Information Notice No. 88-02: Lost or Stolen Gauges
UNITED STATES
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
OFFICE DF NUCLEAR MATERIAL SAFETY AND SAFEGUARDS
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20555
February 2, 1988
Information Notice No. 88-02: LOST OR STOLEN GAUGES
Addressees:
All NRC licensees authorized to possess gauges under a specific or general
license.
Purpose:
This notice is intended to inform licensees of the requirement to notify NRC
immediately if gauges are lost or stolen. It is expected that licensees will
review the information for applicability to their specific or generally
licensed activities, distribute the notice to responsible radiation safety
staff, and consider actions, if appropriate, to preclude a similar problem
occurring at their facilities. However, this information notice does not
constitute new NRC requirements, and no written response is required.
Description of Circumstances:
In several recent events, fixed gauges containing radioactive material were
removed from production lines, set aside, and lost or stolen. It is believed
that these gauges were inadvertently transferred to unrestricted areas, such
as a scrap yard or landfill. Reasonable attempts were made to find the
gauges, but without success. In several cases, the loss of the gauge was not
reported to the NRC until long after the gauge was first noticed to be
missing. The failure to control the gauges, and the failure to report the
loss of the gauges to the NRC, has been the subject of escalated civil penalty
enforcement actions.
Discussion:
The NRC considers theft or the loss of a gauge to be a situation which could
constitute a substantial hazard and therefore be reportable under 10 CFR Part
20.402(a)(1). Lost gauges have, in the past, resulted in exposures to members
of the public and contamination of unrestricted areas. Licensees are advised
that any loss or theft of a gauge should be immediately reported to the NRC as
required by 10 CFR Part 20.402.
Licensees should also note that both general and specific licenses for fixed
gauges normally prohibit removal of gauges from their installed location
except by a licensed manufacturer or service company, unless the user licensee
is authorized to do so by his license. Further, most specific and general
gauge licensees are required, as a condition of that license or instructions
from the manufacturer, to periodically inventory and/or leak test the gauges
in their possession.
8801260102
. IN 88-02
February 2, 1988
Page 2 of 2
No written response is required by this notice. If you have any questions
regarding this information notice, please contact the appropriate NRC regional
office or this office.
Richard E. Cunningham, Director
Division of Industrial and
Medical Nuclear Safety
Office of Nuclear Material
Safety and Safeguards
Technical Contact: Jack R. Metzger, NMSS
(301) 492-3424
Attachment: List of Recently Issued NRC Information Notices
. Attachment
IN 88-02
February 2, 1988
Page 1 of 1
LIST OF RECENTLY ISSUED
NRC INFORMATION NOTICES
Information Date of
Notice Subject Issuance Issued to
88-01 Safety Injection Pipe Failure 1/27/88 All holders of OLs
or Cps for nuclear
power reactors.
86-81, Broken External Closure 1/11/88 All holders of OLs
Supp. 1 Springs on Atwood & Morrill or Cps for nuclear
Main Stear Isolation Valves power reactors.
87-67 Lessons Learned from Regional 12/31/87 All holders of 0Ls
Inspections of Licensee Actions or CPs for nuclear
in Response to IE Bulletin 80-11 power reactors.
87-66 Inappropriate Application of 12/31/87 All holders of OLs
Commercial-Grade Components or CPs for nuclear
power reactors.
87-28, Air Systems Problems at U.S. 12/28/87 All holders of OLs
Supp. 1 Light Water Reactors or CPs for nuclear
power reactors.
87-65 Plant Operation Beyond Analyzed 12/23/87 All holders of OLs
Conditions or CPs for nuclear
power reactors.
87-64 Conviction for Falsification 12/22/87 All nuclear power
of Security Training Records reactor facilities
holding an OL or
CP and all major
fuel facility
licensees.
87-35, Reactor Trip Breaker 12/16/87 All holders of OLs
Supp. 1 Westinghouse Model DS-416, or CPs for nuclear
Failed to Open on Manual power reactors.
Initiation from the Control
Room
87-63 Inadequate Net Positive 12/9/87 All holders of OLs
Suction Head in Low Pressure or CPs for nuclear
Safety Systems power reactors.
OL = Operating License
CP = Construction Permit
Page Last Reviewed/Updated Tuesday, March 09, 2021