Department of Energy Cites Fluor B&W Portsmouth, LLC for Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection Violations

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today issued a Preliminary Notice of Violation (PNOV) to Fluor B&W Portsmouth (FBP) for violations of the DOE’s nuclear safety and radiation protection regulations, and has proposed a $243,750 civil penalty.  FBP is responsible for decontamination and decommissioning activities at the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant located in Piketon. Ohio.  Nuclear safety and radiation protection are a priority for the DOE and its enforcement program supports this priority by holding contractors accountable for meeting nuclear safety and radiation protection regulatory requirements.

The violations are associated with the improper alteration of Radiation Protection (RP) documents and other RP violations at the Portsmouth (PORTS) decontamination and decommissioning (D&D) project in Piketon, Ohio, that occurred in April 2013.

The PNOV cites five violations of the DOE’s nuclear safety and radiation protection regulations enforceable under 10 C.F.R. Part 830, Nuclear Safety Management, and 10 C.F.R. Part 835,Occupational Radiation Protection.  The Department categorized the deficiencies as one Severity Level I violation, three Severity Level II violations, and one Severity Level III violation.  The PNOV cites violations in the areas of information requirements, quality improvement, routine testing for operability and work processes, records management, and training.

Section 234A of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended, authorizes the Energy Department to undertake regulatory actions against contractors for violations of its nuclear safety requirements. DOE’s enforcement program encourages contractors to identify and correct nuclear safety deficiencies at an early stage, before they contribute to or result in more serious events.

Additional details on this and other enforcement actions are available from the Office of Enforcement website.