ML20138L072
| ML20138L072 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Vermont Yankee File:NorthStar Vermont Yankee icon.png |
| 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: |
| 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
10/21/85
8510310166 8510GG2
ADOCK 05000271
Q
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-
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
(
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.
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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
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10/17/85
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. . . . -_
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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
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F. Ingram, PA
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J. Crooks, AE00
B. Hayes, 01
S. Connely, "IA
L. Cobb, IE
V. Miller, NMSS
D. Nussbaumer, OSP
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IE/EA File
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