NRC TO DISCUSS CORRECTIVE ACTIONS ON DEC. 10

WITH SELF-SHIELDED IRRADIATOR SERVICES COMPANY

 Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will hold a public meeting with Gamma Irradiator 

Service (GIS) on Monday, Dec. 10, to discuss the actions taken and planned by the 

Pennsylvania-based company to prevent a recurrence of an overexposure event involving an 

irradiator in New Jersey on Oct. 8, 2011.

 The meeting will begin at 10 a.m. at the NRC Region I Office, at 2100 Renaissance Blvd. 

in King of Prussia, Pa. (Directions to the office can be found at: http://www.nrc.gov/aboutnrc/locations/region1.html ). It will take place in the Yellowstone Meeting Room (Room 2109).

Members of the public will be able to ask questions of NRC staff prior to the meeting’s 

adjournment.

Interested members of the public can participate in this meeting via a toll-free 

teleconference. For details about the teleconference, or if you wish to attend the meeting in 

person, contact Kathy Modes at 610-337-5251 or by e-mail at Kathy.Modes@NRC.GOV by 

Dec. 6.

 GIS, which is based in Benton, Pa., performs preventive maintenance and other services 

on irradiators. On Oct. 8, 2011, employees of the firm were involved in an event at an irradiator 

facility in Raritan, N.J., in which a GIS employee and two subcontractors were exposed to 

radiation in excess of regulatory limits. The overexposure event occurred while a radioactive 

source was being loaded into an irradiator.

“While there were no expected health impacts for the workers involved in this event, the 

NRC is interested in the actions taken since then to prevent a recurrence or more serious event 

from occurring,” NRC Region I Administrator Bill Dean said.

 At the time of the event, the work was being performed under the jurisdiction of the State 

of New Jersey. However, the event raised questions for the NRC regarding the adequacy of 

radiological controls used by GIS, since they would also be utilized when the company was 

performing work that is under NRC jurisdiction.

NRC NEWS

U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

Office of Public Affairs, Region I 

2100 Renaissance Blvd., King of Prussia, Pa. 19406-2713

E-mail: opa1@nrc.gov 

Site: www.nrc.gov

Blog: http://public-blog.nrc-gateway.gov

No. I-12-048

Contact: Diane Screnci, (610) 337-5330

 Neil Sheehan, (610) 337-5331

Dec. 3, 2012

Email: opa1.resource@nrc.gov
 On Oct. 20, 2011, the NRC issued a Confirmatory Action Letter to GIS (available in the 

NRC’s electronic documents system at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html under 

Accession number ML112930388). That letter listed actions to be taken by the company to 

address issues associated with the Oct. 8, 2011 event, including retaining a third party to assess 

the adequacy of the company’s operating and emergency procedures. With over a year since the 

event to implement corrective actions, GIS management will discuss those actions with the NRC 

at the Dec. 10th meeting.

In addition to NRC staff, representatives from regulatory agencies in New Jersey and 

Pennsylvania responsible for overseeing GIS activities in their respective states are expected to 

attend the meeting.

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