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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDRC-2012-001225 - 0901a068802b758b-2012-001225 Denison Mines (USA) Corp 105017th Street Suite 950 Denver CO 80265 USA Tel 303 628 7798 Fax 303 389-4125 www denisonmines com DENISO MINES February 27 2012 VIA E MAIL AND OVERNIGHT DELIVERY Mr Rusty Lundberg Utah Department of Environmental Quality 195 North 1950 West PO Box 144850 Salt Lake City UT 84114 4850 Re Inspection Conducted December 15 16 2011 Notice of Violation Radioactive Materials License Number UT1900479 Dear Mr Lundberg This letter is in response to the above referenced Notice of Violation { NOV ) received by Denison Mines (USA) Corp ( Denison ) on January 27 2012 which lists three violations of the Utah Radiation Control Rules based on an inspection of the White Mesa Mill (the Mill) conducted by representatives of the Utah Division of Radiation Control ( DRC ) on December 15 and 16 2011 The Notice of Violation requires Denison to provide a wntten response within 30 days after receipt of the Notice including • The corrective actions which have been taken and the results achieved • The corrective steps which have been taken to prevent recurrence and • The date full compliance will be achieved Denison is also aware that R313 18 11(1)(d) requires that Denison post a copy of the Notice in a conspicuous place The specific violations listed in the NOV and Denison s response to each are discussed below Violation 1 The release limits set forth in NRC Regulatory Guide 8 30 Table 2 and the Mill s Radiation Protection Manual Section 2 6 2 are summanzed as follows Limits for Alpha emissions for U Nat and its daughter products are Average 5 000 dpm/1 OOcm^ Maximum 15 000 dpm/1 OOcm^ Removable 1 000 dpm/1 OOcm^ \\Dnncusdefs1\mill\lnspections and NOVs\RML Inspections and NOVsXOI 25 12 DRC Itr 3 violations\02 27 12 Response to 01 25 12 Itr doc Letter to Mr Rusty Lundberg February 27 2012 Page 2 Limits for Beta gamma emissions (measured at a distance of one centimeter) for Beta/Gamma emitting radioisotopes are Average 0 2 mr/hr or 5 000 dpm/1 OOcm^ Maximum 1 0 mr/hr or 15 000 dpm/1 OOcm^ Contrary to this requirement it was discovered that a rental forklift was released to RSC Equipment Rental of West Valley City Utah on November 3 2011 with fixed contamination on the forks that was above the release limits The release survey form indicates that the total alpha contamination on the forks was 10 240 dpm/1 OOcm^ A memorandum provided by the Mills RSO explains that the technician that released the forklift applied the wrong release cntena Denison responds as follows Root Cause of the Noncompliance This violation resulted from a misunderstanding and misinterpretation by a Mill radiation safety technician of applicable release limits On Thursday November 3 2011 a radiation safety technician surveyed a forklift with the following results Body and tires total alpha dpm/100 cm^ < background beta/gamma dpm/100 cm^ < 0 05 Forks total alpha dpm/100 cm^ 10 240 (fixed and removable) Removable (by swipe) dpm/cm^ 7 7 The root cause of this violation was the fact that the technician did not have adequate training in interpreting measured results from the scans and wipes performed when equipment release testing is conducted under the Mill s Standard Operating Procedure ( SOP ) PBL RP 2 for Equipment Release Surveys Due to the inadequate training the technician did not understand that a) the 10 240 dpm/100 cm^ reading was the average reading and not a maximum/hot spot reading and b) both the 0 2 mr/hr or 5 000 dpm/1 OOcm^ average and 1 0 mr/hr or 15 000 dpm/1 OOcm^ maximum conditions have to be met for a piece of equipment to be released An additional factor in this incident was the fact that the technician had not had pnor occasion to survey a piece of equipment with alpha contamination at the elevated levels present on the forklift or a situation where the fixed contamination was very high relative to the removable contamination Corrective Actions Which Have Been Taken and the Results Achieved Mill radiation technicians have received additional training regarding the correct application of release limits In addition Mill practices have been changed to require that a) the radiation safety department will receive advanced notice when any piece of rented equipment is to leave the Mill site and b) the Item to be released will be decontaminated and surveyed before the supplier is notified to pick up Its equipment \\Dnncusdefs1\mill\lnspections and NOVs\RML Inspections and NOVs\01 25 12 DRC Itr 3 violations\02 27 12 Response to 01 25 12 Itr doc DENISO MINES Letter to Mr Rusty Lundberg February 27 2012 Page 3 This practice is expected to ensure sufficient time for release scanning wipe sampling and any required re decontamination pnor to release This practice will also provide additional time for the technician to consult with the RSO should there be any uncertainty regarding how to interpret measured results or apply the requirements of the SOP It should be noted that the error which occurred on November 3 2011 was identified by the RSO within hours of the release of the equipment and the forks were returned to the Mill site re scanned and a decision was made to retain the forks on site indefinitely (i e not to release the forks) the same day as the error was identified Corrective Steps Which Have Been Taken to Prevent Recurrence The actions listed above are also considered to have been taken to avoid further items of noncompliance Date Full Compliance will be Achieved Denison considers that the actions taken as listed above are sufficient to ensure compliance in the future and that full compliance has now been achieved Violation 2 The Mill 8 Radiation Protection Manual Section 1 2 3 Monitonng Procedures step 1 states The alarm rate meter is adjusted within the range of 500 to 750 dpm/100 CITF to ensure a margin of 250 dpm/100 crrF due to the low efficiency of this instrumentation Contrary to this requirement instrument alarm settings at three (3) of the restncted area exits were found to be set at higher set points than is required by this procedure The findings were as follows Exit Instrument Alarm Set Instrument Equivalent Set Location Model # Serial # Point as Efficiency Point in DPM/100 Found cm^ Admin Gate L 177 61 159117 60cpm 9 0% 1333 Lab Exit L 177 41298 50cpm 9 6% 1041 West Door L 177 61 159172 60cpm 9 6% 1250 This IS repeat violation An NOV was issued to the Licensee on May 17 2011 for improperly set alarms at the same three locations The DRC considers that this matter has become of significant concern Therefore the DRC has increased the severity level of this problem from a Severity Level IV to a Severity Level III Notice of Violation in accordance with Utah Rule R313 14 10 Severity of Violations Denison responds as follows Root Cause ofthe Noncompliance We have reviewed this matter thoroughly and have concluded that this violation had multiple root causes as follows 1 Inadequate procedures for documenting background and standard measurement tests and meter function check calculations required to ensure that the meters are set properly As a result of DRC s Apnl 19 2011 inspection DRC cited a similar violation regarding the set points of meters at the same three locations In a June 16 2011 letter in response to the NOV Denison identified four corrective \\Dmcusdefs1\mill\lnspections and NOVs\RML Inspections and NOVs\01 25 12 DRC Itr 3 violations\02 27 12 Response to 01 25 12 Itr doc DENISO MINES Letter to Mr Rusty Lundberg February 27 2012 Page 4 actions put in place dunng 2011 including a requirement for the radiation staff to record the meter settings on the Mill s existing meter function check sheet The corrective actions also included retraining of the radiation safety staff in compliance with the Mill s radiation scanning SOP Upon review of the results from the actions taken to date Denison has determined that the requirements in the SOP as written are insufficient Specifically the SOP does not require the recording of • information associated with measurement and averaging of background readings • information associated with measurement of efficiency compared to an alpha source • the calculations used to determine the meter set point in cpm and • the background reading to be used in correction of the meter readings Although the radiation technicians have been retrained to follow the SOP as written the lack of recorded information has made the RSO unable to properly check calculations and appropriateness of the meter settings At the time of the December 2011 DRC inspection there was no requirement in the existing SOP to record the measured and average background for each instrument Consistent with the SOP radiation technicians had recorded the meter setting for each instrument in question but they had not recorded the background used in developing the setting Based on past data and experience typical background values at the meter locations in question vary from 20 to 40 cpm The table below summarizes the equivalent set point values that result if background values within this range are accounted for in the set point calculation It should be noted that as indicated in the table based on the most conservative (lowest) typical background reading of 20 cpm the equivalent set points for all the meters were within the 1 000 dpm/cm^ specified in the Mill s License Renewal Application Volume 1 Section 6 4 6 which formed the basis of the SOP ^ Various Cases for Assumed Background Admin (cpm) Gate Lab Exit West Door Instrument efficiency dimensionless 0 09 0 096 0 096 Fraction of standard probe size area/100 cm^ 05 05 05 Setting found at inspection cpm 60 50 60 Equivalent Set Point dpm/lOOcm^ Equivalent Set Point with Background Correction dpm/lOOcm^ 20 889 625 833 Equivalent Set Point with Background Correction dpm/lOOcm^ 30 667 417 625 Equivalent Set Point with Background Correction dpm/lOOcm^ 40 444 208 417 Note Items highlighted in gray were inputs used by DRC identified in the NOV as stated above Items highlighted in brown resulted from calculations based on those inputs 2 A confusing descnption in the SOP of how the ALARA goal is to be set ' This 1000 dpm/lOO cm^ standard is based on NRC Reg Guides 4 14 and 8 30 and assumes that all alpha contamination on an individual is removable contamination \\Dmcusdefs1\mill\lnspectons and NOVs\RML Inspections and NOVsVOI 25 12 DRC Itr 3 violations\02 27 12 Response to 01 25 12 Itr doc DENISO MINES Letter to Mr Rusty Lundberg February 27 2012 Page 5 As specified in the SOP PBL RP 1 Section 1 2 6 Limits/ALARA contamination limits for personnel scans are set at 1 000 dpm/100 cm^ As discussed under root cause #1 above review of the summary table indicates that even given the low efficiency of the equipment under the current equipment configuration settings equivalent to the 1 000 dpm/cm limit were achieved at all three meter locations However the monitoring procedure descnbed under Section 1 2 3 states that The alarm rate meter is adjusted within the range of 500 to 750 dpm/100 cm^ to ensure a margin of 250 dpm/100 cm^ due to the low efficiency of this instrumentation This IS somewhat confusing and inconsistent with the requirement in Section 1 2 6 of the SOP and Section 6 4 6 of the Mill s License renewal Application It is also evident that setting the alarm rate within the range of 500 to 750 dpm/cm^ is not reasonably achievable given the background and the efficiency of the instrument Corrective Actions Which Have Been Taken and the Results Achieved Denison takes this violation very seriously and as a result the following corrective actions will be taken 1 Denison will revise the existing SOP as follows a) Denison will revise SOP Section 1 2 6 to clarify that the concentration limit and ALARA limit for personnel scans is 1 000 dpm/100 cm^ Section 1 2 3 will be revised to eliminate the requirement to adjust the alarm meter to alarm at less than 1 000 dpm/100 cm^ so it does not conflict with Section 1 2 6 of the SOP and Section 6 4 6 of the Mill s License Renewal Application b) Denison will amend the existing SOP to require that the radiation staff record the background efficiency and calculations used to determine the set point to allow the RSO to properly check for errors The equipment function check sheet will be revised accordingly to accommodate the recording of this information 2 Radiation personnel will be retrained to ensure they understand how to properly perform and record the required measurements and calculations used to develop the meter set point 3 The steps will be completed within 30 days of the date of this letter If after implementing the above corrections to the SOP and providing the associated retraining to the radiation staff Denison determines that compliance with the 1 000 dpm/100 cm^ limit cannot be achieved with one or more of the meters Denison will consider replacing the existing meter probes with probes of higher surface area and higher efficiency Corrective Steps Which Have Been Taken to Prevent Recurrence The actions listed above are also considered to have been taken to avoid future noncompliance Date Full Compliance will be Achieved Denison considers that the actions taken as listed above are sufficient to ensure compliance in the future and that full compliance will be achieved within 30 days of the date of this letter \\Dmcusdefs1\mill\lnspections and NOVs\RML Inspections and NOVsNOI 25 12 DRC Itr 3 violations\02 27 12 Response to 01 25 12 Itr doc DENISO MINES Letter to Mr Rusty Lundberg February 27 2012 Page 6 Violation 3 The Mill s Security Program Section 1 4 Reagent and Ore Garners requires that Truck drivers hauling reagent and ore into the restricted area of the facility are to receive documented site safety and radiation protection training prior to access to the site Access is limited by controlling and documenting gate access Safety and radiation training consists of appropriate training for the activity involved Contrary to this requirement a reagent delivery driver and an ore delivery driver were found inside the Mill s radiologically restncted area dunng the inspection without proper site safety and radiation protection training This violation has been charactenzed as a Severity Level IV Denison responds as follows The Mill maintains a list of delivery personnel who have received the hazard awareness training Evidence of receipt of the training is provided by the signatures of the Mill personnel providing the training and the delivery person receiving the training on a Hazard Awareness Training form Dunng business hours scalehouse/gate security personnel are qualified to provide the training to arnving delivery personnel who are not identified on the list as having previously received the training After business hours the Shifter or A operator is qualified to provide the required training Root Cause ofthe Noncompliance Denison considers the procedure descnbed above to be adequate for access control and protection of delivery personnel This violation resulted from a breakdown in compliance with the existing procedure Corrective Actions Which Have Been Taken and the Results Achieved The Mill has taken multiple steps to correct the breakdown in compliance 1) A notice has been sent to all current suppliers and delivery companies reiterating that all delivery personnel must have current Hazard Awareness Training to enter the Mill site Dnvers arnving at the site after business hours must • already have taken the training (as evidenced by his/her name on the current list of trained delivery personnel or • be prepared to take the training on the spot if Mill personnel are available to provide it after hours or • if Mill personnel are unavailable to provide the training after hours dnvers must be prepared to be denied access to he Mill site and return to the Mill dunng business hours when the training can be provided 2) The RSO has developed a spreadsheet that is available to the scalehouse operator and the radiation technicians as a quick reference indicating which drivers from each supplier/delivery company have the requisite training The RSO has assumed responsibility for collecting and reviewing signed training forms generated when additional drivers receive training and for keeping the spreadsheet current with the driver training forms An example of the training summary spreadsheet is provided in Attachment 1 3) The requirement that delivery drivers must have the requisite training or be denied access to the site and that such training will be given by the Shifter or A operator after business hours has been reiterated to the \\Dmcusdefs1\mill\lnspections and NOVsXRML Inspections and NOVs\01 25 12 DRC Itr 3 violations\02 27 12 Response to 01 25 12 Itr doc DENISO MINES Mi Letter to Mr Rusty Lundberg February 27 2012 Page 7 Shifters and A operators and has been added to the agendas for monthly personnel health and safety training Mill personnel have also been reminded in recent training sessions of the importance of restncting access to the site to those who have appropnate training and awareness of the potential hazards on site Corrective Steps Which Have Been Taken to Prevent Recurrence The actions listed above are also considered to have been taken to avoid future noncompliance In addition the RSO or his designed will perform occasional random spot checks to ensure that the employees responsible for controlling delivery access to the site after business hours (the Shifter or A operator) have prevented untrained dnvers from entering the site and/or provided the requisite training The spot check will be performed by occasionally randomly checking the list of after hours delivenes and driver names against a current list of trained delivery personnel Failure of the responsible employee to prevent access or provide the requisite training to delivery personnel will subject the employee to disciplinary review Date Full Compliance will be Achieved As mentioned above Denison considers that the existing procedure is adequate for controlling access and protecting delivery personnel Denison considers that the actions taken as listed above are sufficient to ensure compliance in the future and that full compliance has now been achieved A copy of the Notice of Violation has been posted in the Administration Building in accordance with R313 18 11(1)(d) Please contact me if you have any questions or require any further information Yours very truly DENISON MINES (USA) CORP Jo Ann Tischler Director Compliance and Permitting cc David C Frydenlund Ron F Hochstein Harold R Roberts David E Turk K Weinel Central files \\Dmcusdefs1\mill\lnspections and NOVsNRML Inspections and NOVs\01 25 12 DRC Itr 3 violations\02 27 12 Response to 01 25 12 Itr doc DENISO MINES Jikk Letter to Mr Rusty Lundberg February 27 2012 Page 8 ATTACHMENT 1 \\Dmcusdefs1\mill\lnspections and N0Vs\RML Inspections and NOVsXOI 25 12 DRC Itr 3 violations\02 27 12 Response to 01 25 12 Itr doc DENISO MINES iDii 2012 Hazard Awareness Training Name Date Organization Training Received Training Conducted By Angel I Douglas 1/10/2012 Greenfield Logistic 1 le (2) Delivery Personnel Cortney Montella Armstrong Brandon 1/9/2012 Fastenal Reagent Delivery Personnel Justin Perkins Beagley Rodney 1/4/2012 Hammon Trucking Ore Delivery Personnel Cortney Montella Betterton Heidi 1/11/2012 FedEx Reagent Delivery Personnel Justin Perkins Biondo Jim 1/27/2012 Bulk Transportation Sulfuric Acid Delivery Personnel Nathan Bunting Bistlme Louis 1/4/2012 Hammon Trucking Ore Delivery Personnel Blake Burtenshaw Black Ben 1/19/2012 Black Hawk Transportation Reagent Delivery Personnel Nathan Bunting Black Damon 1/19/2012 Black Hawk Transportation Reagent Delivery Personnel Nathan Bunting Bolos Chris 1/5/2012 UPS Reagent Delivery Personnel Justin Perkins Bos Mike 1/4/2012 Thatcher Sulfuric Acid Delivery Personnel Nathan Bunting Brant Russ 1/11/2012 Thatcher Reagent Delivery Personnel Justin Perkins Callihan Jeff 1/16/2012 Four Comers Welding Reagent Delivery Personnel Justin Perkins Cameron Randy 1/10/2012 Page Steel Reagent Delivery Personnel Justin Perkins Campbell Max 1/13/2012 Max Campbell Trucking Reagent Delivery Personnel Cameron Palmer Carothers Richard 1/25/2012 Little Maverick Ore Delivery Personnel Cortney Montella Carroll Lester 1/3/2012 R&R Trucking Reagent Delivery Personnel Blake Burtenshaw Caiss Lanny 1/3/2012 Thatcher Sulfuric Acid Delivery Personnel Cameron Palmer Clark Allen 1/27/2012 Trimac Sulfuric Acid Delivery Personnel Tenya Begay Conover Kasey 1/17/2012 Corlett Express Reagent Delivery Personnel Justin Perkins David Harold 1/9/2012 Step Saver Reagent Delivery Personnel Justin Perkins Dayzie Michael 1/25/2012 San Juan Building Supply Reagent Delivery Personnel Justin Perkins Dean Don 1/3/2012 Thatcher Sulfuric Acid Delivery Personnel Cameron Palmer DeJong Mike 1/4/2012 Greenfield Logistic 1 le (2) Delivery Personnel Blake Burtenshaw Donais Ed 1/27/2012 RSB Logistics Ore Delivery Personnel Cortney Montella Dougloss Wayne 1/3/2012 Thatcher Sulfuric Acid Delivery Personnel Cameron Palmer Dunsmore Lon 1/5/2012 Greenfield Logistic 1 Ie (2) Delivery Personnel Cortney Montella Eardley Terry 1/12/2012 Codale Reagent Delivery Personnel Justin Perkins Emerson Charlie 1/18/2012 Four Comers Welding Reagent Deliveiy Personnel Justin Perkins Ferguson Cody 1/11/2012 Bamey Trucking Reagent Delivery Personnel Justin Perkins Fisher David 1/27/2012 R&R Trucking Ore Delivery Personnel Cortney Montella Flinchum Andrew 1/27/2012 Bulk Transportation Sulfuric Acid Delivery Personnel Nathan Bunting Comments Wrong Training 2012 Hazard Awareness Training Name Date Organization Training Received Training Conducted By Gambles Todd 1/5/2012 Greenfield Logistic 1 le (2) Delivery Personnel Blake Burtenshaw Godfrey Charles 1/11/2012 R&R Trucking Ore Delivery Personnel Cortney Montella Goodenough Gary 1/5/2012 CTI Sulfuric Acid Delivery Personnel Nathan Bunting Hammon Ethan 1/23/2012 Hammon Trucking Ore Deliveiy Personnel Cortney Montella Hammon Nathan 1/4/2012 Hammon Trucking Ore Delivery Personnel Blake Burtenshaw Haywood Fredrick 1/3/2012 IXL Transportation Reagent Delivery Personnel Cortney Montella Hiatt, J L 1/27/2012 Bison lnd Reagent Delivery Personnel Justin Perkins Hill Mike 1/22/2012 Step Saver Reagent Delivery Personnel Tenya Begay Huber Melvin 1/4/2012 CTI Sulfuric Acid Delivery Personnel Justin Perkins Ince April 1/9/2012 Four Comers Welding Reagent Delivery Personnel Justin Perkins Jackson Bruce 1/9/2012 R&R Trucking Ore Delivery Personnel Blake Burtenshaw Jennings Jesse Lee 1/4/2012 Munro Reagent Delivery Personnel Justin Perkins Jewkes Ronnie 1/5/2012 Kaman Industrial Technologies Reagent Delivery Personnel Justin Perkins Joesph Danny 1/9/2012 Little Maverick Ore Delivery Personnel Blake Burtenshaw Johnson Rob 1/3/2012 Hammon Trucking Ore Delivery Personnel Cortney Montella Jones Dusty 1/4/2012 Hammon Trucking Ore Delivery Personnel Blake Burtenshaw Karen Craig 1/5/2012 Thatcher Sulfuric Acid Deliveiy Personnel Nathan Bunting King Kody 1/9/2012 Old Dominion Reagent Delivery Personnel Ronnie Nieves Kistler Mark 1/30/2012 Bulk Transportation Sulfuric Acid Delivery Personnel Cameron Palmer Klassen Coiy 1/16/2012 RSB Logistics Ore Delivery Personnel Cortney Montella Lewis Ricky 1/27/2012 Tnmac Sulfuric Acid Delivery Personnel Tenya Begay Marsh Gerald 1/20/2012 Promethus Energy Reagent Delivery Personnel Justin Perkins Mason Mike 1/4/2012 Hammon Trucking Ore Delivery Personnel Cortney Montella Mikesell Mike 1//28/12 Step Saver Reagent Delivery Personnel Tenya Begay Newell Ronald 1/20/2012 Bamey Trucking Reagent Delivery Personnel Justin Perkins Oliver Hamson 1/4/2012 Little Maverick Ore Delivery Personnel Cortney Montella Osborne Bill 1/5/2012 Reed Hurst Trucking Reagent Delivery Personnel Ronnie Nieves Palmasano Vincent 1/3/2012 Thatcher Sulfuric Acid Deliveiy Pei^onnel Cameron Palmer Palmer Ned 1/4/2012 Little Maverick Ore Delivery Personnel Henry Neal Peterson Kyle 1/18/2012 Step Saver Reagent Delivery Personnel Cameron Palmer Pnbble James 1/4/2012 Little Mavenck Ore Delivery Personnel Henry Neal Comments 2012 Hazard Awareness Training Name Date Organization Training Received Training Conducted By Reynolds Al 1/18/2012 TSC Reagent Delivery Personnel Cameron Palmer Robertson Kurt 1/27/2012 Trimac Sulfunc Acid Delivery Personnel Tenya Begay Rogers Brad 1/10/2012 Little Maverick Ore Delivery Personnel Cortney Montella Ruiz, Jesus 1/12/2012 CTI Reagent Delivery Personnel Justin Perkins Sharpe James 1/20/2012 Sharpe Industrial Reagent Delivery Personnel Justin Perkins Sharpe Tom 1/13/2012 Sharpe Industnal Reagent Delivery Personnel Justtn Perkins Shirley Marcus 1/4/2012 CTI Sulfuric Acid Delivery Personnel Justin Perkins Stringham Lanell 1/10/2012 Country Comfort Reagent Delivery Personnel Justin Perkins Sutherland Lee 1/10/2012 Little Maverick Ore Delivery Personnel Cortney Montella Tabor Terry 1/6/2012 Little Maverick Ore Delivery Personnel Cortney Montella Taylor Chris 1/5/2012 Greenfield Logistic 1 le (2) Delivery Personnel Blake Burtenshaw Topping Dennis 1/23/2012 R&R Trucking Ore Delivery Personnel Cortney Montella Tucker Matt 1/25/2012 TSC Reagent Delivery Personnel Justin Perkins Tyler John 1/25/2012 R&R Tmckmg Ore Delivery Personnel Cortney Montella Willson Lenny 1/4/2012 Old Dominion Reagent Delivery Personnel Justin Perkins Williams David 1/10/2012 Little Mavenck Ore Delivery Personnel Cortney Montella Williams Roy 1/5/2012 Little Mavenck Ore Delivery Personnel Cortney Montella Comments