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After a thorough review, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has determined
that two violations of NRC requirements occurred as a result of the uranium
hexafluoride release at the Honeywell plant in Metropolis, Illinois, in late
December 2003.
NRC inspectors found that Honeywell employees reconfigured the fluorination
system without detailed instructions which allowed the leak to occur. During
the event, the company also failed to implement some parts of its emergency
response plan and did not provide sufficient information to local emergency
responders.
The NRC staff seriously considered a civil penalty against the company in
recognition of the potential consequences. However, since the company has
not been the subject of escalated enforcement action within the past two years,
the NRC considered whether credit was warranted for the company’s corrective
actions. The NRC determined that Honeywell took prompt and comprehensive corrective
actions, exceeding those actually required. As a result, the NRC staff is
proposing no civil penalty, but warned the company that similar violations
in the future could result in further enforcement action.
A copy of the NRC letter to Honeywell which provides details of the violations
is available from the NRC Office of Public Affairs in Atlanta and will be
available through the NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System
(ADAMS) on the NRC's Web Site at www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html.
Help in using ADAMS is available from the NRC Public Document Room at 301-415-4737
or 1-800-397-4209.
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