Information Notice No. 91-08: Medical Examinations for Licensed Operators
UNITED STATES
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
OFFICE OF NUCLEAR REACTOR REGULATION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20555
February 5, 1991
Information Notice No. 91-08: MEDICAL EXAMINATIONS FOR LICENSED
OPERATORS
Addressees:
All holders of operating licenses or construction permits for nuclear power,
test and research reactors.
Purpose:
This information notice is intended to alert addressees to recent problems
identified in the administration and documentation of medical examinations
for licensed operators and operator license applicants. It is expected that
recipients will review the information for applicability to their facilities
and consider actions, as appropriate, to avoid similar problems. However,
suggestions contained in this information notice do not constitute NRC
requirements; therefore, no specific action or written response is required.
Description of Circumstances:
During recent inspections at the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station and
the Trojan Nuclear Plant, the staff of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC) identified concerns regarding the administration and
certification of medical examinations for licensed operators and operator
license applicants. The NRC staff reviewed the facility licensees'
documentation and determined that the licensees' examining physicians had in
several instances not performed some of the tests specified by American
Nuclear Society Standard ANSI/ANS 3.4-1983 to meet the NRC's requirements
for operator medical qualifications (e.g., standard urinalysis,
electrocardiogram, depth perception, and stamina tests). In other cases,
operators were performing licensed duties with disqualifying medical
conditions without the licensee having provided NRC notification as required
by Section 55.25 of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR).
The inspections also indicated that some medical examinations were not
performed within the required 2-year period resulting in some operators
performing licensed duties without having a current medical examination.
When those operators with incomplete or lapsed medical examinations were
examined, several were determined to have medically disqualifying
conditions.
The inspection findings indicate that these facility licensees had provided
insufficient management guidance or oversight to the examining physicians to
ensure complete, accurate, and timely medical examinations. Both facility
licensees had attested on the Certificates of Medical Examination (Form
9101300033
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February 5, 1991
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NRC-396) submitted with their applications for operator licenses that the
guidance contained in ANSI/ANS 3.4-1983 was followed, when in fact it was
not.
Discussion:
10 CFR 55.21 requires each applicant for an operator license to have a
medical examination by a physician as a precondition for licensing and every
two years thereafter. The physician must determine that the licensed
operator or license applicant meets the requirements of 10 CFR 55.33(a)(1),
such that the applicant's [licensed operator's] medical condition and
general health will not adversely affect the performance of the assigned
operator duties or cause operational errors endangering public health and
safety. The facility licensee must certify the license applicant's medical
fitness by submitting Form NRC-396, "Certification of Medical Examination by
Facility Licensee," in accordance with 10 CFR 55.31(a)(6) or 55.57(a)(6),
for initial and 6-year license renewal applications, respectively.
Form NRC-396 specifically identifies American Nuclear Society Standard
ANSI/ANS 3.4-1983, "Medical Certification and Monitoring of Personnel
Requiring Operator Licenses for Nuclear Power Plants," or
ANSI/ANS-15.4-1977(N380), "Selection and Training of Personnel for Research
Reactors," as the criterion to be used for the medical examination of
individuals applying for initial or renewal licenses. Regulatory Guide
1.134, "Medical Evaluation of Licensed Personnel for Nuclear Power Plants,"
endorses ANSI/ANS 3.4-1983 as an acceptable method for determining that the
medical condition and general health of nuclear operators will not cause
operational errors and for determining whether an applicant or operator has
an abnormal health condition that could result in disqualification.
If, during the term of a license, an operator's medical condition changes
and no longer meets the standards set forth in ANSI/ANS 3.4-1983 or
ANSI/ANS-15.4-1977(N380), as certified to the NRC with the individual's
license application, then the facility licensee must notify the Commission
pursuant to 10 CFR 55.25 within 30 days of learning of the diagnosis. If
the examining physician indicates that the condition can be accommodated as
noted in Section 5.1 of ANSI/ANS 3.4-1983, then an authorized representative
of the facility licensee may request a conditional license by submitting
Form NRC-396 with the supporting medical evidence for NRC evaluation. The
facility licensee may return the operator to licensed duties before
obtaining the NRC's permission, provided the examining physician, using the
guidance in ANSI/ANS 3.4-1983 or ANSI/ANS-15.4-1977(N380), has recommended
to the facility's management that the operator can return to duty. This
recommendation of medical qualification must be documented and retained for
future NRC inspection.
The NRC's regulations do not require Form NRC-396, which invokes the medical
examination criteria established in ANSI/ANS 3.4-1983 or
ANSI/ANS-15.4-1977(N380), to document an operator's medical condition and
general health during the second and fourth years after the initial or
renewal license is issued. However, the facility licensee must continue to
conduct those biennial medical examinations in accordance with the ANSI
Standard to detect any changes in the operator's medical condition. The
facility licensee is responsible, pursuant to 10 CFR 55.27, to document and
maintain the results
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February 5, 1991
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of medical qualifications data, test results, and the medical history of
each operator and senior operator for the current license period and to
provide the documentation to the Commission upon request.
It is important to note that the deficiencies identified during NRC
inspections and described herein may provide some insight into the adequacy
of addressees' medical examination programs for licensed operators and
license applicants. The NRC is concerned that some facility programs may
not be receiving sufficient management oversight to ensure that all license
applicants and licensed operators are medically qualified to safely perform
their assigned operator duties. The NRC cautions facility licensees to
ensure the completeness and accuracy of the medical examinations performed
by their physicians prior to certifying the fitness of their license
applicants to the NRC on Form 396.
This information notice requires no specific action or written response. If
you have any questions about the information in this notice, please contact
one of the technical contacts listed below or the appropriate NRR project
manager.
Charles E. Rossi, Director
Division of Operational Events Assessment
Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
Technical Contacts: D. J. Lange, NRR R. M. Gallo, NRR L. F. Miller, RV
(301) 492-3171 (301) 492-1031 (415) 943-3869
T. A. Peebles, RII G. C. Wright, RIII J. L. Pellet, RIV
(404) 331-5541 (708) 790-5695 (817) 680-8159
L. Bettenhausen, RI
(215) 337-5291
Attachment: List of Recently Issued NRC Information Notices
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