| (a) Immediate notification. Each licensee shall notify the
executive director as soon as possible, but not later than four hours after
the discovery of an event that prevents immediate protective actions necessary
to avoid exposures to radiation or radioactive materials that could exceed
regulatory limits or releases of radioactive materials that could exceed limits
(e.g., events may include fires, explosions, toxic gas releases, etc.). Notwithstanding
any other requirements for notification, each licensee shall immediately report
to the executive director each event involving licensed radioactive material
possessed by the licensee that may have caused or threatens to cause any of
the following conditions:
(1) an individual to receive:
(A) a total effective dose equivalent of 25 rems (0.25 sievert)
or more;
(B) a lens dose equivalent of 75 rems (0.75 sievert) or more;
or
(C) a shallow-dose equivalent to the skin or extremities or
a total organ dose equivalent of 250 rads (2.5 grays) or more; or
(2) the release of radioactive material inside or outside of
a restricted area so that, had an individual been present for 24 hours, the
individual could have received an intake five times the annual limit on intake
(ALI). This provision does not apply to locations where personnel are not
normally stationed during routine operations, such as hot-cells or process
enclosures.
(b) Twenty-four hour notification. Each licensee shall, within
24 hours of discovery of the event, report to the executive director any event
involving loss of control of licensed material possessed by the licensee that
may have caused, or threatens to cause, any of the following conditions:
(1) an individual to receive, in a period of 24 hours:
(A) total effective dose equivalent exceeding five rems (0.05
sievert);
(B) a lens dose equivalent exceeding 15 rems (0.15 sievert);
or
(C) a shallow-dose equivalent to the skin or extremities or
a total organ dose equivalent exceeding 50 rems (0.5 sievert); or
(2) the release of radioactive material inside or outside of
a restricted area so that, had an individual been present for 24 hours, the
individual could have received an intake in excess of one ALI. This provision
does not apply to locations where personnel are not normally stationed during
routine operations, such as hot-cells or process enclosures; or
(3) an unplanned contamination event that:
(A) requires access to the contaminated area, by workers or
the public, to be restricted for more than 24 hours by imposing additional
radiological controls or by prohibiting entry into the area;
(B) involves a quantity of material greater than five times
the lowest annual limit on intake specified in §336.359 of this title
(relating to Appendix B. Annual Limits on Intake (ALI) and Derived Air Concentrations
(DAC) of Radionuclides for Occupational Exposure; Effluent Concentrations;
Concentrations for Release to Sanitary Sewerage); and
(C) has access to the area restricted for a reason other than
to allow isotopes with a half-life of less than 24 hours to decay prior to
decontamination; or
(4) an event in which equipment is disabled or fails to function
as designed when:
(A) the equipment is required by rule or license condition
to prevent releases exceeding regulatory limits, to prevent exposures to radiation
and radioactive materials exceeding regulatory limits, or to mitigate the
consequences of an accident;
(B) the equipment is required to be available and operable
when it is disabled or fails to function; and
(C) no redundant equipment is available and operable to perform
the required safety function; or
(5) an event that requires unplanned medical treatment at a
medical facility of an individual with spreadable radioactive contamination
on the individual's clothing or body; or
(6) an unplanned fire or explosion damaging any radioactive
material or any device, container, or equipment containing radioactive material
when:
(A) the quantity of material involved is greater than five
times the lowest annual limit on intake specified in §336.359 of this
title; and
(B) the damage affects the integrity of the radioactive material
or its container.
(c) Preparation and submission of reports. Reports made by
licensees in response to the requirements of this section must be made as
follows.
(1) Telephone report. Licensees shall make reports required
by subsections (a) and (b) of this section by telephone, accompanied by a
facsimile, to the executive director. To the extent that the information is
available at the time of notification, the information provided in these reports
must include:
(A) the caller's name and telephone number;
(B) a description of the event, including date and time;
(C) the exact location of the event;
(D) the isotopes, quantities, and chemical and physical form
of the radioactive material involved; and
(E) any personnel radiation exposure data available.
(2) Written report. Each licensee who makes a report required
by subsections (a) and (b) of this section shall submit a written follow-up
report to the executive director within 30 days of the initial report. Written
reports prepared under other regulations may be submitted to fulfill this
requirement if the reports contain all of the necessary information. These
written reports must be sent to the executive director. The reports must include:
(A) a description of the event, including the probable cause
and the manufacturer and model number (if applicable) of any equipment that
failed or malfunctioned;
(B) the exact location of the event;
(C) the isotopes, quantities, and chemical and physical form
of the radioactive material involved;
(D) date and time of the event;
(E) corrective actions taken or planned and the results of
any evaluations or assessments; and
(F) the extent of exposure of individuals to radiation or to
radioactive materials. The licensee shall prepare the report so that names
of individuals are stated in a separate and detachable part of the report.
(d) Confirmation of notification. Licensees shall make the
reports required by subsections (a) and (b) of this section by telephone and
shall confirm the telephone report within 24 hours by telegram, mailgram,
or facsimile.
(e) Exception to notification. The provisions of this section
do not apply to doses that result from planned special exposures, provided
those doses are within the limits for planned special exposures and are reported
under §336.353 of this title (relating to Reports of Planned Special
Exposures).
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