ML20084T691

Ro:On 730126,employee Received Overexposure to Radiation While Working on Steam Generator Repair Outage.Cause Unknown.Tld Sys Ordered.Encl Withheld

ML20084T691
Person / Time
Site:	Palisades
Issue date:	05/14/1973
From:	Sewell R CONSUMERS ENERGY CO. (FORMERLY CONSUMERS POWER CO.)
To:	Kruesi F US ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION (AEC)
Shared Package
ML19289B406	List: ML20084T691
References
NUDOCS 8306230504
Download: ML20084T691 (2)

Text

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. o p Consumers Power Company General Offices: 212 West Michigan Avenue, Jackson, Michigan 49201 e Area Code 517 788-05S0 l

May 14, 1973 Mr. F. E. Kruesi, Director Re: Docket No 50-255 Directorate of Regulatory Operations Palisades Plant US Atomic Energy Commission Washington, DC 20545

Dear Mr. Kruesi:

An overexposure to ionizing radiation of a Consumers Power Com-pany employee has occurred at Consumers Power Company's Palisades Nuclear Plant. The overexposure occurred during the recent steam generator repair outage at the plant. The employee received his exposure while working with the maintenance crew from January 16, 1973 through February 28, 1973 Film badge dosimetry results indicate that the employee received a total whole body exposure of 3.40 Rem. A detailed report of this exposure is as follows.

Description of Exposure An employee of Consumers Power Company Palisades Nuclear Plant's maintenance staff received his exposure during the months of January and February 1973, while working on the Palisades Plant recent steam generator repair outage. Although it is not known exactly how the overexposure -

occurred, in retrospect, it appears that Rhappened on January 26, 1973 At that time, the employee was working (under the control of the Radia-tion Protection Office) in the containment building in a 15 mR/h general field work area. During the work period, the Radiation Protection Office I

reported that the employee's 0-200 mR pocket dosimeter was off scale.

Although it is not common, on occasion pocket dosimeters will go off scale when bumped or dropped. Based on the radiation dose accumulated by other

, members of the maintenance crew he was working with, said employee was

( assigned a dose of 180 mrem for his work period. At that time, that is l

from January 1 to January 27, 1973, his total accumulated radiation dose j for the quarter as determined by plant dosimetry was 790 mrem.

On January 28, 1973, the plant's scheduled monthly film badge I f change occurred. On February 21, 1973, the plant received the film badge results report for January 1973 The report showed that he had received 2,000 mrem during January. The film badge processor was contacted and the reading of the fihn was verified. Because the Radiation Protection v

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O Mr. F. E. Kru::si O 2 Docket No 50-255 Palisades Plant May 14, 1973 Office did not have any real indication of a questionable exposure for the employee at the time January's film badges were sent in for proces-sing, he was allowed to continue working in radiation areas during February until his total accumulated radiation dose, as determined by plant dosimetry, reached 2,490 mrem. The administrative limit used for terminating personnel radiation exposure is 2,500 mrem per quarter.

At the time film badges were sent in for processing in January, the Radiation Protection Office using plant dosimetry had charged this

, employee with 804 mrem of exposure. The difference between his film badge results and plant dosimetry is 1,190 mrem. If this difference is added to the employee's plant dosimetry total, his total accumulated ex-

,posure for January and February is 3,689 mrem which is in agreement with his film badge results of 3,400 mrem for these same two months.

Proposed Procedural Change Approximately two weeks after the steam generator outage began, the Radiation Protection Office gained access (via loan) to a Thermo-luminescent Dosimetry (TLD) system for personnel monitoring. Had the employee been wearing a TLD during the entire time period over which his exposure occurred, it is very unlikely that his overexposure would have occurred. Since the end of the steam generator repair outage, the plant has placed an order for the purchase of a TLD system which will be used for personnel monitoring in the future.

A copy of notification to the employee, in accordance with 10 CFR 20.405, is attached.

Yours very truly,

/C /tl$b<xf RBS/ map Ralph B. Sewell Nuclear Licensing Administrator l CC: USAEC Regional

! Office, Chicago RLHaueter JLBacon Radiation Protection Office Files Palisades Nuclear Plant