Don't disagree with you - that is one interpretation. It also explicitly states 
Level 1s are to be trended and only Level 2 & 3 used for interplant comparisons.

________________________________
From: [email protected] <[email protected]>
To: [email protected] <[email protected]>
Sent: Thu Dec 09 18:06:38 2010
Subject: RE: Powernet: how are PCE's classified?

In section 2, ACTION LEVELS AND RESPONSES

the document states:

For skin contaminations, a frisker reading should be the maximum reading with 
the frisker held approximately ½ inch away from the affected skin.

For clothing, the frisker reading should be on the inside of the clothing with 
the detector faced away from the skin.

how can that be stated any clearer?

Curtis Hansen
EP Coordinator - Radiation Dose Assessment
Diablo Canyon Power Plant
Pacific Gas and Electric Company
805-545-6278 work
805-801-8185 cell


________________________________
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of 
Bradley, Scott
Sent: Thursday, December 09, 2010 1:36 PM
To: '[email protected]'
Subject: RE: Powernet: how are PCE's classified?

You ask any RPM in the country and they will say they report in accordance with 
the EPRI guidelines.  The issue is interpretation (see earlier post on reading 
INSIDE clothing/shoe vs. reading outside; less than 100 ncpm vs. equal to or 
less than; changing modesties inside the RCA prior to monitoring or when sweat 
soaked; use of sticky pads at “strategic” locations) in an effort to manage the 
metric vs. controlling contamination.

Scott E. Bradley, CHP
Radiation Protection Manager

Office: 254-897-5495     Pager: 817-667-0659
Cell: 254-326-8145        Fax: 254-897-5869
________________________________
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of 
Hansen, Curtis
Sent: Thursday, December 09, 2010 3:07 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: RE: Powernet: how are PCE's classified?

EPRI has gone through all the work to develop a standardized method for 
classifying PCEs by 3 severity levels

They have been very clear on what to count as a PCE and provide advice on what 
to do with the detailed information in order to trend and reduce PCEs

And yet, about 5 times a year, someone puts out a benchmark question asking how 
each plant is counting PCEs in an attempt (I bleieve) to align with the industry

We all track PCEs

EPRI has provided a stardized method to track and report PCEs

that seems to be enough for me -

You want to move towards standardization of PCE statistacal reporting/tracking? 
don't ask what everyone else is doing - adopt the EPRI guidance

Curt Hansen


________________________________
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of 
Thomas J Vandermey
Sent: Thursday, December 09, 2010 9:14 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: RE: Powernet: how are PCE's classified?
I agree with you that shoe contaminations should not be counted the same way as 
skin contaminations, but I don't think the bulk of the industry does it this 
way.  I thought that most plants count any frisker reading on skin or any 
clothing surface, including the bottoms of shoes, equal to or greater than 100 
ccpm by frisker, as a reportable PCE.

My own modest proposal for defining reportable PCEs is: 1000 ccpm on shoes, 300 
ccpm on any other clothing, and 100 ccpm on skin.

Tom VanderMey, CHP
Principal Radiological Engineer
DTE Energy, Fermi 2
734-586-1539

My interpretation of this section is that if I get 300 ncpm on the bottom of a 
shoe but have a <100 ncpm measurement from inside the shoe, I track the PCE but 
do not count it as a "reportable" Level 1 PCE, since the reportable PCEs on 
clothing, as stated in the EPRI guidance, are based on the measured value 
"inside" the clothing, including shoes, gloves, etc.

If you are not using this guidance you may be over-reporting the number of PCEs 
that you have



[email protected] wrote: -----
To: <[email protected]>
From: "Hansen, Curtis" <[email protected]>
Sent by: [email protected]
Date: 12/09/2010 11:14AM
Subject: RE: Powernet: how are PCE's classified?
FYI - many of you may be using the following methodology from EPRI "Guidelines 
for Industry Response to Personnel Contaminations, Revision 1"- maybe not

page 2-1 states in part: (Bold font inserted by me for emphasis)

2
ACTION LEVELS AND RESPONSES

Each individual nuclear utility has its own program that sets a threshold, 
typically equivalent to less than 100 ncpm as measured by a standard pancake 
Geiger-Müller (GM) detector, below which individuals are released from the 
radiologically controlled area.

The following action level guidelines have been developed for the purpose of 
establishing standardized actions to be taken in response to instances of 
personnel contamination above this threshold.

The determination of the EPRI PCE level classification should be based on a 
frisker reading of the skin or the highest reading on clothing.

For skin contaminations, a frisker reading should be the maximum reading with 
the frisker held approximately ½ inch away from the affected skin.

For clothing, the frisker reading should be on the inside of the clothing with 
the detector faced away from the skin.

Additional measurements on clothing may be taken, for example, to determine if 
contamination exists on the bottom of a shoe. The measurement on the bottom of 
the shoe may be of interest from a material control perspective while the 
inside clothing measurement will be more appropriate for assessing a skin dose.

The actions to be completed at each level of contamination are triggered by the 
reading on a frisker or personnel contamination monitor.

For quick reference, a summary of these action levels and responses are 
included in Appendix C.

My interpretation of this section is that if I get 300 ncpm on the bottom of a 
shoe but have a <100 ncpm measurement from inside the shoe, I track the PCE but 
do not count it as a "reportable" Level 1 PCE, since the reportable PCEs on 
clothing, as stated in the EPRI guidance, are based on the measured value 
"inside" the clothing, including shoes, gloves, etc.

If you are not using this guidance you may be over-reporting the number of PCEs 
that you have

Curt Hansen
DCPP Ex Alara Supervisor

________________________________
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of 
Thomas J Vandermey
Sent: Wednesday, December 08, 2010 5:53 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Powernet: how are PCE's classified?

Fermi response:
Is contamination on any type of clothing/coverall counted as a
PCE?  yes

Is contamination on scrubs counted as a PCE?  yes

Are all instances tracked and recorded as a PCE?  yes, but only equal to or 
greater than 100 ccpm are reportable

What instances of contamination on a person or clothing would not
qualify as a PCE?  noble gases, radon progeny, medical, F-18--all not 
reportable and maybe not even recordable

Thanks for your insight

Sasha Albisharat
Bruce A Health Physicist
Ph: 519-361-2673 ext. 13959
pager: 519-370-3194

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