PNO-III-97-014, on 970227,employee Exiting Plant Had Set Off Radiation Detector.Employee Hands Found to Have Low Levels of Contamination.Staff from Dresden Plant Interviewed Employee Re Work Activities to Determine Contamination

PNO-III-97-014:on 970227,employee Exiting Plant Had Set Off Radiation Detector.Employee Hands Found to Have Low Levels of Contamination.Staff from Dresden Plant Interviewed Employee Re Work Activities to Determine Contamination

ML20138F459
Person / Time
Site:	Dresden
Issue date:	02/28/1997
From:	Lickus R, Jeffery Lynch NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION III)
To:
References
PNO-III-97-014, PNO-III-97-14, NUDOCS 9705050399
Download: ML20138F459 (2)

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y % l RECElVED February 28, 1997 IW !UR 12 UI 8: 08 i PRELIMINARY NOTIFICATION OF EVENT OR UNt0#$c@gggEg-III-97-014 This preliminary notification constitutes EARLY. notice of events of POSSIBLE safety or public interest significance. The information is as I initially received without verification or evaluation, and is basically I all that is known by Region III staff (Lisle, Illinois) on this date.

Facility Licensee Emergency Classification J0LIET MACHINE SHOP Notification of Unusual Event Joliet Machine Shop Alert Joliet, Illinois Site Area Emergency License No: NON-LICENSEE General Emergency X Not Applicable

Subject:

RADI0 ACTIVE CONTAMINATION FOUND IN MACHINE SHOP IN JOLIET.

ILLINDIS On February 27, 1997 Dresden Nuclear Power plant staff notified NRC Region III (Chicago) that a employee exiting the plant had set off a radiation detector. The employee's hands were found to have low levels of contamination. Staff from the Dresden plant interviewed the employee regarding his work activities to determine the source of the contamination. No link between work activities and the contamination  ;

could be established. During the interview with the Dresden plant staff, the employee indicated he had recently been grinding metal at a machine shop in Joliet, Illinois. The employee was decontaminated prior to leaving the Dresden plant.  !

A team of radiation technicians from the Dresden plant was dispatched to the machine shop to conduct surveys. A metal plate and various locations in the shop were found to contain low levels of contamination. The employee indicated that the metal plate was an aircraft part and did not come from the Dresden plant. The shop was decontaminated and the contaminated piece of metal was taken to the Dresden plant and secured.

At this time, the form of the radioactive material has not been determined.

Dresden plant staff notified the Illinois Department of Nuclear Safety (IDNS) of the incident on February 27, 1997. On February 28, 1997, IDNS dispatched a response team to perform a detailed assessment of the contamination including additional surveys of the shop, surveys of the 9705050399 970228 PDR I&E PNO-III-97-014 PDR 1

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homes and vehicles of people who may have come in contact with the contaminated metal, and an analysis of the form and source of the material.

The State of Illinois and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region IV (Chicago) have been notified. The information in this preliminary notification has been reviewed with the Illinois Department of Nuclear Safety.

NRC Region III was notified of this event at 6:00 p.m.(CST) on February 27, 1997. This information is current as of 10:00 a.m. (CST) on February

28. 1997.

Contact:

R0 LAND LICKUS JAMES LYNCH (630)829-9660 (630)829-9661 l

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