Regulations last checked for updates: Nov 22, 2024

Title 10 - Energy last revised: Nov 19, 2024
§ 20.2202 - Notification of incidents.

(a) Immediate notification. Notwithstanding any other requirements for notification, each licensee shall immediately report any event involving byproduct, source, or special nuclear material possessed by the licensee that may have caused or threatens to cause any of the following conditions—

(1) An individual to receive—

(i) A total effective dose equivalent of 25 rems (0.25 Sv) or more; or

(ii) A lens dose equivalent of 75 rems (0.75 Sv) or more; or

(iii) A shallow-dose equivalent to the skin or extremities of 250 rads (2.5 Gy) or more; or

(2) The release of radioactive material, inside or outside of a restricted area, so that, had an individual been present for 24 hours, the individual could have received an intake five times the annual limit on intake (the provisions of this paragraph do not apply to locations where personnel are not normally stationed during routine operations, such as hot-cells or process enclosures).

(b) Twenty-four hour notification. Each licensee shall, within 24 hours of discovery of the event, report any event involving loss of control of licensed material possessed by the licensee that may have caused, or threatens to cause, any of the following conditions:

(1) An individual to receive, in a period of 24 hours—

(i) A total effective dose equivalent exceeding 5 rems (0.05 Sv); or

(ii) A lens dose equivalent exceeding 15 rems (0.15 Sv); or

(iii) A shallow-dose equivalent to the skin or extremities exceeding 50 rems (0.5 Sv); or

(2) The release of radioactive material, inside or outside of a restricted area, so that, had an individual been present for 24 hours, the individual could have received an intake in excess of one occupational annual limit on intake (the provisions of this paragraph do not apply to locations where personnel are not normally stationed during routine operations, such as hot-cells or process enclosures).

(c) The licensee shall prepare any report filed with the Commission pursuant to this section so that names of individuals who have received exposure to radiation or radioactive material are stated in a separate and detachable part of the report.

(d) Reports made by licensees in response to the requirements of this section must be made as follows:

(1) Licensees having an installed Emergency Notification System shall make the reports required by paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section to the NRC Operations Center in accordance with 10 CFR 50.72; and

(2) All other licensees shall make the reports required by paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section by telephone to the NRC Headquarters Operations Center at the numbers specified in appendix A to part 73 of this chapter.

(e) The provisions of this section do not include doses that result from planned special exposures, that are within the limits for planned special exposures, and that are reported under § 20.2204.

[56 FR 23406, May 21, 1991, as amended at 56 FR 40766, Aug. 16, 1991; 57 FR 57879, Dec. 8, 1992; 59 FR 14086, Mar. 25, 1994; 63 FR 39483, July 23, 1998; 85 FR 65661, Oct. 16, 2020]
authority: Atomic Energy Act of 1954, secs. 11, 53, 63, 65, 81, 103, 104, 161, 170H, 182, 186, 223, 234, 274, 1701 (42 U.S.C. 2014,2073,2093,2095,2111,2133,2134,2201,2210h,2232,2236,2273,2282,2021,2297f; Energy Reorganization Act of 1974, secs. 201, 202 (42 U.S.C. 5841,5842; Low-Level Radioactive Waste Policy Amendments Act of 1985, sec. 2 (42 U.S.C. 2021b); 44 U.S.C. 3504 note
cite as: 10 CFR 20.2202