Issue Date: 10/29/01 - 1 - 87250

NRC INSPECTION MANUAL IMNS/MSIB

INSPECTION PROCEDURE 87250

LOCATING MISSING MATERIALS LICENSEES

PROGRAM APPLICABILITY: 2800

87250-01 INSPECTION OBJECTIVE

The objective of this procedure is to give guidance on how to locate missing materials |

licensees.

87250-02 INSPECTION REQUIREMENTS

02.01 Regional staff should attempt to locate missing materials licensees through routine |

staff inquiries, without unduly disrupting other licensing and inspection activities. In those

instances when a licensee cannot readily be located, each Region should follow its internal |

procedures to authorize the services of a contractor to locate the licensee (see paragraphs |

03.03, 03.04 and 03.05). In addition, other cognizant offices (e.g., Office of Nuclear |

Material Safety and Safeguards, Office of the Chief Financial Officer, etc.) should be |

notified of the status of the licensee.

87250-03 INSPECTION GUIDANCE

03.01 Often, the fact that a materials licensee has moved from the location specified in

the license is first discovered when the post office returns mail. On other occasions, when

inspectors have gone to the designated location, they have found the licensed location

apparently abandoned. It is important to locate missing licensees to determine whether

they still possess the licensed radioactive material, whether the materials have been

properly transferred or disposed, and if the facility has been properly decommissioned, to

ensure that no danger to public health and safety exists. This is particularly true in the

case of licensees such as radioagraphers or well loggers who operate at many locations

and may possess gigabecquerel (multicurie) quantities of material.

03.02 In attempting to locate missing materials licensees, the staff should use any or all

of the following techniques:

a. If the licenseeís former location is currently occupied by tenants other than the

licensee, contact them to determine if they have any information regarding the

licenseeís workers or new location.

b. If the licensee was the property owner or occupant and sold the property without

requesting that NRC terminate the license, contact the new owner.
87250 - 2 - Issue Date: 10/29/01

c. Consult the local county or municipal land title office for property transfer records.

| d. Use directory assistance to locate the telephone number of the licensee. 

| e. Use directory assistance to locate the home telephone numbers of last-known

licensee contacts, such as the current or former licensee radiation safety officer

and company officials.

| f. Make official telephone contacts with last known suppliers such as radiography

suppliers; major suppliers of unsealed isotopes for research; local nuclear

| pharmacies; medical consultants, etc.

| g. Make informal contacts with local fire and police departments and the U.S. Postal

Service.

h. Use available electronic media such as CD ROM databases and Internet search

| capabilities. See Appendix A for some helpful Internet search information.

| i. Contact the regional Office of Investigation staff to assist in locating the last known

| licensee contact(s).

03.03 If the routine staff inquiry is unable to locate the missing licensee and there is a

health and safety concern, a contractor should be employed to locate the licensee. Obtain

a contract for a service called a routine ìwhereaboutsî trace, otherwise known as a

ìskiptrace.î Attorneys and collection agents regularly employ such types of locating

services. Many companies offer this service throughout the country.

| 03.04 Arrange contracts for these services in accordance with the Small Purchase

provisions of Management Directive 11.1. The Region should provide funding from

available budgeted resources.

| 03.05 Ensure that the contractor understands that the service is limited to locating the

licensee or the former owner. The contractor must not carry out any activity beyond t

location of the individual(s) in question. Staff must contact and follow up with the licensee,

once the licensee is located. If the contractor investigation and/or staff follow up results

in indications of wrongdoing or willful violations of regulatory requirements, staff should

follow procedures in Management Directive 8.8, regarding referral to the Office of

Investigations.

| 03.06 If all attempts to locate the licensee are unsuccessful, the Regional office should

| prepare a written record of all methods used in its attempt to locate the missing licensee.

| The record should document the following:

|

| a. Actions taken to locate the missing licensee.

|

| b. The reason for not using a contractor to locate the licensee, if a contractor was

| not used.

|

| c. An evaluation of the health and safety risks and consequences related to the

| missing licensee.

|

| d. A conclusion as to why further effort to find the licensee or the licensed material

| will not be expended.

|

| The region should place this record into ADAMS. Finally, the region should conduct any

| further miscellaneous licensing action as necessary. 
Issue Date: 10/29/01 - 3 - 87250

87250-04 STAFF RESOURCE ESTIMATE |

04.01 Normally, staff efforts devoted to routine inquiries regarding locating a missing |

licensee should not exceed hours per licensee. However, this time may be increased if it

is believed that the missing/unaccounted for material involves health and safety concerns

and/or consequences. 

04.02 Record staff time for inspection efforts in the STARFIRE Financial and Resource |

Management System under this Inspection Procedure Number (87250) along with all other |

applicable time and labor reporting codes (i.e., Docket Number for the licensee, Report |

Number, etc.) |

END

Attachments:

Appendix A, Internet Searches
Issue Date: 10/29/01 A-1 87250, Appendix A

| APPENDIX A

|

| INTERNET SEARCHES

|

| Forward: Material on the World Wide Web can be transitory in nature. Consequently, any

| of the following Internet web addresses and search information is subject to change without

| notice.

|

| SEARCH ENGINES

|

| Search engines work in different ways. In order to enhance the ability to get the

| information needed, it is helpful to understand how different search engines work. For

| information on how various search engines behave, see the following web site: http://

| www.onlineinc.com/ database/DB1999/net2.html.

|

| Common search engines include:

|

| ï www.altavista.com

| ï www.alltheweb.com

| ï www.lycos.com

| ï www.hotbot.com

| ï www.excite.com

| ï www.infoseek.com 

| ï www.northernlight.com/search.html

|

| INTERNET RESOURCES

|

| For a wealth of information on Internet resources, visit the following web site.

|

| http://www.searchengineshowdown.com/

|

| COMPANY ACQUISITIONS/MERGERS

|

| When one company acquires or merges with another, it is useful to find the new owner by

| use of the company trademark. For information about company trademarks, visit the

| following web site:

|

| http://www.uspto.gov/web/menu/tm.html

|

| For information on company merges, see http://www.corporateaffiliations.com

|

| SEARCHES BY CITY AND ZIP CODE

|

| When the only information available on a company is itís city and zip code, it can be useful

| to locate the company via the zip code. To do so, visit:

|

| http://www.framed.usps.com/ncsc/lookups/looup_ctystzip.html