Press Release-IV-07-004, NRC Proposes $6,500 Fine for Universal Testing, LLC

Press Release-IV-07-004: NRC Proposes $6,500 Fine for Universal Testing, LLC

ML070570252
Person / Time
Issue date:	02/26/2007
From:	Office of Public Affairs Region IV
To:
Category:Press Release
References
Press Release-IV-07-004
Download: ML070570252 (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-07-004 February 26, 2007

Contact:

Victor Dricks E-Mail: opa4@nrc.gov Phone: 817-860-8128 NRC PROPOSES $6,500 FINE FOR UNIVERSAL TESTING, LLC The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has proposed a fine of $6,500 against Universal Testing, LLC, of Clearfield, Utah, for violating NRC requirements.

In a Feb. 23 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, the agency determined that the company violated NRC requirements for the possession and use of radioactive materials.

The violations involved failure to control and maintain constant surveillance of radioactive material stemming from an incident that occurred on Feb. 18 and 19, 2006, in which a radiographer left an industrial radiography device in the open bed of a pickup truck after stopping to drink at a bar in Casper, Wyo.

The device was left unattended and unsecured in the open bed of a pickup truck for about 1 1/2 hours when the radiographer was inside the bar. Later that evening, the radiographer was involved in a traffic accident, resulting in his arrest and impoundment of the truck.

The driver was released the next day and recovered the truck and the device. But Mallett said, the violation was significant because the material was vulnerable to unauthorized access or removal and the radiographer engaged in deliberate misconduct because he knew he should have maintained better control over the device.

NRC discussed the violations, their significance, the root cause and the companys corrective actions during an enforcement conference with the company on Feb. 8. The company has taken steps to prevent recurrence, and disciplined the radiographer. The NRC issued a Notice of Violation to the radiographer.

The company has 30 days to either pay the proposed fine or challenge it and 10 days in which to request alternate dispute resolution. 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 1-800-397-4209.

NRC news releases are available through a free list serve subscription at the following Web address:

http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/listserver.html . The NRC homepage at www.nrc.gov also offers a SUBSCRIBE link. E-mail notifications are sent to subscribers when news releases are posted to NRC's Web site.