The NRC issued a citation to Wal-Mart Stores Inc. for improperly transferring and disposing of thousands of exit signs containing tritium, a radioactive isotope of hydrogen. The NRC said that the company had improperly handled 15,000 signs across the country but the most of the violations occurred in so-called "agreement states" that had been delegated authority by NRC. The regulatory action announced by NRC was only for the violations that occurred in the 13 states it has jurisdiction.
The NRC said the improper transfer or disposal of the 2,979 signs and failure to appoint a responsible official were a Severity Level III violation under NRC's enforcement policy that could have resulted in a civil penalty of $369,300. However, the NRC exercised its enforcement discretion and waived the civil penalty based on Wal-Mart's cooperation and prompt corrective actions. The NRC said Wal-Mart informed the NRC in February 2008 that it had lost or could not account for a potentially large number of exit signs. The NRC and agreement state inspectors performed an inspection of Wal-Mart stores in Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, Delaware, Virginia, North Carolina and Ohio from December 2008 through January 2009. Wal-Mart performed an inventory of all tritium exit signs at its stores nationwide, remediated contamination from damaged signs at several stores, and subsequently replaced all tritium exit signs with exit signs that do not contain radioactive material.
The exit signs poses little threat to public health and safety. However, the NRC requires proper record-keeping and disposal of the signs because a damaged or broken sign could cause minor radioactive contamination of the immediate vicinity, requiring environmental cleanup.
As a result of the Wal-Mart experience, the NRC issued a demand for information in January to more than 60 organizations and corporations known to possess large quantities of tritium exit signs, requesting information on record-keeping and accounting of the signs.
The exit signs poses little threat to public health and safety. However, the NRC requires proper record-keeping and disposal of the signs because a damaged or broken sign could cause minor radioactive contamination of the immediate vicinity, requiring environmental cleanup.
As a result of the Wal-Mart experience, the NRC issued a demand for information in January to more than 60 organizations and corporations known to possess large quantities of tritium exit signs, requesting information on record-keeping and accounting of the signs.
Exit signs are a must for every building. In order to avoid costly OSHA and regulatory fines, all exits must be identified with signs that have letters at least 4 inches high and are visible from a distance.
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