Event Notification Report for September 30, 2015

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Operations Center

Event Reports For
09/29/2015 - 09/30/2015

** EVENT NUMBERS **


51382 51416 51417 51432

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Fuel Cycle Facility Event Number: 51382
Facility: AREVA NP INC RICHLAND
RX Type: URANIUM FUEL FABRICATION
Comments: LEU CONVERSION
                   FABRICATION & SCRAP
                   COMMERCIAL LWR FUEL
Region: 2
City: RICHLAND State: WA
County: PENTON
License #: SNM-1227
Agreement: Y
Docket: 07001257
NRC Notified By: CALVIN MANNING
HQ OPS Officer: DANIEL MILLS
Notification Date: 09/09/2015
Notification Time: 18:42 [ET]
Event Date: 09/09/2015
Event Time: 11:02 [PDT]
Last Update Date: 09/29/2015
Emergency Class: NON EMERGENCY
10 CFR Section:
PART 70 APP A (c) - OFFSITE NOTIFICATION/NEWS REL
Person (Organization):
JAMES DRAKE (R4DO)
MICHELE SAMPSON (NMSS)
NMSS_EVENTS_NOTIFIC (EMAI)
SCOTT SHAEFFER (R2DO)

Event Text

POTENTIALLY CONTAMINATED EMPLOYEE TRANSPORTED OFFSITE FOR MEDICAL ASSISTANCE

"On Wednesday, September 9, 2015 at 1102 PDT, while trouble shooting process equipment in the ceramic area, an instrument technician got his right thumb caught between two pieces of equipment and severed the nail and part of the end of his thumb. The individual received first aid in the health and safety technician (HST) office and was surveyed for radioactive contamination and was found clean (the injured gloved hand was bandaged and was not surveyed). The injured individual, accompanied by an HST and survey instruments, was transported to a medical facility for treatment.

"After the injured individual was unbandaged by medical personnel, the HST surveyed the injured individual and portions of the medical facility and confirmed that no radioactive contamination was on the injured individual's hand nor had any spread to the facility. The bandage and damaged glove was returned to the plant and laboratory instrumentation was used to confirm that it was also free from contamination.

"This report is being made under 10 CFR 70, Appendix A, Section C, 'concurrent reporting,' because the severed thumb requires a 24 hour report to Washington State Division of Occupational Safety & Health per Washington Administrative Code (WAC) 296-27-031. It is also conservatively being reported under 10 CFR 70.50 (b)(3), 'treatment of an individual with radioactive contamination,' because a small portion of the individual had not been surveyed and confirmed to not have any contamination prior to transporting the individual to a medical facility."

The Licensee will notify NRC Region 4 during business hours on 9/10/15.

* * * UPDATE FROM CALVIN MANNING TO HOWIE CROUCH AT 1822 EDT ON 9/29/15 * * *

"On September 9, 2015, the AREVA Inc. Richland facility reported per the requirements of 10 CFR 70 Appendix A, section C, that an employee doing maintenance work severed the nail and part of the end of their thumb which required reporting to the Washington State Division of Occupational Safety & Health per Washington Administrative Code (WAC) 296-27-031.

"AREVA also conservatively reported, under 10 CFR 70.50(b)(3), treatment of an individual with radioactive contamination, because although the employee was surveyed for radioactive contamination and found to be free from such contamination prior to transport to a medical facility, a small portion of the individual had not been surveyed due to bandages on the injured hand. A Radiation Technician porting a radiation detection instrument accompanied the individual to the medical facility and when the bandage was removed confirmed that the hand, the bandage material and the medical facility room were all free from radioactive contamination. Based on this finding, AREVA retracts the portion of the report dealing pertaining to 10 CFR 70.50(b)(3).

"It is noted that a 60-day follow-up report is not required by 10 CFR 70 Appendix A for concurrent reporting (section C), therefore AREVA does not anticipate further correspondence with the NRC regarding this matter."

Notified R4DO (Vasquez), R2DO (Ayres), NMSS EO (Guttman), NMSS Events Resource (email).

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Agreement State Event Number: 51416
Rep Org: CALIFORNIA RADIATION CONTROL PRGM
Licensee: EXXONMOBIL OIL CORPORATION
Region: 4
City: TORRANCE State: CA
County:
License #: 0113-19
Agreement: Y
Docket:
NRC Notified By: JOJI ORTEGO
HQ OPS Officer: JOHN SHOEMAKER
Notification Date: 09/22/2015
Notification Time: 15:03 [ET]
Event Date: 09/21/2015
Event Time: [PDT]
Last Update Date: 09/23/2015
Emergency Class: NON EMERGENCY
10 CFR Section:
AGREEMENT STATE
Person (Organization):
GREG PICK (R4DO)
NMSS_EVENTS_NOTIFIC (EMAI)

Event Text

AGREEMENT STATE REPORT - DAMAGED SOURCE HOUSING

The following report was received from the State of California via email:

"On Sept. 21, 2015, [the] RSO [Radiation Safety Officer for] ExxonMobil contacted Los Angeles County Radiation Management regarding an equipment malfunction to one of the two sources in Vessel #5C31, found during routine maintenance. [Source information]; cesium-137, Model 7063 K-ray; SN: 29456B; 500 milliCuries. Per [the RSO], the source housing was damaged and was left in its normal operating position. Using a Ludlum Model 3, 44-6 beta gamma probe, the background radiation was measured at approx. 0.02 mR/hr and the radiation rate at 1 meter from the source is 0.06 mR/hr. The service company has been contacted and repair/replacement will be performed as soon as possible."

California Report 5010#: 092115

* * * UPDATE FROM JOSEPHINE ORTEGA TO JOHN SHOEMAKER AT 1437 EDT ON 9/23/15 * * *

The following information was excerpted from a updated report received from the State of California via email:

"The shutter was stuck in the open position as used during its normal operating position. Using a Ludlum Model 3, 44-6 beta gamma probe, the background radiation was measured at approx. 0.02 mR/hr and the dose rate at 1 meter in areas outside of the vessel that could be occupied is approx. 0.06 mR/hr. The dose rate obtained in the path of the beam after passing thru two vessel walls is approx. 0.6 mR/hr. The vessel walls are 1 inch thick steel and the vessel diameter is approximately 8 feet."

Notified R4DO (Pick) and NMSS_Events_Notification via email.

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Agreement State Event Number: 51417
Rep Org: COLORADO DEPT OF HEALTH
Licensee: ST. THOMAS MORE HOSPITAL AND PROGRESSIVE CARE
Region: 4
City: CANON CITY State: CO
County:
License #: CO 397-01
Agreement: Y
Docket:
NRC Notified By: PHILLIP PETERSON
HQ OPS Officer: JOHN SHOEMAKER
Notification Date: 09/22/2015
Notification Time: 17:22 [ET]
Event Date: 09/22/2015
Event Time: [MDT]
Last Update Date: 09/22/2015
Emergency Class: NON EMERGENCY
10 CFR Section:
AGREEMENT STATE
Person (Organization):
GREG PICK (R4DO)
NMSS_EVENTS_NOTIFIC (EMAI)

Event Text

AGREEMENT STATE REPORT - UNPLANNED CONTAMINATION EVENT

The following report was received from the State of Colorado via email:

"On September 22, 2015, during a routine inspection at Colorado licensee St. Thomas More Hospital and Progressive Care (license CO 397-01), [Colorado State] inspectors noted multiple areas with contamination. Upon further investigation, the inspectors learned a patient earlier in the day was undergoing a diagnostic test involving nebulized Tc-99m DTPA for a lung scan. The patient began coughing and pulled off the mask during administration and coughed, spreading the contamination in the diagnostic area. The patient began to require elevated levels of medical care and nursing staff and nuclear medicine staff may have been contaminated while caring for the patient. Arrangements were made to transfer the patient to a different medical facility via helicopter. The second facility was notified and nuclear medicine technologists surveyed the helicopter and patient upon arrival with no contamination found.

"Reporting requirement: 10 CFR 30.50(b)(3); Colorado Part 4, Section 4.52.2.4

"Cause and corrective action: patient intervention. St. Thomas More has closed the affected areas to allow for decay. Surveys will be performed in affected areas prior to re-opening for additional patients.

"A full report of investigation and evaluations will follow within the next 30 days.

"Incident identification: CO15-I15-27"

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Power Reactor Event Number: 51432
Facility: SUSQUEHANNA
Region: 1 State: PA
Unit: [1] [ ] [ ]
RX Type: [1] GE-4,[2] GE-4
NRC Notified By: CARL YOUNG
HQ OPS Officer: CHARLES TEAL
Notification Date: 09/29/2015
Notification Time: 14:56 [ET]
Event Date: 09/29/2015
Event Time: 10:30 [EDT]
Last Update Date: 09/29/2015
Emergency Class: NON EMERGENCY
10 CFR Section:
50.72(b)(3)(v)(C) - POT UNCNTRL RAD REL
Person (Organization):
FRED BOWER (R1DO)

Unit SCRAM Code RX CRIT Initial PWR Initial RX Mode Current PWR Current RX Mode
1 N Y 100 Power Operation 100 Power Operation

Event Text

BOTH TRAINS OF THE STANDBY GAS TREATMENT SYSTEM DECLARED INOPERABLE

"On 9/29/15 at 1020 EDT, the 'B' train of Standby Gas Treatment System was declared inoperable for planned testing. On 9/29/15 at 1030 EDT, during performance of a surveillance on Unit 1 Reactor Pressure Vessel water level instrumentation, one channel was found to not meet acceptance criteria. The failed level channel is part of the initiation logic for the 'A' train of Standby Gas Treatment. This resulted in a loss of safety function for the Standby Gas Treatment System. On 9/29/15 at 1145 EDT, the 'B' train of Standby Gas Treatment was restored to operable by restoring from the planned testing.

"This event is being reported under 10 CFR 50.72(b)(3)(v)(c) and per the guidance of NUREG 1022 Rev 3 section 3.2.7 as a loss of a Safety Function."

The NRC Resident Inspector has been informed.

Page Last Reviewed/Updated Thursday, March 25, 2021