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Archived News Release--Caution:
information may be out of date.
For more information call: (202) 219-6091
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the Department of Labor's
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) have agreed on a
coordinated worker protection plan at two gaseous diffusion plants near
Piketon, Ohio and Paducah, Ky.
"This agreement breaks new ground for OSHA. In our first cooperative
agreement with the NRC, our agencies are able to ensure worker protection at
these two plants, and provide complete coverage of both radiological and
conventional hazards to workers," said Joseph A. Dear, Assistant Secretary of
Labor for Occupational Safety and Health.
The U.S. Enrichment Corporation (USEC) Privatization Act requires the
two agencies to enter an agreement to govern their jurisdiction over job safety
issues. USEC operates the plants under a lease from the U.S. Department of
Energy (DOE), the owner and former operator. The plants use a gaseous diffusion
process to treat material that can be used as nuclear fuel in civilian nuclear
power plants.
The Energy Policy Act of 1992, which established USEC, also required
the NRC to set up a process for certifying that the enrichment plants are
operated in a way that ensures protection of public health and safety. The act
also made the operator of the plants subject to the Occupational Safety and
Health Act, which OSHA administers.
NRC is currently reviewing USEC's applications for certification. DOE
will continue to regulate the plants until NRC assumes jurisdiction following a
planned 120-day transition period after NRC's initial certification.
Under the NRC-OSHA agreement, the NRC will apply its standards to
working conditions involving radiological hazards, while OSHA will apply its
standards to conditions involving non-radiological hazards. Both agencies will
apply their standards to conditions involving a combination of hazards (for
example, if there are both radioactive materials and other hazardous chemicals
in the same work area or if the same chemical poses both radiological and
non-radiological hazards).
The agreement specifies how NRC and OSHA will coordinate their efforts
-- in areas such as inspections, issuing citations, enforcement and response to
worker safety or health complaints -- to avoid duplication of efforts and
eliminate gaps in coverage.
If NRC or OSHA identifies a conflict between the two agencies'
requirements, or if USEC perceives a conflict, both agencies will work together
to resolve the issue promptly.
The agreement was signed by Dear for OSHA and by James M.
Taylor, Executive Director for Operations of the NRC.
Archived News Release--Caution:
information may be out of date.
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