Press Release-III-05-021, NRC Proposes $60,000 Fine Against Exelon Generation Co. for Radiation Safety Violation at LaSalle Nuclear Plant

Press Release-III-05-021: NRC Proposes $60,000 Fine Against Exelon Generation Co. for Radiation Safety Violation at LaSalle Nuclear Plant

ML051240133
Person / Time
Site:	LaSalle
Issue date:	05/04/2005
From:	Office of Public Affairs Region II
To:
Category:Press Release
References
Press Release-III-05-021
Download: ML051240133 (1)

Text

NRC NEWS U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION 2443 Warrenville Road Lisle IL 60532 Web Site: http://www.nrc.gov E-mail: opa3@nrc.gov No. III-05-021 May 4, 2005 CONTACT: Jan Strasma (630) 829-9663 Viktoria Mitlyng (630) 829-9662 NRC PROPOSES $60,000 FINE AGAINST EXELON GENERATION CO.

FOR RADIATION SAFETY VIOLATION AT LASALLE NUCLEAR PLANT The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has proposed a $60,000 fine against Exelon Generation Co. for violating a radiation safety requirement at its LaSalle Nuclear Power Station. The plant, which has two reactors, is located near Seneca, Ill.

An NRC investigation determined that four employees of a contractor working at the LaSalle Station entered a high radiation area without authorization on Jan. 25, 2004. The Unit 1 reactor was shut down at the time for refueling and maintenance.

A contractor foreman and three workers were assigned work on a valve in the reactor building, but were unable to locate it. The foreman led the three workers into a posted high radiation area without necessary authorization and training.

NRC investigators determined that the violation was willful in that the foreman and two of the workers were aware they were not authorized to enter the high radiation area and had not received the briefing by radiation protection personnel necessary to enter the area.

The workers realized they were in the high radiation area when their radiation monitors alarmed, and none of them received a significant radiation exposure. The maximum radiation exposure received was 5 millirem, which is a small fraction of the NRC limit of 5,000 millirem per year for workers at nuclear facilities.

These workers showed careless disregard for radiation safety rules and procedures, rules that are intended to protect them from excessive doses of radiation while working at a nuclear facility, said James Caldwell, NRC Regional Administrator. In notifying the utility of the fine, he acknowledged that Exelon had taken extensive corrective actions to improve worker training and control of activities in high radiation areas.

The letter notifying Exelon of the proposed fine will be available from the Region III Office of Public Affairs and on the NRC web site at:

http://www.nrc.gov/what-we-do/regulatory/enforcement/current.html#reactor Exelon has until June 2 to pay the fine or to protest it. If the fine is protested and subsequently imposed by the NRC staff, the utility may request a hearing.