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NRC NEWS U. S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS, REGION II 61 Forsyth Street, Suite 23T85, Atlanta, GA 30303

NRC STAFF TO MEET WITH VIRGINIA COMPANY TO DISCUSS APPARENT VIOLATIONS OF NRC REQUIREMENTS

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will meet with representatives of Testing Technologies, Inc., of Woodbridge, Virginia, in Atlanta on Wednesday, October 18, to discuss the company's apparent violations of NRC requirements.

The meeting, scheduled for 9:30 a.m. (EDST), will be held in the NRC offices located on the 24^th floor of the Sam Nunn Federal Center, 61 Forsyth Street, SW. It will be open to observation by interested members of the public and news media representatives. NRC officials will be available at its conclusion to answer questions.

A special NRC inspection was conducted in response to an event that involved the failure of the company to control access to radiographic operations, resulting in a member of the public receiving an unplanned radiation exposure. The event occurred in August of this year in Washington, D.C. where company radiographers were working.

Five apparent violations were found, including the failure to limit unrestricted dose limits to less than two millirem in any one hour, the failure to post radiation areas with appropriate signs, the failure to perform surveys necessary to demonstrate compliance with the regulations and to evaluate potential radiological hazards, the failure to maintain continuous direct surveillance to protect against unauthorized entry into high radiation areas, and the failure of two radiographers to obtain certification through a radiographer certification program.

The decision to hold a pre-decisional enforcement conference does not mean that the NRC has determined that a violation has occurred or that enforcement action will be taken. The purpose is to discuss apparent violations, their causes and safety significance; to provide the licensee an opportunity to point out any errors that may have been made in the NRC inspection report; and to enable the licensee to outline its proposed corrective actions.

No decision on the apparent violations will be made at this conference. Those decisions will be made by senior NRC officials at a later time.

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