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U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION i REGION I
; Report Nos. 50-29/93-04
Docket Nos. 50-29 -
, License Nos. DPR-03 Category _C_
Licensee: Yankee Atomic Electric Company 580 Main Street Bolton. Massachusetts 01740-1398
Facility Name: Yankee Nuclear Power Station
Inspection At: Rowe. Massachusetts
Inspection Period: March 8.1993 and June 8 - 10.1993 L
Inspector: . \ 6d4 3 J. Nick, Phdiatio'n Specialist bate Facilities Radiation Protection Section 1
Approved by: / s j u b-30 ffC 3 W. Pa'sciak, Chief Date Facilities Radiation Pmtection Section
Areas Inspected: Posting of radiological areas and other controls observed during facility tours, organization and staffing, the program for maintaining exposures as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA), radiological information available to workers, and radiological controls for the asbestos abatement project in the vapor containment building.
Results: Good performance was noted in many areas throughout the inspection. No violations of NRC requirements were identified. A minor weakness was observed in the documentation of the review of contractor health physics technician qualifications.
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DETAILS
1.0 Persons Contacted
1.1 Yankee Atomic Electric Company
*G. Babineau, Radiation Pmtection and Chemistry Manager *J. Boumssa, Quality Assumace Audit Gmup *D. Calsyn, Quality Assurance Supervisor W. Cox, ALARA Specialist *M. Desilets, Radiation Protection Engineer *T. Henderson, Assistant Plant Superintendent S. Litchfield, Health and Safety Supervisor *G. Maret, Site Manager - Component Removal Project *N. St. Laurent, Plant Superintendent M. Vandale, Radiation Protection Engineer
1.2 NRC Personnel
P. Harris, Resident Inspector (Vermont Yankee Plant)
* Denotes those present during the exit meeting
2.0 Pumose
The purpose of this unannounced inspection was to assess the licensee's implementation of the j radiological controls pmgram during the post operational period. Program elements reviewed | included posting of radiologically controlled areas and other radiological controls observed during ] facility tours, organization and staffing, the licensee's program for maintaining exposures as low as ! reasonably achievable (ALARA), radiological information available to workers, and radiological i controls for the asbestos abatement project in the vapor containment building. l
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' 3.0 Facility Tours
The inspector toura.d many areas of the facility including the vapor containment building, radioactive waste processir.g and packaging areas, the spent fuel pool building, and the auxiliary building. Postings were generally informative and properly placed in accordance with 10 CFR 20.203. Some minor discrepancies were noted and brought to the attention of licensee representatives. The licensee took prompt corrective action and improvements were noted the next day. Locked High Radiation Areas were secured as per Technical Specification requirements.
Workers interviewed were knowledgeable of the radiation hazards in their work area and practiced methods to reduce their radiation exposure. Good housekeeping was observed in most areas of the facility. The warehouse used to stage radioactive wastes contained a large pile of bagged, dry active |
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l waste (DAW). A licensee repn:sentative stated that they planned to send the DAW to a vendor for l processing after they had completed the necessary paperwork for the procurement of services.
4.0 Oreanization and Staffine ! ! |
The licensee's permanent health physics staff had not changed significantly since the last inspection. ! The Health and Safety group had added a contractor employee to the organization as a safety ! engineer. The safety engineer reported to the Health and Safety Supervisor. Currently there are two full time professionals in the licensee's organization, the Health and Safety Superviscr and the Safety Engineer. I The licensee's health physics staff had been augmented with contactor personnel to support the asbestos abatement work. Approximately forty health physics personnel were hired on a temporary basis. The contractor personnel included two site coordinators (one for radiation protection personnel and one for decontamination personnel), two radiation protection engineers, two radiation protection supervisors (foremen), one instrumentation technician, eleven senior radiation protection technicians, sixjunior radiation protection technicians, two decontamination supervisors, nine senior decontamination technicians, three junior decontamination technicians, one radwaste technician, and two dosimetry technicians. The staffing level was appropriate for the work scope. Many of the contractor personnel had previous experience at Yankee Rowe. The contractor supervisory personnel reported to Yankee Atomic Electric Company (YAEC) supervisors or foremen.
Individual qualification and training records were documented by the licensee. The inspector reviewed the qualification and training records and found no documentation that the contractor's qualifications were reviewed by the licensee. Additionally, there was no guidance or criteria for the acceptability of previous experience. A record of the review pmcess would enhance the progmm and enable others to understand the acceptance criteria. However, all contractor health physics personnel were qualified as per the Technical Specifications requirements (ANSI N18.1 - 1971) and trained as per licensee training procedures.
5.0 Radioloeical Information Available to Plant Workerj
The licensee used general employee training, including mdiation worker training, and specialized training (i.e. health physics technician training) to educate workers about the radiological hazards present in the workplace. Radiation Work Permits (RWPs) and current radiological survey information were posted at the entrance to the Radiologically Controlled Area (RCA). Radiological area workers were required to read these documents to obtain specific information concerning dose rates in the immediate work area, special job requirements, respiratory protection, and protective clothing requirements.
The Yankee Rowe site had less restrictive security requirements because the reactor is defueled and all fuel is stored in the spent fuel pool building. The protected area has been reduced to include only the spent fucl pool building. The licensee allows unescorted visitors access to other areas of the site, excluding the RCA, without orientation or training concerning the radiological hazards on
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the site. The RCA is contained in some areas with a fence approximately four feet in height with unlocked gates. Although the gates and fence are posted with warning signs, the radiological hazard is not defined. The inspector expressed a concern that a visitor could gain access to the RCA without any knowledge of the radiation hazards. A licensee representative stated that the policy would be reviewed to ensure that the workers' instructions are commensurate with the potential mdiological hazards in the restricted area.
6.0 Asbestos Abatement Project
The licensee had started an asbestos abatement project in the vapor containment building around the beginning of May 1993. The project included the removal of asbestos insulation on the four steam generators and the pressurizer. Approximately eighty contractor personnel were employed to perform this insulation removal work. The licensee had estimated 152 person-rem for the total exposure to the workers involved in shielding placement, scaffold erection and dismantling, and i asbestos insulation removal.
The licensee erected scaffolding around each steam generator and cmated enclosures to contain the asbestos and radiological contamination. Each enclosure had specially designed entrances and exits to minimize the spread of contamination. High efficiency air purifying (HEPA) units were placed in the work enclosures to filter the air and reduce concentrations of airborne asbestos and radiological contamination. The asbestos insulation was mmoved from the components, placed in double bags, and carried to the exit from the contaminated area. At the exit from the contaminated area, the outside of the bags were wiped and monitored for contamination. Then the bagged asbestos material was placed in another bag for radiological control and placed in storage trailers within the RCA until a shipment container was filled. The shipment was then prepared to send to the low level radioactive waste burial site in Barnwell, South Carolina.
The inspector reviewed the work requirements on the RWP and observed personnel preparing for work. The licensee required appmpriate protective clothing and respiratory protection. Each worker wore double sets of pmtective clothing and a negative pressure, full facepiece respirator. ' The air was sampled in the work area by a remote air sampling head connected by a 50 foot line to the air sample pump. One worker in each group was assigned to wear an alarming dosimeter and a breathing zone air (BZA) sampler. Survey information was updated once per shift, and a radiation protection technician was assigned for periodic surveillance. The radiological controls were appropriate for the work being performed and provided adequate protection for the workers. Asbestos monitoring was performed by contractor personnel in the Technical Services group.
7.0 Exposure ta V/orkers (ALARA)
, As of June 5,1993, the total radiation exposure to workers performing the asbestos abatement work was approximately 30 person-rem. This total includes the dose to workers erecting scaffolding and | constructing enclosures around the steam generators. The licensee had completed asbestos insulation removal from one steam generator and were starting work on a second steam generator (approximately 20% of the total estimated work completed).
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The highest whole body dose assigned to an individual for the second calendar quarter of 1993 was approximately 800 millirem. This exposure is well below the whole body exposure allowed by N.RC regulations of 3,000 millirems per calendar quarter. There were no significant skin of whole body, extremity, or internal dose assignments for the second quarter of 1993.
ALARA reviews were conducted onjobs with significant personnel exposure estimates. Thesejobs included the asbestos abatement scaffolding project, the asbestos removal, shield tank cavity | modifications, and shielding installation. As a result of ALARA planning, the scope of the asbestos abatement project was reduced. The original scope included removing the insulation fmm the steam generator (primary system) piping and the brass drain box. By eliminating these areas from the removal plan, the exposure estimate was reduced from 225 person-rem to 152 person-rem. Personnel radiation exposure was considered as the job planning progressed.
Radiation dose estimates were being developed for the component removal project. If the pending appmval is granted, the licensee will remove the four steam generators, the pressurizer, and most of the reactor vessel internals. The steam generators would be lowered from the vapor containment onto trailer beds. Tmcks will move the steam genemtors to shielded bays in the warehouse where radioactive waste is staged. In the warehouse, the steam generators will be filled with cement grout | and scaled for transport. The large components will be shipped by rail to the low level radioactive j
waste burial site in Barnwell, South Carolina. The licensee had estimated 400 person-rem for the i total radiation dose to workers for this project. This dose estimate is preliminary and will change as new information is received and planning is completed. The licensee has estimated that | approximately 16,000 cubic feet of low level radioactive waste will be shipped before June 1994. This volume of waste could result in 30 or more shipments to the burial site.
8.0 Exit Meeting j
A meeting was held with licensee representatives at the end of the inspection period on June 10, 1993. The purpose and scope of the inspection were reviewed and the findings of the inspection were discussed.
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