Incident involving a container of metal waste

Incident report

May 25, 2004

On May 19, 2004, a container of fuel hulls and end-fittings that had been insufficiently filled was transferred from the R1 shearing facility to the ACC compaction facility* at the COGEMA La Hague UP2 plant.
The insufficient fill level was detected upon receipt of the drum in the ACC facility and was due to the uneven distribution of the metal materials in the container.
A proposal was made to French nuclear safety authority ASN (Autorité de Sûreté Nucléaire) to classify the incident as a level 1 event on the 7-level International Nuclear Event Scale (INES) for non-compliance with authorized operating parameters without impact on operating personnel or the environment.

*This facility compacts the remaining metal components of used fuel (hulls and end-fittings) after it has been sheared as well as dry active waste. The compacted waste is put into stainless steel containers.