NRC: News Release - Region III - 2008-029 - NRC Proposes $6,500 Fine Against Missouri Company for Violations of NRC Requirements

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U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

Office of Public Affairs, Region III
2443 Warrenville Road, Lisle, IL 60532
www.nrc.gov

No. III-08-029		July 29, 2008
CONTACT:	Viktoria Mitlyng (630) 829-9662	E-mail: opa3@nrc.gov
NRC PROPOSES $6,500 FINE AGAINST MISSOURI COMPANY FOR VIOLATIONS OF NRC REQUIREMENTS Printable Version
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has proposed a $6,500 fine against American Radiolabeled Chemicals Inc. (ARC), located in St. Louis, Mo., for failure to comply with NRC regulations in the areas of radiation protection, nuclear materials security and management oversight. The NRC identified multiple examples of the company’s failure to adhere to NRC regulations during a January 2008 inspection conducted at ARC. In February of this year, the NRC issued a Confirmatory Action Letter documenting how the company planned to address the observations and findings developed during the inspection. The NRC conducted a follow-up inspection in March 2008 which revealed violations of agency regulations in the same areas of concern again. In May of this year, the NRC met with ARC representatives to discuss the apparent violations identified during the two NRC inspections, their root causes and how the company proposed to address these problems. ARC had the opportunity to describe its completed and proposed corrective actions. The NRC’s Notice of Violation to ARC states that while the company’s corrective actions addressed, in part, the immediate safety or regulatory issues identified by the NRC, the company’s actions “did not address the root cause for the violation, that is, management’s lack of adequate oversight of the Radiation Protection Program.” The NRC identified four violations of NRC regulations that included failure to (1) ensure radioactive materials were properly secured and controlled; (2) comply with license commitments related to management oversight of the radiation protection program; (3) conduct radiological surveys; and (4) perform and document investigations of contamination found in controlled and unrestricted areas. “We expect companies that hold NRC licenses to handle nuclear material safely and securely by adhering to the regulations,” said NRC Regional Administrator James Caldwell. “We take violations in this area seriously and expect the company to be able to identify and correct problems in a prompt and effective manner.” The NRC notified the company of the violations and proposed fine on July 22, 2008. The company has 30 days to either pay the fine or contest it. A copy of the July 22 letter will be available through the NRC’s ADAMS website at www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. Help in using ADAMS is available from the NRC Public Document Room at 301-415-4737 or 1-800-397-4209.
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