Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

General Atomics gets extension to remedy radioactive faults

Predator builder has extra month to respond to inspectors’ critical blast

General Atomics HQ, just east of La Jolla at 3550 General Atomics Court
General Atomics HQ, just east of La Jolla at 3550 General Atomics Court

General Atomics, one of San Diego’s most controversial military contractors and maker of the Predator drone, says it needs more time to respond to a federal inspection report blasting the questionable quality of the company’s radiation detection devices for commercial reactors.

On November 29, a 38-page Notice of Nonconformance called out multiple failures of vital detection equipment, including findings that General Atomics “did not perform periodic testing of the chemical composition of the [detectors’] coating material…nor did [General Atomics] verify the shelf life of the coating material.”

Sponsored
Sponsored

Additionally, the firm failed to “verify the adequacy of the calibration services…which could adversely affect the accuracy of [radiation monitoring systems'] detectors.”

During the inspection, conducted by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission this past autumn, federal inspectors also reported they had witnessed “staff adding and removing lead shields from the stack of lead bricks…without documenting the change in configuration.”

Thus, according to the document, staffers “were unaware of the amount of scattered radiation…and the effect of adding and removing lead from the cart on the amount of scattered radiation.”

Now the company, acknowledging the seriousness of the multiple allegations, has won a 30-day extension to formulate a reply to the criticism, per a December 9 letter from Keith E. Asmussen, director of the firm’s licensing, safety and nuclear compliance division.

General Atomics “takes notices of nonconformance very seriously and wants to reply in a timely manner, but also wants to take the time necessary to research the findings, develop appropriate corrective actions, and provide a comprehensive and well-considered response that addresses the issues and conveys the scope of actions that have been, and will be, taken to improve GA's compliance."

After inspectors left the plant here in October, Asmussen’s letter continues, the company “immediately commenced activities to investigate, evaluate, discuss, revise, and improve its policies and procedures as appropriate. And, while much work has been done, after reviewing the details in the referenced nonconformance report and after considering the resources and time needed to properly address them, and for the reasons given below, GA respectfully requests a 30-day extension of time within which to respond.”

Per the letter, “the nature of the non-conformances demand an in-depth evaluation and plan for explanation and corrective action.”

In addition, “One of GA's key Engineers (and subject matter experts) has been unavoidably out of the office for the last month. This person just returned to the office on December 8, 2016. He will have a lead responsibility in the evaluation and identification of appropriate corrective measures and improvements (especially with regard to proper calibration of [Radiation Monitoring System] detectors).”

Added Asmussen, “It is to be noted that GA essentially shuts down for the holidays during the last week of each year. This year, December 26 and 27 are GA holidays and December 28, 29 and 30, are 'optional workdays.' Thus, GA would need to reply by December 23; just two weeks from now. A comprehensive well­ reasoned reply warrants more time to prepare.”

In a December 16 letter, recently posted online, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s office of new reactors extended the deadline another 30 days.

“We hereby acknowledge your request for an extension, and having considered the circumstances prompting the request, we hereby grant you that extension until January 28, 2017.”

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Top Websites To Buy Instagram Likes + Bonus Tip!

General Atomics HQ, just east of La Jolla at 3550 General Atomics Court
General Atomics HQ, just east of La Jolla at 3550 General Atomics Court

General Atomics, one of San Diego’s most controversial military contractors and maker of the Predator drone, says it needs more time to respond to a federal inspection report blasting the questionable quality of the company’s radiation detection devices for commercial reactors.

On November 29, a 38-page Notice of Nonconformance called out multiple failures of vital detection equipment, including findings that General Atomics “did not perform periodic testing of the chemical composition of the [detectors’] coating material…nor did [General Atomics] verify the shelf life of the coating material.”

Sponsored
Sponsored

Additionally, the firm failed to “verify the adequacy of the calibration services…which could adversely affect the accuracy of [radiation monitoring systems'] detectors.”

During the inspection, conducted by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission this past autumn, federal inspectors also reported they had witnessed “staff adding and removing lead shields from the stack of lead bricks…without documenting the change in configuration.”

Thus, according to the document, staffers “were unaware of the amount of scattered radiation…and the effect of adding and removing lead from the cart on the amount of scattered radiation.”

Now the company, acknowledging the seriousness of the multiple allegations, has won a 30-day extension to formulate a reply to the criticism, per a December 9 letter from Keith E. Asmussen, director of the firm’s licensing, safety and nuclear compliance division.

General Atomics “takes notices of nonconformance very seriously and wants to reply in a timely manner, but also wants to take the time necessary to research the findings, develop appropriate corrective actions, and provide a comprehensive and well-considered response that addresses the issues and conveys the scope of actions that have been, and will be, taken to improve GA's compliance."

After inspectors left the plant here in October, Asmussen’s letter continues, the company “immediately commenced activities to investigate, evaluate, discuss, revise, and improve its policies and procedures as appropriate. And, while much work has been done, after reviewing the details in the referenced nonconformance report and after considering the resources and time needed to properly address them, and for the reasons given below, GA respectfully requests a 30-day extension of time within which to respond.”

Per the letter, “the nature of the non-conformances demand an in-depth evaluation and plan for explanation and corrective action.”

In addition, “One of GA's key Engineers (and subject matter experts) has been unavoidably out of the office for the last month. This person just returned to the office on December 8, 2016. He will have a lead responsibility in the evaluation and identification of appropriate corrective measures and improvements (especially with regard to proper calibration of [Radiation Monitoring System] detectors).”

Added Asmussen, “It is to be noted that GA essentially shuts down for the holidays during the last week of each year. This year, December 26 and 27 are GA holidays and December 28, 29 and 30, are 'optional workdays.' Thus, GA would need to reply by December 23; just two weeks from now. A comprehensive well­ reasoned reply warrants more time to prepare.”

In a December 16 letter, recently posted online, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s office of new reactors extended the deadline another 30 days.

“We hereby acknowledge your request for an extension, and having considered the circumstances prompting the request, we hereby grant you that extension until January 28, 2017.”

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

San Diego Reader 2024 Music & Arts Issue

Favorite fakers: Baby Bushka, Fleetwood Max, Electric Waste Band, Oceans, Geezer – plus upcoming tribute schedule
Next Article

Top Websites To Buy Instagram Likes + Bonus Tip!

Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.