National Source Tracking System: 2010 Blog Archives

 

 

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The National Source Tracking System Blog launched in August of 2009.

On this page:

• December
• November
• October
• August
• July
• May
• April
• March
• February
• January

Thursday, December 30, 2010

Error in NSTS Access Card Reader Software

Staff has recently identified an error in the NSTS access card reader software causing the inability of some users to access NSTS. The problem may affect users who downloaded their certificates July 2010 or later and users whose computers were upgraded or replaced July 2010 or later. The problem is estimated to affect no more than 10 percent of the NSTS users. Since identifying the error, NRC has worked with the vendor of the NSTS access card reader software to develop a fix requiring minimal effort on the part of the affected user. Staff has identified a large percentage of the potentially affected users and is contacting them directly to correct this error. For more information on this error, please see the Frequently Asked Questions page on the NSTS website.

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Annual Inventory Reconciliation Qs and As

What is the Annual Inventory Reconciliation?

NRC and Agreement State regulations require licensees to reconcile their physical source inventories with the source inventory in the NSTS annually each January. Licensees can complete this process online, by fax, by email, or by mail. NRC encourages all licensees to complete their annual inventory reconciliation online.

What if I will not be able to get online access in time to do my Annual Inventory Reconciliation online?

Each licensee will receive by mail an Annual Inventory Reconciliation package, addressed to the Radiation Safety Officer. This package will contain all of the necessary information to complete AIR online or manually.

What if I have a smartcard, but have not done the additional steps to start using NSTS online?

If you have received your smartcard, but have not downloaded your certificates yet, please take the time to download them now. The download does require administrative rights to your workstation. Instructions are on the credentialing page of the website. If you need assistance, contact the NSTS Help Desk: (1-877-671-6787; NSTSHelp@nrc.gov).

How do I confirm my inventory or make corrections?

Licensees will use the inventory report from NSTS to verify that it reflects what is in their physical source inventory. If there is a discrepancy in the report, licensees must make the correction and submit it to the Help Desk. A correction cover sheet is provided in the AIR package for your convenience. Once the Help Desk has made the correction, they will notify you it is complete. A new inventory package will be mailed.

Once the licensee has confirmed the sources in the NSTS inventory are the sources in the physical inventory, they must sign the Annual Inventory Reconciliation report in the designated area, and fax, email, or mail it back to the Help Desk. Once the Help Desk receives the confirmation of Annual Inventory Reconciliation, they will enter the reconciliation information on behalf of the licensees.

Will there be additional training to learn how to do the Annual Inventory Reconciliation?

No, but if you have any questions, please contact the Help Desk: (1-877-671-6787; NSTSHelp@nrc.gov).

By what date does the Annual Inventory Reconciliation process need to be completed?

The deadline for completion is January 31, 2011. If you do not have online access to the system, and you have not received an AIR package from the NSTS Help Desk by January 10, please contact them to request it at 1-877-671-6787 or by email NSTSHelp@nrc.gov.

What if sources in an inventory do not match what was on the initial report, due to source transfers and receipts that occur during the month of January?

This may occur, since any newly generated inventory report will be up-to-date with current transactions. As long as the information is correct as of the date the report was generated, licensees should complete the reconciliation.

Have additional questions that are not addressed here? Contact the NSTS Help Desk: 1-877-671-6787 or NSTSHelp@nrc.gov.

Monday, December 27, 2010

Annual Inventory Reconciliation Dos and Don'ts

• Do: Submit any corrections timely
• Don't: Submit a correction for a source transferred or received after December 31st
• Do: Write legibly if you are submitting the verification by fax
• Don't: Submit a correction to add Below Threshold sources
• Do: Include your email address on a faxed inventory verification so we can send you a confirmation
• Don't: Submit a correction to change your source information to device information
• Don't: Send your entire source inventory to the NSTS Help Desk

If you have any questions about AIR, please contact the NSTS Help Desk: 1-877-671-6787 or NSTSHelp@nrc.gov

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Annual Inventory Reconciliation

It is that time of year again, when we are thinking of shopping, baking, spending time with family and friends, reconciling our source inventories in NSTS...

By now, each licensee should have received a notification by mail about the new process for the upcoming Annual Inventory Reconciliation. 17 letters were returned to the NRC. We will be contacting the licensees whose letters were returned to verify their mailing address information.

You can complete your AIR as early as January 1, 2011. What can you do now to prepare? Log into NSTS and review your current inventory. Ensure that all of the information is correct. If there are any issues, contact the NSTS Help Desk to get it corrected now. This will ensure a timely completion of AIR.

If you have any questions about AIR, please contact the NSTS Help Desk: 1-877-671-6787 or NSTSHelp@nrc.gov

We will be posting some additional information regarding AIR during the coming weeks. Check back to the NSTS blog often!

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Maintenance Release 1.4 Deployed

The maintenance release of NSTS Version 1.4 has been deployed. Upon your next login to NSTS, you will notice several enhancements to the system. These include:

• The addition of a "Previous" button to a number of screens. This button allows the user to modify a previous selection or entry without cancelling or starting over.
• A change in the layout of the report used for the Annual Inventory Reconciliation. Two additional columns, "Initial Activity" and "Initial Activity Date", were added to display the information as it was originally entered into the system. The column "Source Id" was removed. A column was renamed to "Line No." to more clearly describe the information included in the report.
• Ensuring that only the licensees that currently possess an "Above Threshold" source in their inventory are required to perform the Annual Inventory Reconciliation.
• Correcting several errors in the system. This includes errors related to licensees with more than 1,000 sources that were unable to complete the Annual Inventory Reconciliation and errors in updating the source information in certain instances.

If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions for additional features in NSTS, please contact the NSTS Help Desk: nsts.help@nrc.gov or 1-877-671-6787.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Common Reporting Errors in NSTS: Transfer vs. Disposal?

This post is a continuation of a series covering common reporting errors in NSTS. Over the last several months, staff has noticed some common issues with NSTS reporting. As mentioned in a previous blog posting, this series will be a refresher on the NSTS reporting requirements.

Staff has noted some confusion as to when to report a "disposal" transaction after a source is no longer useful to a licensee. When a licensee sends a source back to a licensed manufacturer for the manufacturer to dispose of a source, the type of transaction the sending licensee should indicate is a "transfer," not a "disposal." A disposal transaction can only be used by a licensed disposal facility. The receiving licensee will execute a disposal transaction when the source is actually disposed (as authorized by their license) and no longer tracked. Only a facility licensed to dispose of sources should use the "disposal" transaction block on the NRC Form 748.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the NSTS Help Desk: nsts.help@nrc.gov or 1-877-671-6787.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010 (*updated on 11/17 to add two additional staff)

NSTS Market Research

The NRC has a contract with a marketing firm to help with outreach for NSTS.

The marketing firm is going to be conducting market research with Agreement States, NRC Regions, and Licensees, starting November 15th through December 31st. The marketing firm is Eureka Facts.

Staff at Eureka Facts who will be contacting licensees and regulators and performing the interviews are:

Joanne Arnold
Ana Pacheco
Len Rickman
Valencia Whittington
Margaret Hart

The marketing research team will not be asking you security related information or any information specific to your sources and source inventory in NSTS.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the NSTS Help Desk: nsts.help@nrc.gov or 1-877-671-6787.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

NSTS Maintenance

The NSTS will be undergoing system maintenance testing and may not be available for access on Tuesday and Wednesday evening, from 10:00pm – 6:00am EST.

If you have any questions, please contact the NSTS Help Desk: nsts.help@nrc.gov or 1-877-671-6787.

Friday October 22, 2010

Commission Decision on Requiring Electronic Reporting to NSTS

The votes are in! The Commission recently voted on a paper submitted by the staff, which looked at whether or not reporting to NSTS electronically should be a regulatory requirement.

Over the past two years, the staff has been actively conducting outreach with Agreement State staff and licensees, to assist with credentialing and encourage online reporting. Reporting to NSTS online is the preferred method of transaction reporting, as it is the most accurate, timely, and secure method of reporting NSTS transactions. Licensees reporting online receive real-time confirmation of their transaction reports.

Last April, the staff briefed the Commission on Source Security. Following the meeting, the Commission issued a Staff Requirements Memorandum, with many actions for the staff to address. One item requested was a Commission Paper:

• Look for ways to encourage States and licensees to complete their credentialing for NSTS and to use the system electronically, including re-examining the need to establish a regulatory requirement, and provide recommendations to the Commission.

The Commission votes unanimously approved the staff's recommended option:

• To continue to encourage States and licensees to complete their credentialing for the National Source Tracking System (NSTS) and to use the system electronically through stakeholder outreach and program improvements.

There is a high level of interest from the Commission regarding online reporting to NSTS. The staff understands that many licensees would like to use the NSTS online, but have issues with the technology requirements, such as installation of card readers and use of smart cards. The staff is continually working to streamline the credentialing process and to implement improvements to the infrastructure to offer more user support. Stay tuned for future improvements including support for Windows 7 and improvements to the Annual Inventory Reconciliation process.

Wednesday October 13, 2010

Maintenance Release 1.3 Deployed

Version 1.3 of NSTS has been deployed! Upon your next login to NSTS, you will notice several enhancements to the system, which were requested by licensees. First off, there is a new feature to allow a group selection of sources for export transactions. This functionality was added in an earlier maintenance release for transfer transactions, and has been very beneficial, so it is expanded to include exports as well.

There is a new feature for bulk entry for manufacturing new sources. This is a quick and easy way to input large groups of sources, with some information pre-populated.

The make and model drop down list is sorted alphabetically to allow licensees to quickly find the correct make and model.

This release also includes functionality to auto-archive below threshold sources. This has been an issue identified often by licensees, where they have no way to remove the below threshold sources from their inventory when they are sent back to the manufacturer. Since transaction reporting is not required for below threshold sources, even if the licensee enters a transfer, the below threshold source will remain in their inventory until the receiving licensee receives it. Since receipt is not required for the below threshold sources, the source will remain in the senders inventory, and will remain an open transaction that will not be resolved in NSTS. This auto-archiving of below threshold sources will retain the source and source history in NSTS, but will remove the below threshold source from the licensees inventory.

If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions for additional features in NSTS, please contact the NSTS Help Desk or 1-877-671-6787.

Friday October 1, 2010

Common Reporting Errors in NSTS: Reporting Multiple Sources as One Source

This post is a continuation of a series covering common reporting errors in NSTS. Over the last several months, the staff has noticed some common issues with NSTS reporting. As mentioned in the previous blog postings, this series will be a refresher on the NSTS reporting requirements.

Many licensees continue to report multiple sources as one individual source in NSTS. NSTS tracks sources at the individual source level. Each source must be reported with a unique make, model, and serial number. For example, if a licensee uses a device that contains 100 sources, there should be 100 separate makes, models, and serial numbers reported to NSTS. Additionally, when reporting make and model information for a source, this should be the source make and model information, not the device make and model information. If you are unsure of how many sources are contained in a device or what the source make and model numbers are, you can contact the manufacturer.

If you have questions or need further clarifications, please contact the NSTS Help Desk.

Tuesday August 31, 2010

Common Reporting Errors in NSTS: Temporary Job Sites

This post is a continuation of a series covering common reporting errors in NSTS. Over the last several months, the staff has noticed some common issues with NSTS reporting. As mentioned in the previous blog posting, this series will be a refresher on the NSTS reporting requirements.

One area that many licensees still seem to have questions about is whether they need to report transactions when they go to a temporary job site. Transaction reports are not required for work performed at temporary job sites. For example, a radiographer that transports a source between temporary job sites is not required to report a source transaction (e.g., transfer, storage location update) to the NSTS, even if the job site is located in another State and the work is performed under a reciprocity agreement. However, if the work at the temporary job site is performed under a different license, a transaction report would be required. In such cases, the use/storage location of the recipient licensee should be reported, and not the address of the temporary jobsite.

Completing a transaction report for work performed at a temporary job site, when it is not required, can cause more work for all involved. There are times when a transfer or receipt transaction is submitted to NSTS for work on a temporary job site, and the other party involved in the transaction does not submit a report. This causes unnecessary notifications for follow-up to regulators and the other parties involved with the transaction. For more information on NSTS reporting requirements, please see the Frequently Asked Questions page on the NSTS website.

Tuesday August 17, 2010

Common Reporting Errors in NSTS: Reporting Requirements

This post is the first in a series of common reporting errors in NSTS. Over the last several months, the staff has noticed some trends and common issues with NSTS reporting. This series will be a refresher on the NSTS reporting requirements.

The first topic we will address is the NSTS reporting requirements. Transactions for Nationally Tracked Sources are required to be reported to NSTS by the close of the next business day after the transaction, per 10 CFR 20.2207(f) or Agreement State equivalent regulation. Licensees can report their transactions by using the NSTS online system, electronically using a computer readable format, by facsimile, by mail, or by phone with a follow-up by facsimile or mail.

Sometimes, licensees fail to report their transactions to NSTS! Most commonly this happens when the transfer and receipt is from one license to another within the same company. What happens is only one of the required transactions is reported to the NSTS, leaving an open shipment or pending shipment to be addressed. For example, the receiving licensee reports the source receipt to NSTS, but the sending licensee does not report the source transfer. The regulation requires a transaction report from both the sender and the receiver!

Some licensees may need clarification on when a transaction report is required. A transaction report is required when another licensee takes possession of the source under their license, at a facility with a permanent storage location (not at a temporary job site). For example, if you are having your device serviced by the manufacturer, at their facility, a transaction report to NSTS is required, even if you are there waiting for it. The manufacturer is taking possession of the source under their license.

The NRC and Agreement States are following-up with licensees who fail to report a transaction to the NSTS. If you need a refresher on how to complete a transfer or receipt in NSTS, check out the Resources for Online Reporting for Computer Based Training, NSTS User Guide, and the NSTS Training Guide. If you have any questions on how to perform a function in NSTS, you can also contact the NSTS Help Desk.

Please note: The NSTS reporting requirements also apply to Category 1 and Category 2 sources that are recovered by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) as part of the Off-Site Source Recovery Project (OSRP). The sending licensee must report a transfer in NSTS to DOE for the recovered sources.

Monday, July 19, 2010

Decay Calculations

Many questions arose during the Annual Inventory Reconciliation about decay calculations. Some licensees reconcile their inventory by performing a decay calculation on their source's activity, and comparing the calculation with the current activity listed in NSTS. Calculations are straight-forward; however, one issue that can cause non-agreement has been the use of a slightly different half-life than the one used in NSTS. Different references may have different half lives listed for a particular radionuclide. The following table contains the half lives used in calculating the activity in the NSTS system:

Radioactive Material	Half- Life	Radioactive Material	Half- Life	Radioactive Material	Half- Life	Radioactive Material	Half- Life
Ac-227	21.8 years	Co-60	5.27 years	Pu-239/Be	24110 years	Sr-90	28.8 years
Am-241	432.2 years	Cm-244	18.1 years	Po-210	138.4 days	Th-228	1.9 years
Am-241/Be	432.2 years	Gd-153	240.4 days	Pm-147	2.6 years	Th-229	7340 years
Cf-252	2.6 years	Ir-192	73.8 days	Ra-226	1599 years	Tm-170	128.6 days
Cs-137	30.1 years	Pu-238	87.7 years	Se-75	119.8 days	Yb-169	32.0 days

If you have any questions, please contact the Help Desk, or leave us a comment on this posting!

Friday, May 21, 2010

A quick reference guide at your finger tips!

A NSTS brochure has been developed, as a reference for licensees and regulators . The brochure comments on facts such as 1400 licenses possessing over 70,000 Category 1 and Category 2 sources, the steps involved in the credentialing process (steps that an applicant takes to enroll and the NRC responsibilities), transaction reporting to NSTS, annual inventory reconciliation, and how to contact the Help Desk.

We have provided the link so that you will be able to print out the NSTS Brochure. We hope you find it to be a helpful resource!

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

NSTS and Credentialing Planned Outage

On Saturday, May 22, 2010, from 6:00pm – 4:00am EST, the NSTS online application and the NSTS Credentialing website will be unavailable due to scheduled maintenance.

NSTS users will not have access to the online application during the outage. Individuals will not be able to enroll for an NSTS credential during the outage.

If you have any questions, please contact the Help Desk at 1-877-671-6787 or nsts.help@nrc.gov

Friday, April 23, 2010

Issues with Faxing Form 748 for NSTS Submissions

Many licensees have transitioned from fax reporting NSTS transactions to using the NSTS online system, but there are still a number of licensees who continue to fax. While faxing is not new technology, with email and mobile computing, it is becoming a less frequently used technology. Infrequent use can lead to issues with sending faxes! Below are some quick tips for those licensees who fax NSTS submissions:

• Check the way your fax is facing before you send it! Each fax machine has its own requirements on how the papers should be facing when you send the fax. There should be a small raised icon where you feed the paper to indicate the direction to place the document. The help desk periodically receives blank faxes because they are sent through the machine upside down!
• Check your fax machine for a confirmation. Not all fax machines are set up to receive a printed journal of the sent fax. If you do not have a printed confirmation, please make sure that you wait until the fax goes all the way through before walking away from the machine.
• If you write rather than type your 748, make sure that your handwriting is legible.
• Ensure your fax number is programmed in your fax machine. This allows the help desk to have a contact number in the event your fax submission is blank or unreadable.
• Use a fax cover sheet with all of your contact information. This will give the help desk the necessary information to contact you if there is a problem with the 748 submission.

And always, if you are tired of the hassle of faxing form 748, why not sign up for NSTS online access? It is free and makes NSTS reporting quick, easy, and error free. Visit the Credentialing Page to sign up today!

Friday, March 12, 2010

Fun Facts about NSTS!

We have come a long way with source tracking since this time last year. The number of credentialed users has more than doubled. The number of licensees reporting transactions online is increasing. We have completed our first Annual Inventory Reconciliation. Last year's roll-out of NSTS was not without challenges. We have learned from the experience, have made changes to the processes and procedures, and are working to continue to make improvements on a daily basis.

Below is a recap of where we are today with NSTS:

Improvements in Credentialing

• The credentialing process takes an average of 30 days. The process has been refined and improvements have been made to streamline, ensuring a shorter duration from start to finish. The staff continues to focus on improvements.
• Over 800 users are credentialed for access to NSTS.
• Over 500 individual licensees have at least one user with access to NSTS.

Manufacture and Distributor Reporting in NSTS

• Over the past year the staff has focused on the large M&Ds to ensure they could report to NSTS electronically.
• Two maintenance releases contained enhancements for batch upload processing, which is being used by several M&Ds.
• The staff has assisted M&Ds with custom scripts to generate XML files used for batch uploading

Licensee Reporting to NSTS

• Increasing number of licensees reporting transactions online – on average 28% of source transactions are reported to NSTS online
• Average of 112 users reporting transactions online each month

Agreement State Usage of NSTS

• Maintenance Release 1.2 included enhancements for regulators to view the status of the Annual Inventory Reconciliation for licensees in their state
• Agreement States are updating license information in NSTS

License and Source Information

• Total number of licensees approximately 1,400
• Total number of tracked sources over 70,000
• Cobalt-60 93%; Iridium-192 3.5%; Cesium-137 3%

Transfer Information

• Average number of transfers in a day – About 160
• Most transferred source – Iridium 192

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Comments Recieved: Comment: In the following lines, it was stated: License and Source Information Total number of licensees approximately 1,400 Total number of tracked sources over 70,000 Cobalt-60 93%; Iridium-192 3.5%; Cesium-137 3% But then it states: "Most transferred source – Iridium-192" which seems contradictory to the percentages above. If 93% of the tracked sources are Co60, then Ir192 couldn't be most transferred. Or are the percentages referring to some other quantity because the line "Cobalt-60 93%; Iridium-192 3.5%; Cesium-137 3%" because it does not identify % of what? Please clarify. Also, is it correct that the data in the Fun Facts only involves Category 1 and Category 2 sources? NRC Response: To clarify the facts about NSTS reporting, the majority of the sources in the NSTS are Cobalt-60. These Cobalt sources are infrequently transferred and received. Due to the slow rate of decay, licensees do not change them out often. The Iridium-192 sources, on the other hand, decay very quickly. These sources are manufactured, transferred, and received, on a daily basis. They are continuously moving around in the NSTS, resulting in Ir-192 holding the majority of the transactions in the system. The data in the "Fun Facts" pertains only to Category 1 and Category 2 sources . 03/15/2010 04:54 PM

Friday, February 26, 2010

Updated Frequently Asked Questions!

Are you confused about NSTS reporting, and need some clarifications? Visit the Frequently Asked Questions to get some answers! We have new FAQs on the website to address some questions we get on a regular basis at the Help Desk from Licensees. The new FAQs include questions about reporting to Temporary Job Sites, Locations of Use, and Addresses. Please visit the Frequently Asked Questions page today!

If you cannot find an answer to your question, please let us know! You can contact us with your question, or leave a comment on this blog posting, and we will promptly get back to you with an answer.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

NRC Attends the NDTMA Meeting

Last week the NRC attended the NDTMA (NonDestructive Testing Management Association) 2010 Conference and presented information on the NSTS. Although what happens in Vegas is supposed to stay in Vegas, we are happy to share the presentation with you.

A discussion question and answer session followed the presentation. Some of the highlights are below.

Q. How do I get the point of contact on my license changed in NSTS?

A. The agency that issued your license will make changes to the contact information on the license in NSTS. Please contact them and provide the new contact's first name, last name, email address, and phone number. If the mailing address for the contact is different from the mailing address on the license, please provide that information as well. It is very important that the contact information be up-to-date in NSTS!

Q. I have technical issues that are preventing me from using the smart card to access NSTS. What can I do?

A. The help desk and our more advanced technical support have had success with trouble-shooting technical issues with the smart cards and certificates. If you have some time to dedicate to getting the issue resolved, we do have resources available that can help. Please contact the NSTS Help Desk to start the process at 1-877-671-6787 or at NSTS.Help@nrc.gov.

Thanks to all of you who attended the conference and the NSTS session! We appreciate your feedback. If you have any questions, please let us know! You can leave a comment on this blog posting, or on our contact us page.

Friday, January 15, 2010

Annual Inventory Reconciliation Reminder!

We are half way through the month of January, which means that the deadline for completing your Annual Inventory Reconciliation is quickly approaching! Remember the deadline for completion is January 31, 2010. If you do not have online access to the system, and you have not received an inventory reconciliation report from the NSTS Help Desk, please contact them to request it at 1-877-671-6787 or by email NSTS.Help@nrc.gov.

There have been a few frequently asked questions regarding the Inventory Reconciliation process so far.

Q: What is the Source ID on my inventory report?
A: The Source ID is the unique identifier for the source in the NSTS. It is generated by the system when the source is entered for the first time. The Licensees do not need to reconcile this ID number.

Q: I received my inventory report, and the sources are listed as "In Transit - YES." My sources are not in transit. What do I do?
A: If all other aspects of the inventory report are ok, you can indicate "NO" in the "In Transit" column, and send the signed reconciliation to the Help Desk.

Q: I received an inventory report, but I never received the password to open it.
A: The Help Desk resent the passwords on Monday, January 11th. If you still have not received a password, please contact the Help Desk.

If you have any questions, please contact the Help Desk, or leave us a comment on this posting!

Monday, January 11, 2010

Annual Inventory Reconciliation Reports and Passwords

As stated previously, there is a process in place for licensees without online access to the NSTS to complete their Annual Inventory Reconciliation. Please see the Regulatory Issue Summary, Document Number RIS 09-15 issued on 12/03/2009 and the Annual Inventory Reconciliation Page on the NSTS Website.

As of last Friday, January 8th, each licensee without online access to the NSTS should have received an inventory report via email from the NSTS Help Desk. These files were sent encrypted, and the password followed in a separate email. It has come to our attention that some of the licensees did not receive the email with the password. To ensure all licensees are able to access their inventory report, the NSTS Help Desk has resent the passwords. If you have already completed your Annual Inventory Reconciliation, please disregard the second password email.

For the licensees without email, the inventory report was mailed to the mailing address on the license record in NSTS.

If you are unable to receive email attachments, please contact the NSTS Help Desk for an alternate delivery method.

If you have not yet received an inventory report from the NSTS Help Desk and you do not have online access to the system, please contact the Help Desk to request your inventory report: 1-877-671-6787 or NSTS.Help@nrc.gov.

Remember, you must complete your Annual Inventory Reconciliation by January 31, 2010!