ML18026A539

From kanterella
Revision as of 04:43, 29 June 2018 by StriderTol (talk | contribs) (Created page by program invented by StriderTol)
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Provides Response to Violations Noted in Insp Repts 50-387/96-04 & 50-388/96-04.Corrective Actions:All Doors to Decontamination Bldg on Refueling Floor Immediately Posted on 960201
ML18026A539
Person / Time
Site: Susquehanna  Talen Energy icon.png
Issue date: 06/24/1996
From: BYRAM R G
PENNSYLVANIA POWER & LIGHT CO.
To:
NRC OFFICE OF INFORMATION RESOURCES MANAGEMENT (IRM)
References
PLA-4473, NUDOCS 9606280252
Download: ML18026A539 (8)


See also: IR 05000387/1996004

Text

Pennsylvania

Power8LightGompanyTwoNorthNinthStreet~Allentown,

PA18101-1179

~610/774-5151

RobertG.ByramSeniorVicePreslderr

r-iVuclear

610/774-7502

Fax:610i774-5019

Jl.iw241996U.S.NuclearRegulatory

Commission

Attn:DocumentControlDeskMailStopP1-137Washington,

D.C.20555SUSQUEHANNA

STEAMELECTRICSTATIONREPLYTOANOTICEOFVIOLATION

(50-387/96-04-02;

50-388/96-04-02

AND50-387/96-04-03;

50-388/96-04-03)

DocketNos.50-387and50-388ThisletterprovidesPennsylvania

PowerandLightCompany's

responsetotheNoticeofViolation

(50-387/96-04-02;

50-388/96-04-02

and50-387/96-04-03;

50-388/96-04-03)

contained

inNRCIntegrated

Inspection

Report50-387/96-04

and50-388/96-04

datedMay23,1996.IThenoticerequiredsubmittal

ofawrittenreplywithinthirty(30)dayofthedateoftheletter.WetrustthattheCommjssion

willfindtheattachedresponseacceptable.

Ifyouhaveanyadditional

questions,

pleasecontactMr.R.D.Kichlineat(610)774-7705.

Verytrulyyours,Attacntcopy:NRCRegionIMs.M.BanerjeeNRCSr.ResidentInspector

Mr.C.Poslusny,

Jr.NRCSr.ProjectManager

ATTACHMENT

TOPLA-4473Page1of6(387/96-04-02;

3SS/96-04-02)

Pursuantto10CFR20.1003,

ahighradiation

areaisanarea,accessible

toindividuals,

inwhichradiation

levelscouldresultinexcessof0.100remin1hourat30centimeters

fromtheradiation

sourceorfromanysurfacethattheradiation

penetrates.

Contrarytotheabove,onJanuary4;1996,throughFebruary1,1996,ahighradiation

areainthedecontamination

buildingontherefueling

floor(818ft.elevation),

withdoseratesupto0.800remin1hourat30centimeters

fromtheradiation

source(avacuum),wasnotconspicuously

postedasahighradiation

area.RLQHHLSc:

pe~OnJanuary4,1996,aradiation

source(under-water

vacuumhousing)wasplacedinthedecontamination

buildingontherefueling

floor(818ft.elevation).

Thedoseofthevacuumhousingwarranted

thatthedecontamination

buildingbepostedasahighradiation

area.Thispostingwasperformed

onFebruary1,1996.Thecausesforthefailuretopostthedecontamination

buildingbetweenJanuary4,1996,andFebruary1,1996,are:~OnJanuary4,1996onlyonedoorofthedecontamination

buildingwaspostedindicating

thatthebuildingwasahighradiation

area.Theneedtopostthe~remaining

doorswentundetected

becauseofalackofclearprocedural

andworkpracticeguidancewhichresultedinhumanerror.Asaresultnosurveyofthedecontamination

buildingwascompleted

afterthevacuumhousingwasplacedinit,andtheneedtopostalldoorswentuncorrected

untilFebruary1,1996,whenthevacuumhousingwasidentified

asahighradiation

source.~Surveysthatwereconducted

subsequent

toplacingthevacuumhousinginthedecontamination

buildingalsofailedtoidentifythepostingdeficiencies.

Theinitialsurveyperformed

onJanuary4,1996,wasincomplete.

Anothersurveyofthebuildingwasconducted

onJanuary8,1996,butwasonlyperformed

atonecornerofthebuildinganddidnotidentifyanyunusualradiation

conditions.

Subsequently,

asurveyconducted

onJanuary15,1996,dididentifyslightlyelevateddoseratesatonelocation-outside

thebuilding.

However,theslightlyelevateddoserateswereconsidered

insignificant

becausethehealthphysicstechnician

performing

thesurveydidnotrecognize

thattheelevateddoserateswerefromahighradiation

source,i.e.,thevacuumhousing.

ATTACHMENT

TOPLA-4473Page2of6W'lldoorstothedecontamination

buildingontherefueling

floorwereimmediately

postedonFebruary,

1,1996,following

identification

thatthevacuumhousingwasahighradiation

source.Subsequently,

anewropebarricade

waserectedtopreventaccesstothedecontamination

building.

Therefore

compliance

withhighradiation

areapostingrequirements

wasachieved.

b.Althoughfunctionally

adequate,

numerousprocedures

havebeenrevisedtoclarifystationsurvey,posting,andworkpractices

whenworkingwithradioactive

equipment.

Theseprocedural

revisions

willstrengthen

thestation's

radiation

controlsprogram.C.Thehealthphysicstechnician

involvedinthiseventwascounseled

'astothenecessity

tocompletesurveyandpostingrequirements

pursuanttostationprocedures.

d.HealthPhysicstrainingwasconducted

whichwillenhancea"questioning

attitude"

regarding

radiological

changesnotedduringroutinesurveys.Thepurposeofthistrainingwastosensitize

thehealthphysicstechnicians

ontheneedtofollow-up

andperformadditional

investigative

surveyswhenelevatedradiation

levelsaremeasured.

e.Lockingdeviceswereplacedonthedecontamination

buildingdoorssothatinthefuturethisfacilitycanbelockedwhenradiation

levelsrequirelockedradiation

controls.

A"radiological

safetynote"wasdistributed

tostationpersonnel

reiterating

thenecessity

ofcontrolling

radiological

postings.

Appropriate

radiological

controlsworkprograms,

andworkpriorities

andcommunication

enhancements

associated

withoutagemanagement

activities

havebeendeveloped.

Theseprogramswillincreasethesensitivity

ofstationpersonnel

tostationradiological

controlconcerns,

therebyreducingtheoccurrence

of'imilar

events.h.Areasoftheplantwhichwerenotalreadyunderlockedhighradiation

controlsweresurveyedandupgradedasnecessary

toensurethestationwasincompliance

withNRCpostingandbarricade

requirements.

ATTACHMENT

TOPLA-4473Page3of6Anindependent

walk-down,

byfirstlinesupervisors,

ofhighradiation

postingchangesisnowrequired.

Thiscorrective

action,whichisinresponsetoasubsequent

postingevent,addsassurances

thatthe10CFR20andplantTechnical

Specification

postingandbarricading

requirements

are'being

promptlyandcorrectly

implemented.

W'P&Lmanagement

immediately

commissioned

anintensive

investigation

toestablish

thecauseandrecommend

corrective

actionsinresponsetothisevent.Theresultant

corrective

actionstakentoaddressthiseventwereexpeditiously

dispositioned.

PP&L,therefore,

considers

thecorrective

actionsidentified

abovetosatisfactorily

addressthisviolation.

Basedontheactiontakenin2.aabove,PP&Lisinfullcompliance.

ATTACHMENT

TOPLA-4473page4of6'gjgQ~~(387/96-04-03;

388/96-04-03)

Pursuantto10CFR20.1003,

surveymeansanevaluation

oftheradiological

conditions

andpotential

hazardsincidenttotheproduction,

use,transfer,

release,disposal,

orpresenceofradioactive

materialorothersourcesofradiation.

Contrarytotheabove,asofApril4,1996,thelicenseedidnotmakesurveystoassurecompliance

with10CFR20.2001(a),

whichdescribes

authorized

meaitsofdisposing

oflicensedmaterial.

Specifically,

onSeptember

21,1995,(Note:ThetankerwasreleasedoffsiteonSeptember

14,1995,asstatedinInspection

Report50-387/96-04

and50-388/96-04)

thelicenseedidnotperformasurveybeforedisposing

ofsludgeinatankertruckasnormal,non-radioactive

waste.Onprioroccasions,

thetankertruckcontained

radioactive

waterabovethelowerlimitsofdetection

foreffluentreleases.

4RcBQ~H1KOnFebruary29,1996,PP&Lwasnotified,

byanorganization

inMontreal,

QuebecCanada,thatatankertruckpreviously

usedbyPP&L(PP&Lidentification

¹255-216)

hadaradioactive

materials

labelaffixedtothetanker.Priortoreleasing

thetankeroffsite,thetanker(whichhadpreviously

contained

slightlycontaminated

water)wassurveyedusingexistingprocedures,

anddetermined

tobeacceptable

foroffsiterelease.Priortotransport

toMontreal,

Quebecthetankerwasthoroughly

cleanedatatruckwashingfacilityinPennsylvania.

Todetermine

ifthetankermayhavebeencontaminated

orifotherpotentially

radioactive

materialmayhavebeeninthetankerfollowing

releasefromthesite,atanker(PP&Lidentification

¹255-212)

thathadbeenusedinasimilarmanner,wassurveyed.

Thesurveyidentified

asmallamountofslightlyradioactive

sludgeinthebottomofthetanker.Dosecalculations

performed

onthissludgeconcluded

thatanydosereceivedwouldhavebeenasmallfractionofapplicable

doselimitsforamemberofthepublicand,basedontransportation

regulations,

thesludgefoundwouldhavebeenclassified

asan"exemptquantity."

BecauseoftheprocessusedbyPP&Ltodetermine

ifradioactivity

wasassociated

withthetanker,thetankermayhavecontained

similarorslightlyloweramountsofslightlyradioactive

sludge.Therefore,

itwasconcluded

thataninadequate

surveyhadbeenperformed

ontanker¹255-216.

~Thereasonfortheinadequate

surveyperformed

onthesubjecttanker,priortoitsreleaseoffsiteonSeptember

14,1995,wasthat:

ATTACHMENT

TOPLA-4473Page5of6~Noprocedural

guidanceexistedthatspecifically

lookedfororremovedunnecessary

labelingpriortoreleasefromtheradiologically

controlled

area(RCA)orthesite.~Theprocedure

usedtosurveyforcontamination

(HP-TP-602)

waslessthanadequateinthatitdidnotspecifically

requireaninternalsurveyofthetanker.~Nooverallprocedure

existedtocontroltheprocessforuse,surveying,

sampling,

orreleaseofthetankerbytheseveralaffectedfunctional

organizations

withinPPAL.Althougheachfunctional

organization

hasprocedures

toaddresstheirspecificactivity,

thelackofacomprehensive

governing

procedure

contributed

toalackoftrainingrelatedtoaspectsofreleasing

ofmaterialoffsite,weakprogrammatic

controloftankersforreleasefromtheRCAandsite,lessthanadequatecontamination

controlofemptycontainers,

andlessthanadequateworkplansforcompletely

emptyingthetanker.a.Theremaining

tankersatSusquehanna

thatareutilizedforsimilarpurposeshavebeenrelocated

withintheprotected

area,andhavebeenphysically

secured.Thiswillensurepositivecontrolofthesetankerspriortoreleaseoffsite.b.NuclearDepartment

procedures

(NDAP-00-0627

andHP-TP-0602)

havebeenrevisedtorequirethattheinternalsurfacesoftankersbesurveyedpriortoexitingthesite..C.NuclearDepartment

Administrative

Procedure

(NDAP-00-0627)

hasbeenrevisedtoincorporate

stepsthatremoveunnecessary

labelsontankerspriortoreleaseoffsite.Incorporation

ofaspecificprocedural

steptoremovelabelsinthisNDAP,whichappliesacrossfunctional

organizations,

providesassurances

thatonlyrequiredlabelingwillbeattachedtotankersexitingthesite.Thetruckwashfacilitywassurveyed.

Nonuclidesattributable

tonuclearpower.plantoperation

wereidentified.

Theinternalstructure

ofseveraltankershasbeeninspected

todetermine

ifthereareanyphysicalobstructions

thatwillpreventthecompletedrainingofmaterialfromthetanker.Thisinspection

concluded.

thattherearenomajorstructural

internals

thatshouldpreventthecompletedrainingofatanker.Atleasttwodesignshavebeenidentified;

however,theypresentnosignificant

impediments

toemptyingthetankers.

ATTACHMENT

TOPLA-4473Page6of6PP&Lcorrespondence

wassenttotheorganization

inMontreal,

Quebec,whoreceivedthetanker,statingthattherewasnotaradiological

hazardassociated

withthetanker,andthatthelabelcouldberemoved.WW'1Surveysoftheremaining

tankersthatwereutilizedforsimilarpurposeswillbeperformed

toassurethattheyarenotradioactively

contaminated

norcontain.radioactive

sludgeabovestationreleaselimits.Thesesurveysarescheduled

tobecompleted

byJuly31,1996.b.Inspections

oftheremaining

tankersthat,wereutilizedforsimilarpurposeswillbeconducted

toassurethatinappropriate

labelshavebeenremoved.Theseinspections

arescheduled

tobecompleted

byJuly31,1996.C.Requirements

associated

withtankeractivities

withintheprotected

areawillbeenhancedtoassurethatadequatecontrolsexistfortheuse,surveying,

sampling,

labeling,

etc.oftankers.Theserequirements

arescheduled

tobedeveloped

andimplemented

byJuly31,1996.Theoverallprogramforcontrolling

andcoordinating

theprocessforremovingmaterialfromtheRCAandsitewillbeevaluated.

Thisevaluation

isscheduled

tobecompleted

byJuly31,1996.Trainingwillbeprovided,

toapplicable

functional

organizations,

thataddresses

thereleaseofmaterials

fromtheRCAthatmaybeslightlyradioactive.

Thistrainingwillcontainelementsassociated

withappropriate.

lowerlimitsofdetection

(LLD's),plateoutmechanisms

andthediferentrequirements

forreleaseofmaterials

fromtheRCAandoffsite.Initialtrainingforkeyfunctional

organizations

isscheduled

tobecompleted

bySeptember

30,1996.Basedon2.aand2.babove,PP&Lisinfullcompliance.