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NRC: Honeywell Failed to Declare Alert

NRC: Honeywell Failed to Declare Alert
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By West Kentucky Star Staff
Apr. 21, 2015 | METROPOLIS, IL
By West Kentucky Star Staff Apr. 21, 2015 | 10:32 AM | METROPOLIS, IL
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has issued a notice of violation to the Honeywell facility in Metropolis for the failure to declare an Alert and properly notify the NRC in response to a uranium hexafluoride leak that occurred on October 26, 2014. 

The NRC staff offered Honeywell the opportunity to address the apparent violation identified by the NRC by either attending a predecisional enforcement conference or by providing a written response.  In a March letter, Honeywell officials provided an explanation of the cause of the violation and actions taken to reduce the likelihood of it happening again.

Based on an NRC inspection and the Honeywell response, the NRC has determined that there was a violation of NRC requirements. Because the company has not been subject to escalated NRC enforcement action during the past two years and has taken corrective actions, the NRC enforcement policy means the agency will not levy a fine against Honeywell. The company’s corrective actions came after a confirmatory action letter issued by the NRC in November documented Honeywell’s commitment to revise procedures for classifying an emergency. Those procedure revisions were successfully demonstrated during an emergency exercise in November.

“The incident did not result in any significant actual consequences because the hazardous situation did not exist beyond the site boundary.” Said NRC Region II Administrator Victor McCree. “However, this enforcement action is warranted because of the inability of the plant staff to recognize that conditions existed that required the Alert declaration. Had the leak been more severe, there could have a hazardous environment beyond the site boundary and potential exposure to the public.” 

West Kentucky Star asked the NRC what the substance in the air around the plant that night (pictured with this story) was determined to be. They responded by saying, "The release did contain uranium hexafluoride, but the NRC found that the quantities that may have crossed the site boundary did not pose an environmental or health risk to nearby residents."

Union workers on picket lines at the plant that night said they heard the sirens and saw the water-suppression system activate to keep the chemical plume from being carried by the wind. 

Since Honeywell has already responded to the violation and taken appropriate corrective actions, the NRC says they require no further actions from the company. 


Response from Honeywell:

"This notice of violation was expected and the company is pleased to have closed the books with the NRC related to its response to the Oct. 2014 material release at the plant. The NRC has previously noted that the plant properly mitigated the release and that the release did not endanger the community. The NRC also acknowledged that the plant has changed its  procedures on how incidents are classified going forward. The company remains committed to safely operating the facility."





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