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Home > What We Do > How We Regulate > Events Assessment
Events Assessment
Each licensee must send information to NRC about certain "reportable
events" that occur at their facility or during their use of nuclear
materials. For more information see our Event Reporting Guidelines.
The reported events are reviewed at the headquarters by a group of technical
experts using plant specific risk insights and operating experience to
identify significant weaknesses in plant design, operation, or equipment
problems. When problem areas are identified, the headquarters coordinates
the appropriate level of inspections with the regional offices to reach
a satisfactory resolution. In certain cases, these reported events are
addressed through generic communications to the industry, other interested
or potentially affected parties and are made available to the public through
the web. The reports that address a major deficiency in design or construction,
major degradation of essential safety-related equipment, or moderate release
or exposure to radioactive material are forwarded to the NRC Office of
Research for inclusion in the annual Report to the US congress on Abnormal
Occurrences.
The vast majority of event reports are routine and do not require activation
of our incident response program. For information on how we respond to
an event that could threaten public health and safety, see Emergency
Preparedness and Response.
For recent event reports, see the following:
- Event Notification
Report - short-term reports to NRC of conditions or events related
to facilities regulated by NRC, usually under 10
CFR 50.72.
- Preliminary
Notifications - Prompt NRC dissemination of information about incidents
related to facilities regulated by NRC or Agreement
States.
- Licensee Event Reports (LERs) - detailed reports submitted NRC within
60 days of a plant abnormality in accordance with 10
CFR 50.73. These reports contain root causes and corrective actions
undertaken by licensee. Some plant abnormalities that are not of a significant
nature are reported only through LERs.
- Nuclear Materials Events - records
of incidents involving radioactive material licensed under NRC regulations
or compatible Agreement
State regulations.
- Part 21
Reports - Vendor or licensee reports to NRC of defects of basic
components or regulatory noncompliances representing substantial safety
hazards, as required by Part
21 of NRC's regulations.
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