What characterizes a Tier 2 violation?

• A. A violation with significant potential for serious adverse health effects from short-term exposure.
• B. A violation with potential serious but not immediate adverse health effects.
• C. A violation with minor monitoring/testing issues.
• D. A violation that requires immediate plant shutdown.

Answer: (B)

Tier levels for public notification are used to match urgency and health risk to the required response time. Tier 2 is the middle category: it covers violations that could lead to serious health effects, but the risk is not immediate. In other words, there is potential for significant health impact if the issue persists or exposure occurs, yet there isn’t an instantaneous, acute threat that demands immediate action. This is different from Tier 1, which flags urgent or significant short-term health risks that require very rapid notification, and from Tier 3, which covers issues with no known or suspected health effects and is less urgent. So a Tier 2 violation signals a notable health concern that needs timely public notification and corrective measures, but not the immediate crisis indicated by Tier 1.