Report to Congress on Abnormal Occurrences - Fiscal Year 2001 (NUREG-0090, Volume 24)

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Publication Information

Date Published: April 2002

Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research
United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Washington, DC 20555-0001

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Abstract

Section 208 of the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974 (Public Law 93-438) defines an abnormal occurrence (AO) as an unscheduled incident or event that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) determines to be significant from the standpoint of public health or safety. The Federal Reports Elimination and Sunset Act of 1995 (Public Law 104-66) requires that AOs be reported to Congress annually. This report describes events that the NRC determined were AOs during Fiscal Year 2001.

The report describes two AOs, one at a facility licensed by the NRC and the other at a facility licensed by an Agreement State. Agreement States are States that have entered into a formal agreement with the NRC pursuant to Section 274 of the Atomic Energy Act (AEA) to regulate certain quantities of AEA material at facilities located within their borders. Currently, there are 32 Agreement States. During the period from June 13 to June 16, 2000, an individual hired by Southeast Missouri State University, an NRC licensee, received an uptake of americium-241 resulting in a committed dose equivalent of 2.63 sievert (Sv) (263 rem) to the bone surface while performing decontamination and inventory activities for the licensee. On February 16, 2001, a radiographer employed by Quality Inspection Services, Inc., an Agreement State licensee, received a radiation exposure of 392 mSv (39.2 rem) after failing to retract a radiography source into its fully locked position and failing to perform an adequate survey. In addition, Appendix C of the report, "Other Events of Interest," describes one reactor event and discusses one materials issue.