Protecting People and the EnvironmentUNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
ACCESSION #: 9512050272
North Star Steel Ohio
2669 MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. BLVD.
YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO 44510
Nuclear Regulatory Commission 09/19/95
Attention: Wayne J. Slawinski Tuesday
801 Warrenville Road (certified mail)
Lisle, Illinois 60532-4351
U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Document Control Desk
Washington, D.C. 20555
Re: North Star Steel Ohio, Youngstown, Ohio
Follow up Written Report to Incident of August 27, 1995
As is required under the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), a follow up
written report must be submitted within thirty days (30) of an incident
(10 CFR 30.50 (c)(2)). This correspondence is North Star Steel Ohio's
follow up written report.
(i) Description of Event:
North Star Steel Ohio melt shop caster was in the process of pouring
liquid steel into a receptacle (tundish) and metering the flow of
liquid steel through an InterTec slide gate system. After the tenth
heat of the sequence, a mechanical wedge, which holds the InterTec
slide gate system to the bottom of the tundish worked itself loose.
When the wedge came loose, it allowed the gate mechanism to part
from the bottom of the tundish (by one half of an inch). This
allowed liquid steel (from the tundish) to pour out onto the top of
the caster molds and mold covers. Immediate action was taken to
remove the tundish by the use of a tundish car to take it off-line.
In the process of moving and transporting the tundish, the tundish
car became lodged/stuck over caster mold strand # 3, allowing liquid
steel to engulf the mold cover, the mold, the radioactive source and
the oscillator unit, sealed source is 3 m model No 4F65 and Ronan
Eng. co. model SA-1 holder.
(ii) Location of Event:
The event occurred at North Star Steel Ohio, 2669 Martin Luther King
Jr. Boulevard, Youngstown, Ohio, 44510. The specific location of
the event occurred at the melt shop caster operators floor.
(iii) Isotopes, Quantities, and Physical Form of the Material Involved:
North Star Steel Ohio utilizes Cesium 137 of one thousand (1000) mCi
or one (1) curie. The Cesium is installed in a Ronan SA-1 Source
Holder and the Cesium is double encapsulated in a stainless steel,
and lead shielded.
(iv) Date, and Time of the Event:
PHONE:(216) 742-6300 QUALITY PEOPLE QUALITY PRODUCTS FAX (216) 742-6315
The incident occurred on 8/27/95 at approx. 1:00 a.m.
(v) Corrective Actions Taken or Planned and the Results of Any
Evaluations or Assessments
a.) Have ordered new wedges, (which were on order the week of
August 27, 1995) and since the incident, have pushed up the
delivery date to September 7, 1995.
b.) Review and correct all deficiencies of North Star Steel Ohio's
Standard Operating Procedures and Safety Procedures in regards
to all Ronans radioactive sources. All procedures will be
reviewed and implemented by September 22, 1995.
This includes reporting procedures to the NRC.
c.) For operator safety, North Star Steel Ohio has re-programmed
its Automate Forty Computer System to shut off or close the
Ronan Source for mold changes. This was completed on September
7, 1995.
d.) North Star Steel Ohio's maintenance department is investigating
the possibility of automatically controlling the shutter on the
Ronan Source to allow for instantaneous closing of the shutter
in the event of an emergency. If it is mechanically and
electrically possible to do so, North Star Steel Ohio will
implement in an expedient manner.
e.) Annual audit of the North Star Steel Ohio Radiation Safety
Program (in conjunction with the health and safety audit) will
be implemented. The first audit is scheduled for the fall of
this year.
(vi) The Extent of Exposures of Individuals to Radioactive Materials
Without Identification of Individuals by Name:
As soon as the incident occurred on 8/27/95 at 1:00 p.m., the area
was designated off limits to all North Star Steel Ohio employees.
Within fifteen (15) minutes of the incident, a North Star Steel Ohio
Radiation Safety Officer (RSO) was on site. The area was monitored
and above normal levels of radiation were noted. The RSO and a
manager of the maintenance department were responsible for removal
of the defective equipment. These two individuals were
intermittently within ten (10) feet of the source for a maximum of
one and one half hours during the removal process. No other
individuals were exposed. On August 31, 1995, when the damaged
Ronan Source was removed from the defective equipment, the highest
radiation level obtained was 25 mREM and the lowest was three mREM
(on portable Dosimeter units). This also involved the packaging of
the unit for disposal in accordance with all applicable NRC and DOT
requirements.
If any further questions, please feel free to call.
Sincerely;
North Star Steel Ohio
Ralph Graf, Acting Melt Shop Superintendent Jeff Bindas, Regional
1-216-742-6308 Environmental
1-216-742-6389
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