NRC CAL – NOV (White)

On June 1, 2023, the NRC issued a notice of violation to Energy Northwest, Inc. (licensee) for three violations grouped as a problem associated with a white significance determination process finding at Columbia Generating Station (Columbia). The white finding, an issue of low‑to‑moderate safety significance, involved the licensee’s failure to: 1) control work activities in a high radiation area with dose rates greater than 1.0 rem/hour at 30 centimeters; 2) develop surveys of areas that were reasonable under the circumstances to evaluate the magnitude and extent of radiation levels; and 3) use processes or other engineering controls to limit the concentration of radiation material in the air surrounding a work area. These failures are in violation of 10 CFR 20.1701, Columbia Technical Specifications, and 10 CFR 20.1501(a)(2), respectively, which resulted in an airborne radioactivity event and multiple confirmed uptakes of radioactive materials to workers.