ML20207M335

Meeting Insp Rept 50-219/86-13 on 860926.No Violations Noted.Major Areas Inspected:Air Sampling & ALARA Programs

ML20207M335
Person / Time
Site:	Oyster Creek
Issue date:	12/31/1986
From:	Shanbaky M, Sherbini S NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION I)
To:
Shared Package
ML20207M327	List: ML20207M323 ML20207M335
References
50-219-86-13-MM, NUDOCS 8701130146
Download: ML20207M335 (3)

See also: IR 05000219/1986013

Text

._ _. - -

'

.

.

U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

REGION I

Report No. 50-219/86-13

Docket No. 50-219

License No. DPR-16 Priority -- Category --

Licensee: GPU Nuclear Corporation

P.O. Box 388

Forked River, New Jersey 08731

Facility Name: Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station

Meeting At: Region I, King of Prussia, Pennsylvania

Meeting Conducted: September 26, 1986

NRC Personnel: See Meeting Report Details

Prepared by: B ,r A1 ^ 17 - 71- 1988

S. Shertiini, Radia'tidn SpeTFalist date

Facilities Radiation Protection Section

Approved by: bLd M

M. Shanbaky, Chief, Facil Miesi

de

date

11 hIl %6

Radiation Protection Section

Meeting Summary:

A special licensee-requested meeting was held on September 26, 1986, between

representatives of GPU Nuclear Corporation, Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating

Station, and NRC Region I staff members. The purpose of the meeting was to

discuss Air Sampling and ALARA Programs at the Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating

Station. The findings of Inspection Report No. 50-219/86-13 relative to these

two areas were also discussed.

Dbhkoffy r

PDR

_

- - - - . . -, - , , . _ _ - , - - - ,- -,_ g,. - --

'

.

.

DETAILS

1. Meeting Attendees

GPU Nuclear Corporation

R. Heward, Vice President, Radiological and Environmental Controls

D. Turner, Director, Radiological Controls, Oyster Creek

T. Snyder, Manager of Production, Oyster Creek

J. Thorpe, Director of Licensing, GPU Nuclear

Nuclear Regulatory Commission

T. Martin, Director, Division of Radiation Safety and Safeguards

R. Bellamy, Chief. Emergency Preparedness and Radiation Protection

Branch

.M. Shanbaky, Chief, Facilities Radiation Protection Section

A. Blough, Chief, Reactor Projects Section IA

D. LeQuia, Radiation Specialist

S. Sherbini, Radiation Specialist

2. Discussion

The meeting was held at the request of the licensee to discuss NRC's

concerns regarding air sampling and ALARA programs and to clarify two

specific statements that appeared in Inspection Report No. 50-219/86-13.

The inspection for that report was conducted during the week of April

21-25, 1986, at Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station. The statements

of concern were also in connection with ALARA and air sampling practices

on site. The statements were:

"Furthermore, there does not appear to be any clear accountability

for ALARA performance of individual jobs, and little upper management

emphasis on the importance of minimizing exposures."

"As a result, the licensee's air sampling program has degenerated to

a program devoted almost exclusively to sampling for the purpose of

assigning intakes to workers after job completion."

The licensee representatives stated that they disagreed with both state-

ments in that they did not reflect actual practice on site. They pointed

out that, in the ALARA area, they have an extensive ALARA program and that

there is a constant effort on the part of management and the supervisors

to minimize exposure. The licensee further stated that extensive resources

have been devoted to that effort, including job-specific training, the use

of mock-ups, ALARA reviews before and after jobs, shielding, and many other

measures, including attempts to decontaminate parts of the system prior to

the start of outage work. The NRC staff then pointed out that, although

they acknowledge these efforts, there appear to be significant weaknesses

in the ALARA program that require management attention. An example of a

- - - . . . . _ __

'.

i 3

recent incident involving some aspects of these perceived weaknesses was

also presented by the staff to illustrate some of the points being made.

The staff also emphasized the high outage and man-rem exposure and sug-

gested that a stronger ALARA program may have reduced the accumulated

exposure.

The licensee also pointed out that there is an extensive air sampling

program at Oyster Creek, and presented figures indicating the large

numbers of air samples taken throughout the outage and during normal

operations. The NRC staff agreed with the licensee that a large number

of samples were indeed being collected and analyzed on a routine basis.

The staff then explained that their concern was not in regard to the

extent of the sampling program, but rather with the manner in which that

program was being utilized. NRC staff members were concerned that there

was insufficient emphasis to quantify airborne radioactivity prior to

start of work and during job progression. The staff pointed out that the

licensee appeared to have a tendency to consider air sample collection

during job execution and analysis only after job completior, as sufficient

to satisfy protection purposes. It was further stated by the staff that

analysis of air samples and review of the results was not timely in some

cases. Some examples of incidents involving minor inadvertent intakes

were presented by the staff to illustrate this point of concern.

The meeting ended with a mutual understanding of the two issues involved.

Although the program implementation in these two areas did not signifi-

cantly degrade the radiological controls program, needed improvements in

these areas were warranted.

F

,-- > -,