Press Release-I-01-007, NRC to Discuss Apparent Violations with Toms River, N.J., Hospital

Press Release-I-01-007: NRC to Discuss Apparent Violations with Toms River, N.J., Hospital

ML010540033
Person / Time
Issue date:	02/20/2001
From:	Office of Public Affairs Region I
To:
Category:Press Release
References
Press Release I-01-007
Download: ML010540033 (1)

Text

NRC NEWS U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS, REGION I 475 Allendale Road King of Prussia, PA 19406 No. I-01-007 February 20, 2001 CONTACT: Diane Screnci, (610) 337-5330/ e-mail: dps@nrc.gov Neil A. Sheehan, (610) 337-5331/e-mail: nas@nrc.gov NRC TO DISCUSS APPARENT VIOLATIONS WITH TOMS RIVER, N.J., HOSPITAL Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will meet with representatives of a Toms River, N.J.,

hospital on Thursday to discuss several apparent violations of agency requirements. The apparent violations are associated with implementation of the hospitals radiological safety program.

Community Medical Center officials will take part in the predecisional enforcement conference at 1 p.m. at the NRC Region I office, 475 Allendale Road, King of Prussia, Pa. The meeting will be held in the Public Meeting Room and be open to the public.

On December 20 and 21, 2000, the NRC conducted a routine inspection at Community Medical Center, located at 99 Route 37 West. The inspection covered various aspects of the centers nuclear medicine program activities. It also examined a phosphorous-32 contamination incident that occurred on August 19, 1999, in the centers nuclear medicine department.

Based on the inspection, the NRC has identified four apparent violations. They involve an apparent failure to perform adequate radiological surveys following the August 1999 incident; failure to notify the NRC within 24 hours2.777778e-4 days <br />0.00667 hours <br />3.968254e-5 weeks <br />9.132e-6 months <br /> of the closing of a room due to contamination; failure to provide specific radiological safety training to personnel performing a therapy procedure involving phosphorous-32; and failure to prepare a written directive for a therapeutic administration of phosphorous-32.

The decision to hold a predecisional enforcement conference does not mean that the NRC has determined a violation has occurred or that enforcement action will be taken. Rather, the purpose is to discuss apparent violations, their causes and safety significance; to provide the licensee with an opportunity to point out any errors that may have been made in the NRC inspection report; and to enable the licensee to outline its proposed corrective action.

No decision on the apparent violations will be made at this conference. That decision will be made by NRC officials at a later time.