Events Assessment

Each licensee must send information to NRC about certain "reportable events" that occur at their facility or during their use of nuclear materials. For more information see our "Event Reporting Guidelines" (NUREG-1022).

The reported events are reviewed at NRC Headquarters by a group of technical experts using plant specific risk insights and operating experience to identify significant weaknesses in plant design, operation, or equipment. When problem areas are identified, the NRC coordinates the appropriate level of inspections with the regional offices to reach a satisfactory resolution. In certain cases, these reported events are addressed through generic communications to the industry and other interested or potentially affected parties and are made available to the public through the Web. The reports that address a major deficiency in design or construction, major degradation of essential safety-related equipment, or moderate release or exposure to radioactive material are forwarded to the NRC Office of Research for inclusion in the annual Report to Congress on Abnormal Occurrences.

The vast majority of event reports are routine and do not require activation of our incident response program. For information on how we respond to an event that could threaten public health and safety, see Emergency Preparedness and Response.

For recent event reports, see the following:

• Event Notification Reports – short-term reports to NRC of conditions or events related to facilities regulated by NRC, usually under 10 CFR 50.72.
• Preliminary Notifications – Prompt NRC dissemination of information about incidents related to facilities regulated by NRC or Agreement States.
• Licensee Event Reports (LERs) – detailed reports submitted to NRC within 60 days of a plant abnormality in accordance with 10 CFR 50.73. These reports contain root causes and corrective actions undertaken by licensees. Some plant abnormalities that are not of a significant nature are reported only through LERs.
• Nuclear Materials Events – records of incidents involving radioactive material licensed under NRC regulations or compatible Agreement State regulations.
• Part 21 Reports – vendor or licensee reports to NRC of defects of basic components or regulatory noncompliances representing substantial safety hazards, as required by Part 21 of NRC's regulations.