The Nuclear Regulatory Commission, noting three apparent violations involving a scrap metal shipment, said Monday it had issued a confirmatory order to the Global Nuclear Fuel-Americas (GNF-A) manufacturing facility in Wilmington, N.C., following an agreement reached during an alternative dispute resolution mediation session completed in late October.
An NRC inspection report issued in July 2017 documented a September 2016 incident where GNF-A contracted with a company to ship scrap metal piping to a local recycling facility. When the shipment arrived at the facility, the material caused the radiation portal monitor to alarm and the shipment was returned to the GNF-A facility.
The subsequent NRC inspection report noted "several apparent violations," the agency said. These including the failure to properly survey the material before release, failure to comply with U.S. Department of Transportation regulations for the material and failure to notify the NRC when radiation limits on the shipment exceeded regulations.
GNF-A officials advised the NRC that the company would participate in the agency’s alternative dispute resolution program to resolve the enforcement issues. The NRC ADR process is facilitated by a neutral third party with no decision-making authority, who assists the NRC and the company in reaching an agreement when there are differences regarding an enforcement action.
The mediation session held in October resulted in GNF-A agreeing with several of the violations and agreeing on corrective actions to preclude recurrence of the violations. Those actions include both steps already taken and planned, such as the revision of procedures related to the release of material, additional training, improvements in recordkeeping, and the initiation of a safety culture assessment. In addition, the company has agreed to install a vehicle portal monitor to detect surface radiation levels on future shipments.