Ariz. Admin. Code § 9-7-322

Current through Register Vol. 30, No. 50, December 13, 2024

Section R9-7-322 - The Need for an Emergency Plan for Response to a Release of Radioactive Material

A. For purposes of this Section, "Emergency Plan" means a procedure that will be followed when an accident occurs involving licensed radioactive materials for which an offsite response may be needed from organizations, such as police, fire, or medical organizations.

B. Each application to possess radioactive materials in unsealed form, on foils or plated sources, or sealed in glass in excess of the quantities in Exhibit D, "Radioactive Material Quantities Requiring Consideration for an Emergency Plan" shall contain either:

1. An evaluation showing that the maximum dose to a person off-site due to a release of radioactive materials would not exceed 1 rem effective dose equivalent or 5 rems to the thyroid; or

2. An emergency plan for responding to a release of radioactive material.

C. One or more of the following factors may be used to support an evaluation submitted under subsection (B)(1):

1. The radioactive material is physically separated so that only a portion could be involved in an accident.

2. All or part of the radioactive material is not subject to release during an accident because of the way it is stored or packaged;

3. The release fraction in the respirable size range would be lower than the release fraction shown in Exhibit D due to the chemical or physical form of the material;

4. The solubility of the radioactive material would reduce the dose received;

5. Facility design or engineered safety features in the facility would cause the release fraction to be lower than shown in Exhibit D;

6. Operating restrictions or procedures would prevent a release fraction as large as that shown in Exhibit D; or

7. Other factors appropriate for the specific facility.

D. An emergency plan for responding to a release of radioactive material submitted under subsection (B)(2) shall include the following information:

1. A brief description of the licensee's facility and areas near the site that could expose a member of the public to a dose equal to or greater than the levels expressed in subsection (B)(1).

2. An identification of each type of radioactive materials accident for which protective actions may be needed.

3. A classification system for classifying accidents as alerts or site area emergencies.

4. Identification of the means of detecting each type of accident in a timely manner.

5. A brief description of the means and equipment for mitigating the consequences of each type of accident, including those provided to protect workers onsite, and a description of the program for maintaining the equipment.

6. A brief description of the methods and equipment to assess releases of radioactive materials.

7. A brief description of the responsibilities of licensee personnel responsible for promptly notifying offsite response organizations and the Department; also responsibilities for developing, maintaining, and updating the plan.

8. A commitment to and a brief description of the means to promptly notify offsite response organizations and request off-site assistance, including medical assistance for the treatment of contaminated and injured onsite workers when appropriate. A control point shall be established. The notification and coordination shall be planned so that unavailability of some personnel, parts of the facility, and some equipment will not prevent the notification and coordination. The licensee shall also commit to notify the Department immediately after notification of the appropriate off-site response organizations and not later than one hour after the licensee declares an emergency.

9. A brief description of the types of information on facility status, radioactive releases, and recommended protective actions, if necessary, to be given to off-site response organizations and to the Department.

10. A brief description of the frequency, performance objectives, and plans for the training that the licensee will provide workers on how to respond to an emergency including any special instructions and orientation tours the licensee would offer to fire, police, medical, and other emergency personnel. The training shall familiarize personnel with site-specific emergency procedures. Also, the training shall thoroughly prepare site personnel for their responsibilities in the event of accident scenarios postulated as most probable for the specific site, including the use of team training for such scenarios.

11. A brief description of the means of restoring the facility to a safe condition after an accident.

12. Provisions for conducting quarterly communications checks with off-site response organizations and biennial onsite exercises to test response to simulated emergencies. Quarterly communications checks with off-site response organizations shall include the verifying and updating of all necessary telephone numbers. The licensee shall invite off-site response organizations to participate in the biennial exercises. Their participation is not required. Exercises shall use accident scenarios postulated as most probable for the specific site and the scenarios shall not be known to most exercise participants. The licensee shall critique each exercise, using individuals without direct implementation responsibility for the plan. Critiques of exercises shall evaluate the appropriateness of the plan, emergency procedures, facilities, equipment, training of personnel, and overall effectiveness of the response. Deficiencies found by the critiques shall be corrected.

13. A certification that the applicant has met its responsibilities in A.R.S. §§ 26-341 through 26-353 (Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act of 1986), if applicable to the applicant's activities at the proposed place of use of the radioactive material.

E. The licensee shall allow 60 days for the off-site response organizations, expected to respond in case of an accident, to comment on the licensee's emergency plan before submitting it to the Department. The licensee shall provide any comments received within the 60 days to the Department with the emergency plan.

Ariz. Admin. Code § R9-7-322

New Section R9-7-322 recodified from R12-1-322, at 24 A.A.R. 813, effective March 22, 2018 (Supp. 18-1).