Issuance of Bulletin; NRC Bulletin 96-02, Movement of Heavy Loads Over Spent Fuel, Over Fuel in the Reactor Core, or Over Safety-Related Equipment

Zusammenfassung

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has issued NRC Bulletin 96-02 to holders of operating licenses for nuclear power reactors to verify that licensees are complying with the current licensing basis for each of their facilities with respect to the proper handling and control of heavy loads at nuclear power plants when the plant is operating (in all modes other than cold shutdown, refueling and defueled). The issuance of this bulletin is justified on the basis of the need to ensure compliance with the current licensing basis regarding the weight of heavy loads being moved over spent fuel, over fuel in the reactor core, or over safety-related equipment, and the potentially severe consequences that can result if a load is dropped. Although this bulletin is particularly concerned with heavy load movements while the reactor is operating, the NRC staff is considering further generic actions on the issue of handling heavy loads both while the reactor is operating and during shutdown. This bulletin is available in the NRC Public Document Room under accession number 9604080259. This bulletin is discussed in Commission information paper SECY-96-073 which is also available in the NRC Publi