Press Release-IV-04-002, NRC Proposes $6,000 Fine for Cooperheat-MQS, Inc. of Houston, Texas

Press Release-IV-04-002: NRC Proposes $6,000 Fine for Cooperheat-MQS, Inc. of Houston, Texas

ML16141B131
Person / Time
Issue date:	01/06/2004
From:	Office of Public Affairs Region IV
To:
Category:Press Release
References
Press Release-IV-04-002
Download: ML16141B131 (2)

Text

NRC NEWS U. S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs Region IV 611 Ryan Plaza Drive - Suite 400 Arlington, TX 76011-4005 No. IV-04-002 January 6, 2004

Contact:

Victor Dricks E-Mail: opa4@nrc.gov Phone: 817-860-8128 NRC PROPOSES $6,000 FINE FOR COOPERHEAT-MQS, INC. OF HOUSTON, TEXAS The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has proposed a fine of $6,000 against Cooperheat-MQS, Inc. of Houston, Texas, for violating NRC requirements.

In a letter to the company, Bruce S. Mallett, Administrator of the NRCs Region IV office in Arlington, Texas, said that as a result of an NRC inspection December 11-12, 2002, and a follow-up investigation, the agency determined that the company violated NRC training requirements for radiographers and failed to provide an NRC inspector with complete and accurate information. Specifically, we conclude that your former Facility Radiation Safety Officer in your Berlin, Connecticut, field office falsified certain refresher training records and provided these falsified records to an NRC inspector in an attempt to show that the refresher training had been conducted as required by your license, Mr. Mallett said.

The NRC must be able to rely on licensees and their employees to conduct their activities in accordance with NRC requirements, and to provide complete and accurate information to the NRC during its inspections, Mr. Mallett said.

The company said it has taken corrective actions by conducting a review of refresher training policies and procedures; performing refresher training for radiography personnel in its Berlin, Conn. field office; revising and improving training documentation; and monitoring the work of its personnel to assure they have adequate time to perform their safety responsibilities, including training.

The NRC has classified the violations as a Severity Level III problem, which carries a

$6,000 fine. The agency uses a four-level severity scale in which Severity Level I is the most serious. The company has 30 days to either pay the proposed civil penalty or to challenge it.

The NRCs letter, its enclosures, and the companys response will be made available to interested members of the public through the agencys public electronic reading room at:

http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. Help in accessing these documents is available from the NRC Public Document Room at (301) 415-4737 or at 1-800-397-4209.