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NRC NEWS U. S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS, REGION III 801 Warrenville Road, Lisle IL 60532

NRC STAFF PROPOSES $5,500 FINE AGAINST MINNEAPOLIS FIRM

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has proposed a $5,500 fine against Braun Intertec Corporation, Minneapolis, Minnesota, for failing to have the required two qualified individuals present during testing activities at a temporary job site in January.

Braun Intertec performs radiography, which uses a sealed radiation source to produce x-ray like images of heavy metal objects like pipes and valves. The use of the radiation source requires an NRC license, and the individuals using the radiography device must be properly trained and certified.

Radiography work at temporary job sites requires that two qualified individuals, called radiographers, be present to perform the radiography, observe the work area, and prevent entry while the radiation source is in use.

An NRC inspection on January 26 determined that Braun Intertec was performing radiography work at a temporary job site in Plymouth, Minnesota, with only one radiographer present.

In December of last year, the company had requested that two shielded rooms at the Plymouth facility be designated as permanent radiographic installations, which would then require just one radiographer to be present. The NRC staff on January 12 informed Braun Intertec that the two shielded rooms in Plymouth had not been previously approved by NRC for another radiography firm, as the company believed, and that further review was needed before they could be designated as permanent installations.

Because just one radiographer was present during the radiography work in the two rooms in question between January 12, when the company was told that the Plymouth facility was not considered a permanent installation, and the NRC inspection on January 26, the agency has concluded that the company's Radiation Safety Officer demonstrated a "careless disregard" for the NRC safety requirements.

In notifying the company of the proposed fine, NRC Regional Administrator Jim Dyer noted that the violation had a low safety significance because the rooms appeared to meet the requirements for a permanent radiographic installation without significant modifications.

"However," he continued, "the NRC is particularly concerned that the Radiation Safety Officer willfully allowed radiographic operations to continue with only one qualified individual present." The fine was proposed because of the willfulness of the violation and the importance of complying with NRC safety requirements, he added.

The company has until September 13 to pay the fine or to protest it. If the fine is protested and subsequently imposed by the NRC staff, the company may request a hearing.

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