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NRC CONFIRMS ACTIONS TO BE TAKEN AT FITZPATRICK NUCLEAR PLAN

Daily newsbrief journal for January 2012, also see http://www.usdemocrats.com/brief for a global 100-page perpetual brief and follow twitter @usdemocrats


NRC CONFIRMS ACTIONS TO BE TAKEN AT FITZPATRICK NUCLEAR PLAN

Postby admin » Thu Jan 26, 2012 3:58 pm

NRC CONFIRMS ACTIONS TO BE TAKEN AT FITZPATRICK NUCLEAR PLANTTO ADDRESS VIOLATIONS INVOLVING RADIATION PROTECTION PROGRAMThe NRC has issued an order to Entergy Nuclear Operations confirming actions thecompany is required to implement at the James A. FitzPatrick nuclear power plant. The actionsare intended to address multiple violations involving radiation protection technicians at theScriba, N.Y., plant, and are in addition to steps already taken at the site. The violations, which were identified by the NRC’s Office of Investigations, stem from failures by the technicians to perform or properly execute their duties.Details of the additional actions to be taken by Entergy, the plant’s owner, in response to the violations were determined through the NRC’s Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)process. They are contained in a Confirmatory Order being issued by the agency today.The NRC’s Office of Investigations identified the violations during three separateinvestigations conducted at the plant in 2009 and 2010. In a letter dated Sept, 8, 2011, the NRCprovided the results of the investigations and summarized the violations. They include: Failureby technicians to perform required respirator fit testing on multiple occasions from 2006 to 2009;a failure to maintain accurate documentation of completed respirator fit tests during the sameperiod; a failure to perform and/or accurately document independent verification of certain valvepositions after the valves were manipulated between September 2007 and December 2009; afailure to document a personal contamination event on at least one occasion; a failure to performa contamination survey, or check, prior to the removal of an item from the plant’s radiologicallycontrolled area; and a failure to carry out daily radiological surveys, on multiple occasions from2006 to 2009, of a reactor building airlock. No health and safety impacts on workers as a resultof these violations were identified.Entergy was offered the option of a predecisional enforcement conference or ADR. Thecompany requested ADR, which, in this context, refers to a process in which a neutral mediatorwith no decision-making authority assists the NRC and licensees in reaching an agreementresolving any differences regarding an enforcement action. Toward that end, an ADR mediation session involving the NRC and Entergy took place on Nov. 9, 2011, at the agency’s Region IOffice in King of Prussia, Pa.NRC NEWSU.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSIONOffice of Public Affairs, Region I475 Allendale Road, King of Prussia, Pa. 19406E-mail: opa1@nrc.gov Site: www.nrc.govBlog: http://public-blog.nrc-gateway.govNo. I-12-002Contact: Diane Screnci, (610) 337-5330Neil Sheehan, (610) 337-5331Jan. 26, 2012Email: OPA1.RESOURCE@nrc.gov
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During that ADR mediation session, an agreement was reached, with the specifics nowcontained in a Confirmatory Order issued by the NRC. The order documents a number ofcorrective actions already completed by Entergy prior to the ADR. They include internalinvestigations and assessments to evaluate the causes of the violations and whether the problemsextended to other work groups; retesting affected individuals for respirator fit and ensuring therewere no radiological consequences for the time period in question; reinforcing expectations and conducting training with all Entergy personnel in this area; and enhancing management oversightof the FitzPatrick radiation protection department.As a result of the ADR, Entergy has agreed to implement additional company- and industry-wide corrective actions. The terms of the settlement are intended to serve the NRCobjectives of ensuring the corrective actions are effective and extended to the nuclear powerindustry such that the deterrence effect is as great, or greater than, what would have beenachieved under the traditional enforcement process. The additional actions include:• The company will review its existing company-wide general employee training toensure adequate coverage in the areas of procedural compliance and record-keeping. It will document the results of this review within 60 days.• Entergy will, within 90 days, review its procedure on nuclear safety culturemonitoring processes to determine whether it should have detected theweaknesses that led to the conduct responsible for the violations. If that is not found to be the case, Entergy will develop enhancements and revise the procedurewithin 120 days of completion of the review. In addition, the company willprovide the results of its review to the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI), an industrytrade organization, for its consideration in revising the NEI document “Fostering aStrong Nuclear Safety Culture”. The results of that review will be made available to the NRC.• Entergy will prepare a case study about what occurred, with top managers at eachof the company’s nuclear power plants presenting the report to employees at therespective facilities. These presentations will be completed within 180 days.• Within 360 days, Entergy will deliver a presentation to managers of other U.S. nuclear power plants on lessons learned and actions taken in response to theissues identified at FitzPatrick.• The company will, within 360 days, develop and conduct an assessment of theradiation protection departments at all nine of Entergy’s nuclear power plants. The assessment will review the rigor with which members of the departmentsperform and document routine activities. If those reviews identify performanceor documentation issues, the company will enter those issues into the respectiveplants’ corrective action programs.• Entergy will send the NRC a letter within 30 days of completion of all correctiveactions. The NRC will subsequently conduct confirmatory reviews.A copy of the Confirmatory Order will be available on the NRC website.###
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