PNO-V-87-085, on 871231,Region V Ofc Notified by NRC Resident Ofc at Washington Public Power Supply Reactor Site That Tractor Trailer Vehicle Had Overturned on Steven Highway Outside Richland,Wa.State of Wa Notified

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PNO-V-87-085:on 871231,Region V Ofc Notified by NRC Resident Ofc at Washington Public Power Supply Reactor Site That Tractor Trailer Vehicle Had Overturned on Steven Highway Outside Richland,Wa.State of Wa Notified
ML20212E248
Person / Time
Issue date: 12/31/1987
From:
NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION V)
To:
References
PNO-V-87-085, PNO-V-87-85, NUDOCS 9711030115
Download: ML20212E248 (1)


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[l) / C N~/ PRELIMINARY NOTIFICATION OF EVENT OR UNUSUAL OCCURRENCE--PH0-V-87-85 Date December 31, 1987 This preliminary notification constitutes EARLY notice of events of POSSIBLE safety or public interest significance. The information presented is as initially received without verification or evaluation and is basically all that is known by Region V staff on this date.

FACILITY: AGREEMENT STATE Emergency Classification STATE OF WASHINGTON Notification of Unusual Event Alert Site Area Emergency

. General Emergency

,J,,,NotApplicable i

SUBJECT:

ACCIDENT INVOLVING A VEHICLE CARRYING LOW-LEVEL RADI0 ACTIVE WASTE On December 31, 1987, the Region V office was notified by the NRC Resident Office at the Washington Public Power Supply reactor site that at 5:30 AM, today, a tractor trailer vehicle had overturned on the Stevens highway outside Richland.

Washington. The vehicle was carrying six metal boxes (550 cubic feet) of low-level (LSA) radioactive waste to the U.S. Ecolngy burial site. One box contained drums of solidified oil and loose contaminated soil. The othee *ive boxes contained compacted and non-compacted waste, irradiated hardware, and more contaminated soil.

The shipper was the Quadrex Recycle Center in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

8 When the trailer overturned, the six metal boxes were thrown onto the highway and four of them ruptured spilling the trash and contaminated soil on the highway. The barrels containing the solidified oil remained intact.

DOE / Westinghouse personnel are onsite and performing the cleanup activities. The soil and trash will be placed into a concrete container and buried at the U.S. Ecology burial site.

Tha radiation level at the accident scene was 2 millirems per hour at five feet from the spilled debris and soil.

The shipment contained a total of 256 millicuries of contaminated waste and debris, and 0.9 millicuries of radium-226 as contaminated soil.

State of Wesnington inspectors are on site and are monitoring the cleanup activities. The State will perform an environmental survey after the cleanup has been completed.

The driver of the vehicle was not contaminated; however, he did receive a head wound. He was treated at the local hospital and released.

The Stevens highway was blocked off to through traffic after the accident. The road should be reopened by 5:30 PM, today, December 31, 1987.

Westinghouse has made a press release regarding the accident.

This Preliminary Notification is used for information only, and is current as of 2:00 PM, -

PST, December 31, 1987.

m Region V is following up on this matter with the State of Washington A jg

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