Dresden Nuclear Power Station, Unit 2 issued the following announcement on May. 12.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has proposed a $22,500 civil penalty to a Detroit firm for violating NRC requirements by possessing radioactive material without a valid license.
The NRC found that the company, LGC Global, failed to comply with regulations, namely possessing devices containing a small amount of nuclear material - two moisture density gauges used for measuring the moisture content of various materials and two hand-held x-ray analyzers used to determine the elemental composition of materials – without authorization.
The NRC conducted an inspection in 2019 at the company’s Highland Park, Michigan, field office and the main office in Detroit to verify the continued safe and secure storage of the gauges and x-ray analyzers. The inspector determined that the company did not have a valid license for these devices.
The NRC inspector verified before leaving the Highland Park facility that the devices were properly secured and did not pose a threat to public health and safety.
LGC Global has not responded to the inspection report or subsequent NRC communications offering the company the opportunity to address the apparent violation. Nor has the company taken actions to correct the violation by properly disposing of or transferring the radioactive material to an authorized facility or submitting a request for an NRC license. This is particularly noteworthy since LGC Global had requested and was granted additional time to respond.
The NRC’s primary focus is on the proper disposal or transfer of the devices and will not impose the civil penalty if within 30 days of the date of the Notice of Violation LGC Global properly transfers the devices to an authorized licensed entity and provides the NRC with acceptable documentation confirming that an authorized company is in possession of the nuclear material and that the radioactive sources are intact.
If LGC Global does not complete the above actions in the timeframe specified, the NRC will impose the full civil penalty and will consider the imposition of additional daily civil penalties that would continue to accrue until LGC Global corrects the violation.
Original source can be found here.
Alerts Sign-up