| U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Operations Center Event Reports For
10/13/2009 - 10/14/2009 ** EVENT NUMBERS ** |
 | General Information or Other | Event Number: 45417 | Rep Org: PA BUREAU OF RADIATION PROTECTION
Licensee: MEDRAD INC
Region: 1
City: SAXONBURG State: PA
County:
License #: PA090031
Agreement: Y
Docket:
NRC Notified By: DAVID ALLARD
HQ OPS Officer: MARK ABRAMOVITZ | Notification Date: 10/07/2009
Notification Time: 19:46 [ET]
Event Date: 10/01/2009
Event Time: [EDT]
Last Update Date: 10/07/2009 | Emergency Class: NON EMERGENCY
10 CFR Section:
AGREEMENT STATE
| Person (Organization):
SAM HANSELL (R1DO)
LYDIA CHANG (FSME)
DENNIS ALLSTON email (ILTA)
|
| This material event contains a "Less than Cat 3" level of radioactive material. | Event Text AGREEMENT STATE REPORT - MISSING TRITIUM EXIT SIGN
The following report was received via e-mail:
"An exit sign containing tritium was discovered missing from the MEDRAD facility located at 150 Victory Road in Saxonburg, PA (Butler County) on the evening of October 1, 2009. The sign was an Isolite product with 11.5 curies of H-3; two were purchased less than a year ago. The company interviewed employees and conducted an internal investigation to determine what happened to the sign; they are still uncertain about how it was lost. MEDRAD plans to return the other sign to Isolite.
"MEDRAD contacted Isolite and they could not find any record of the tritium exit signs in their database. MEDRAD had received the two tritium exit signs via an electrical contractor, who in turn installed the exit signs at MEDRAD.
"The State will continue to keep NRC informed of the status of our investigation."
PA incident # PA090031
THIS MATERIAL EVENT CONTAINS A "LESS THAN CAT 3" LEVEL OF RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL
Sources that are "Less than IAEA Category 3 sources," are either sources that are very unlikely to cause permanent injury to individuals or contain a very small amount of radioactive material that would not cause any permanent injury. Some of these sources, such as moisture density gauges or thickness gauges that are Category 4, the amount of unshielded radioactive material, if not safely managed or securely protected, could possibly - although it is unlikely - temporarily injure someone who handled it or were otherwise in contact with it, or who were close to it for a period of many weeks. For additional information go to http://www-pub.iaea.org/MTCD/publications/PDF/Pub1227_web.pdf
This source is not amongst those sources or devices identified by the IAEA Code of Conduct for the Safety & Security of Radioactive Sources to be of concern from a radiological standpoint. Therefore is it being categorized as a less than Category 3 source |
| General Information or Other | Event Number: 45418 | Rep Org: PA BUREAU OF RADIATION PROTECTION
Licensee: DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Region: 1
City: WILKES BARRE State: PA
County:
License #:
Agreement: Y
Docket:
NRC Notified By: DAVID ALLARD
HQ OPS Officer: MARK ABRAMOVITZ | Notification Date: 10/07/2009
Notification Time: 21:49 [ET]
Event Date: 09/23/2009
Event Time: 05:45 [EDT]
Last Update Date: 10/07/2009 | Emergency Class: NON EMERGENCY
10 CFR Section:
AGREEMENT STATE
| Person (Organization):
SAM HANSELL (R1DO)
ANGELA MCINTOSH (FSME)
MICHAEL TSCHILTZ (NMSS)
| Event Text AGREEMENT STATE REPORT - DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY TRUCK WITH LOW LEVEL WASTE OVERTURNED
"On September 23, 2009, at about 5:45am, a truck with a container of building demolition debris waste from the DOE/Navy Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory site in Kesselring, New York overturned near Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania at mile marker 147.9 on southbound lane of Interstate 81 (I-81), spilling its contents on the median. The debris consisted primarily of concrete, metal with low levels of radioactivity (approximately 50 micocuries of cobalt-60, strontium-90, americium-241, and plutonium-238). The shipper noted the package was below the limits for labeling and placarding as Class 7 hazardous material set by the U.S. DOT in their hazardous material regulations in 49CFR. The 'low-level waste' was being shipped to the Savannah River Site for disposal.
"The final field radiological surveys and labs tests of soil samples support the conclusion that no measurable radioactivity remains at the scene and that all equipment used in the response and recovery were free of detectable surface contamination prior to release from the scene. All final surveys after clean-up were less than the investigation level."
PA incident #PA090030 |
| Power Reactor | Event Number: 45429 | Facility: COOK
Region: 3 State: MI
Unit: [1] [2] [ ]
RX Type: [1] W-4-LP,[2] W-4-LP
NRC Notified By: BUD HINCKLEY
HQ OPS Officer: DONG HWA PARK | Notification Date: 10/13/2009
Notification Time: 08:20 [ET]
Event Date: 10/13/2009
Event Time: 07:44 [EDT]
Last Update Date: 10/13/2009 | Emergency Class: NON EMERGENCY
10 CFR Section:
50.72(b)(3)(xiii) - LOSS COMM/ASMT/RESPONSE
| Person (Organization):
ERIC DUNCAN (R3DO)
|
| Unit | SCRAM Code | RX CRIT | Initial PWR | Initial RX Mode | Current PWR | Current RX Mode | | 1 | N | N | 0 | Cold Shutdown | 0 | Cold Shutdown | | 2 | N | Y | 100 | Power Operation | 100 | Power Operation | Event Text TECHNICAL SUPPORT CENTER UNAVAILABLE DUE TO PLANNED MAINTENANCE
"At 0744 [EDT] on Tuesday, October 13, 2009, the Cook Nuclear Plant (CNP) Technical Support Center (TSC) air conditioning and charcoal filtration systems were removed from service for scheduled maintenance. Under certain accident conditions the TSC may become unavailable due to the inability of the air conditioning and charcoal filtration systems to maintain a habitable atmosphere. Compensatory measures exist to relocate TSC personnel to the unaffected unit's control room if necessary. TSC ventilation system maintenance is scheduled to be completed at 1500 [EDT] on Tuesday, October 13, 2009.
"This notification is being made in accordance with 10CFR50.72(b)(3)(xiii) due to the loss of an emergency response facility."
The licensee notified the NRC Senior Resident Inspector.
* * * UPDATE FROM BUD HINCKLEY TO DONALD NORWOOD AT 1336 EDT ON 10/13/09 * * *
"The CNP TSC ventilation system was returned to functional status following scheduled maintenance at 1333 [EDT] on Tuesday, October 13, 2009.
"This follow-up notification is being made to provide closure from the initial notification under 10CFR50.72.(b)(3)(xiii) due to the loss of an emergency response facility. The licensee has notified the NRC Senior Resident Inspector of the return to service of the TSC Ventilation System."
Notified R3DO (Eric Duncan) |
| Other Nuclear Material | Event Number: 45430 | Rep Org: INDIANA DEPT OF TRANSPORTATION
Licensee: INDIANA DEPT OF TRANSPORTATION
Region: 3
City: State: IN
County: ELKART
License #: 13-26345-01
Agreement: N
Docket:
NRC Notified By: PHIL ELLET
HQ OPS Officer: DONG HWA PARK | Notification Date: 10/13/2009
Notification Time: 08:33 [ET]
Event Date: 10/13/2009
Event Time: 07:00 [EDT]
Last Update Date: 10/13/2009 | Emergency Class: NON EMERGENCY
10 CFR Section:
20.2201(a)(1)(i) - LOST/STOLEN LNM>1000X
| Person (Organization):
ERIC DUNCAN (R3DO)
ANGELA MCINTOSH (FSME)
ILTAB via email ()
|
| This material event contains a "Less than Cat 3" level of radioactive material. | Event Text TROXLER MOISTURE DENSITY GAUGE STOLEN FROM OFFICE
A Troxler Model 3440 (S/N 18635) containing two sources, i.e., 8 millicuries Cs-137 and 40 millicuries Am-241/Be, was stolen from the Indiana Department of Transportation field office in Elkhart, Indiana. The field office was broken into during the weekend and Troxler gauge was found missing from a locked closet. The licensee will conduct an investigation and inform their local law enforcement.
The licensee notified the NRC Region 3 Office (Jim Lynch).
THIS MATERIAL EVENT CONTAINS A "CATEGORY 3" LEVEL OF RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL
Category 3 sources, if not safely managed or securely protected, could cause permanent injury to a person who handled them, or were otherwise in contact with them, for some hours. It could possibly - although it is unlikely - be fatal to be close to this amount of unshielded radioactive material for a period of days to weeks. These sources are typically used in practices such as fixed industrial gauges involving high activity sources (for example: level gauges, dredger gauges, conveyor gauges and spinning pipe gauges) and well logging. For additional information go to http://www-pub.iaea.org/MTCD/publications/PDF/Pub1227_web.pdf
Although IAEA categorization of this event is typically based on device type, the staff has been made aware of the actual activity of the source, and after calculation determines that it is a Category 3 event.
Note: the value assigned by device type "Less than Cat 3" is different than the calculated value "Category 3" | |