation

n

cc w/ encl:

Mr. R. W. Capstick, Licensing Engineer

Mr. W. F. Conway, President and Chief Executive Officer

Mr. J. P. Pelletier, Plant Manager

Mr. Donald Hunter, Vice President

Mr. Cort Richardson, Vermont Public

Interest Research Group, Inc.

Public Document Room (PDR)

Local Public Document Room (LPDR)

Nuclear Safety Information Center (NSIC)

NRC Resident Inspector

State of New Hampshire

State of Vermont

.

!

0FFICIAL RECORD COPY CP PKG VY 4 - 00 .0.0

10/17/85

. _ . ._ . . . . . -_

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.

Vermont Yankee Nuclear

Power Corporation

bec w/ encl:

Region I Docket Room (with concurrences)

J. Taylor, IE

R. Vollmer, IE

J. Axelrad, IE

J. Collins, IE

G. Klingler, IE

T. Murley, IE

J. Lieberman, ELD

V. Stello, DED/ROGR

Enforcement Coordinators

RII, RIII, RIV, RV

l F. Ingram, PA

l J. Crooks, AE00

B. Hayes, 01

S. Connely, "IA

L. Cobb, IE

V. Miller, NMSS

D. Nussbaumer, OSP

IE/ES File

IE/EA File

ED0 Rdg File

DCS

PDR

NSIC

.

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10/17/85

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