Information Notice 1995-23, Control Room Staffing Below Minimum Regulatory Requirements

Control Room Staffing Below Minimum Regulatory Requirements

ML031060197
Person / Time
Site:	Beaver Valley, Millstone, Hatch, Monticello, Calvert Cliffs, Dresden, Davis Besse, Peach Bottom, Browns Ferry, Salem, Oconee, Mcguire, Nine Mile Point, Palisades, Palo Verde, Perry, Indian Point, Fermi, Kewaunee, Catawba, Harris, Wolf Creek, Saint Lucie, Point Beach, Oyster Creek, Watts Bar, Hope Creek, Grand Gulf, Cooper, Sequoyah, Byron, Pilgrim, Arkansas Nuclear, Three Mile Island, Braidwood, Susquehanna, Summer, Prairie Island, Columbia, Seabrook, Brunswick, Surry, Limerick, North Anna, Turkey Point, River Bend, Vermont Yankee, Crystal River, Haddam Neck, Ginna, Diablo Canyon, Callaway, Vogtle, Waterford, Duane Arnold, Farley, Robinson, Clinton, South Texas, San Onofre, Cook, Comanche Peak, Yankee Rowe, Maine Yankee, Quad Cities, Humboldt Bay, La Crosse, Big Rock Point, Rancho Seco, Zion, Midland, Bellefonte, Fort Calhoun, FitzPatrick, McGuire, LaSalle, Fort Saint Vrain, Shoreham, Satsop, Trojan, Atlantic Nuclear Power Plant
Issue date:	04/24/1995
From:	Grimes B Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
To:
References
IN-95-023, NUDOCS 9504180074
Download: ML031060197 (9)

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UNITED STATt' ' '

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

OFFICE OF NUCLEAR REACTOR REGULATION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20555-0001 April 24, 1995 NRC INFORMATION NOTICE 95-23: CONTROL ROOM STAFFING BELOW MINIMUM

REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS

Addressees

All holders of operating licenses or construction permits for nuclear power

reactors and all licensed operators and senior operators at those reactors.

PurDose

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing this information

notice to alert addressees to several instances in which control room staffing

fell below regulatory requirements. It is expected that recipients will

review the information for applicability to their facilities and consider

actions, as appropriate, to avoid similar problems. This information notice

establishes no new NRC requirements; therefore, no specific action or written

response is required.

Description of Circumstances

From 1992 through 1994, a number of events occurred where facilities failed to

maintain the required number of licensed reactor operators (ROs) or senior

reactor operators (SROs) in the control room or at the controls of the

facility as required by 10 CFR 50.54(k), 10 CFR 50.54(m)(2)(iii), and facility

Technical Specifications and procedures.

On June 3, 1992, the senior nuclear shift supervisor (a licensed SRO) at Hope

Creek turned over responsibility for the control room to the nuclear shift

supervisor (also a licensed SRO) in order to attend a staff meeting. Sometime

later, the nuclear shift supervisor, believing that he had turned over command

of the control room to another licensed SRO, in this case the shift technical

advisor, left the control room to check an equipment problem in the plant.

The shift technical advisor, believing that the turnover of responsibility was

yet to occur, returned to the work control office outside the control room.

The nuclear shift supervisor and the shift technical advisor left the control

room via different exits, thinking that the other would remain in the control

room. The ROs noted their absence and paged the shift technical advisor, who

returned within 3 minutes.

On October 9, 1992, the only SRO in the Nine Mile Point 1 control room (the

shift supervisor) violated 10 CFR 50.54(m)(2)(iii) when he left the control

room for 5 minutes with the plant at full power.

On February 14, 1993, the only SRO in the South Texas Project Unit 2 control

room (the unit supervisor) violated 10 CFR 50.54(m)(2)(iii) when he left the

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IN 95-23 April 24, 1995 control room to observe an RO perform a portion of a surveillance procedure.

The unit supervisor was gone for about 40 seconds while the plant was in hot

shutdown; he immediately realized his error and returned to the control room.

On October 14, 1993, the control room staffing at the Byron Station went below

the minimum requirements in 10 CFR 50.54(m)(2)(iii) for approximately

22 minutes while one unit was shutdown and the other unit was at full power.

The senior control room engineer (a licensed SRO) in charge of the dual-unit

control room was relieved by the Unit 2 shift foreman (a licensed SRO not

usually stationed in the control room) for a routine facility tour. The

Unit 2 shift foreman, then the only SRO in the control room, subsequently left

to investigate an equipment problem. The ROs did not realize that an SRO was

not present until an equipment operator contacted the control room to speak to

the senior control room engineer. The Unit 2 shift foreman subsequently

returned to the control room.

On April 22, 1994, the licensed operators at H. B. Robinson violated

10 CFR 50.54(m)(2)(iii) when they all vacated the Nat the controls" area for a

period of 5 to 10 seconds while the plant was at full power. The on-duty

shift technical advisor, who was not a licensed RO or SRO, noted that the last

operator had departed and informed that operator that he was required to stay

in the "at the controls' area. The operator returned immediately.

On September 28, 1994, the nuclear shift supervisor at the Hope Creek Station, who had responsibility for the control room, inadvertently walked out of the

control room to the adjacent work control office for approximately 18 seconds, thereby leaving the control room with no SRO with an active license.

On November 28, 1994, the control room staffing at Shearon Harris fell below

the minimum requirements in 10 CFR 50.54(m)(2)(iii) for approximately

4 minutes while the plant was at power. The 2 ROs on shift vacated the

control room, leaving the SRO and 3 nonlicensed operators to watch the plant.

The nonlicensed operators were assigned to the primary and balance-of-plant

controls and to the SRO desk. Each was in training under the direct

supervision of a licensed RO, but they were not performing any licensed duties

at the time. When the trainee at the balance-of-plant position realized that

he was without the direct supervision of a licensed operator, the SRO paged an

RO to return to the control room.

Discussion

10 CFR 50.54(k) and 10 CFR 50.54(m)(2)(Iii) require that an SRO be in the

control room at all times when a nuclear power unit is in an operational mode

other than cold shutdown or refueling. In addition to that SRO, the

regulations further require that an RO or another SRO be present at the

controls at all times. Furthermore, 10 CFR 55.53(d) states that all licensed

operators are subject to, and must observe, all applicable rules, regulations, and orders of the NRC. The NRC has taken enforcement action against both

facility licensees and individual licensed operators for failing to meet these

requirements in certain of the above instances.

IN 95-23 April 24, 1995 Several facilities have identified root causes of failing to meet manning

requirements; those causes span human error, inadequate communications, lack

of understanding of proficiency watch requirements, false perceptions of

adequate shift staffing, and failure to understand supervisory

responsibilities. Among the corrective actions and preventive measures

licensees have adopted to address this problem are counseling and discipline, specific training on regulatory requirements, and physical adaptations to

security cards such as clips or bands that serve as reminders to operators not

to leave the control room.

This information notice requires no specific action or written response. If

you have any questions about the information in this notice, please contact

the technical contacts listed below or the appropriate Office of Nuclear

Reactor Regulation (NRR) project manager.

Brian K. Grmes, Director Xr

Division of Projects Supportl

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Technical contacts: Stuart A. Richards, NRR

(301) 415-1031 Neal K. Hunemuller, NRR

(301) 415-1152 Attachment:

List of Recently Issued NRC Information Notices

Attachment

IN 95-23 April 24, 1995 LIST OF RECENTLY ISSUED

NRC INFORMATION NOTICES

Information Date of

Notice No. Subject Issuance Issued to

95-22 Hardened or Contaminated 04/21/95 All holders of OLs or CPs

Lubricants Cause Metal

Clad Circuit Breaker

Failures

95-21 Unexpected Degradation 04/20/95 All holders of OLs or CPs

of Lead Storage Batteries for nuclear power reactors.

94-64, Reactivity Insertion 04/06/95 All holders of OLs or CPs

Supp. 1 Transient and Accident for nuclear power reactors

Limits for High Burnup

Fuel

95-18, Potential Pressure-Locking 03/31/95 All holders of OLs or CPs

Supp. 1 of Safety-Related Power- for nuclear power reactors.

Operated Gate Valves

95-20 Failures in Rosemount 03/22/95 All holders of OLs or CPs

Pressure Transmitters for nuclear power reactors.

due to Hydrogen Per- meation into the Sensor

Cell

95-19 Failure of Reactor Trip 03/22/95 All holders of OLs or CPs

Breaker to Open Because for nuclear power reactors.

of Cutoff Switch Material

Lodged in the Trip Latch

Mechanism

95-18 Potential Pressure-Locking 03/15/95 All holders of OLs or CPs

of Safety-Related Power- for nuclear power reactors.

Operated Gate Valves

95-17 Reactor Vessel Top Guide 03/10/95 All holders of OLs or CPs

and Core Plate Cracking for boiling water reactors.

95-16 Vibration Caused by 03/09/95 All holders of OLs or CPs

Increased Recirculation for boiling water reactors.

Flow in a Boiling Water

Reactor

OL - Operating License

CP - Construction Permit

IN 95-23 April 24, 1995 Several facilities have identified root causes of failing to meet manning

requirements; those causes span human error, inadequate communications, lack

of understanding of proficiency watch requirements, false perceptions of

adequate shift staffing, and failure to understand supervisory

responsibilities. Among the corrective actions and preventive measures

licensees have adopted to address this problem are counseling and discipline, specific training on regulatory requirements, and physical adaptations to

security cards such as clips or bands that serve as reminders to operators not

to leave the control room.

This information notice requires no specific action or written response. If

you have any questions about the information in this notice, please contact

the technical contacts listed below or the appropriate Office of Nuclear

Reactor Regulation (NRR) project manager.

Brian K. Grimes, Director

Division of Projects Support

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Technical contacts: Stuart A. Richards, NRR

(301) 415-1031 Neal K. Hunemuller, NRR

(301) 415-1152 Attachment:

List of Recently Issued NRC Information Notices

DOCUMENT NAME: 95-23.IN

with attachment/enclosure K

• No copy

To receive a copy of this document, indicate in the box C=Copy w/o attachment/enclosure E=Copy

OFFICE *HOLB/DRCH lIE_l *HOLB/DRCH E *HOLB/DRCH E *TECH/ED

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NAM BBoger NHunemuller AChaffee/RLD BKGrimes

DATE 03/13/95 03/14/95 03/15/95 04/ I95 Aj

OFFICIAL RECORD COPY

IN 95-XX

April XX, 1995 adequate shift staffing, and failure to understand supervisory

responsibilities. Among the corrective actions and preventive measures

licensees have adopted to address this problem are counseling and discipline, specific training on regulatory requirements, and physical adaptations to

security cards such as clips or bands that serve as reminders to operators not

to leave the control room.

This information notice requires no specific action or written response. If

you have any questions about the information in this notice, please contact

the technical contact listed below or the appropriate Office of Nuclear

Reactor Regulation (NRR) project manager.

Brian K. Grimes, Director

Division of Projects Support

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Technical contacts: Stuart A. Richards, NRR

(301) 415-1031 Neal K. Hunemuller, NRR

(301) 415-1152 Attachment: List of Recently Issued

NRC Information Notices

DOCUMENT NAME: G:\NKH\IN-OUT.SXG

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IN 95-XX

March XX, 1995 adequate shift staffing, and failure to understand supervisory

responsibilities. Among the corrective actions and preventive measures

licensees have adopted to address this problem are counseling and discipline, specific training on 10 CFR requirements, and physical adaptations to security

cards such as clips or bands that serve as reminders to operators not to leave

the control room.

This information notice requires no specific action or written response. If

you have any questions about the information in this notice, please contact

the technical contact listed below or the appropriate Office of Nuclear

Reactor Regulation (NRR) project manager.

Brian K. Grimes, Director

Division of Projects Support

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Technical contacts: Stuart A. Richards, NRR

(301) 415-1031 Neal K. Hunemuller, NRR

(301) 415-1152 Attachment: List of Recently Issued

NRC Information Notices

DOCUMENT NAME: G:\NKH\IN-OUT.SXG

• See previous concurrence 'N' - No copy

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IN 95-XX

March XX, 1995 Discussion

Facilities should consider reviewing their procedures and training programs to

ensure that the control room manning requirements of 10 CFR Part 50 are met at

all times.

Several facilities have identified root causes of failing to meet these

requirements; those causes span human error, inadequate communications, lack

of understanding of proficiency watch requirements, false perceptions of

adequate shift staffing, and failure to understand supervisory

responsibilities. Among the corrective actions and preventive measures

licensees have adopted to address this problem are counseling and discipline, specific training on 10 CFR requirements, and physical adaptations to security

cards such as clips or bands that serve as reminders to operators not to leave

the control room.

This information notice requires no specific action or written response. If

you have any questions about the information in this notice, please contact

the technical contact listed below or the appropriate Office of Nuclear

Reactor Regulation (NRR) project manager.

Brian K. Grimes, Director

Division of Projects Support

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Technical contact: Stuart A. Richards, NRR \ tJlged

JAP

(301) 415-1031 AJAX I '

Attachments: List of Recently Issued NRC Information Notices

DOCUMENT NAME: G: WSOV\IN-OUT.SXG

• See previous concurrence wEe Copy with attachment/enclosure 'N' - No copy

To receive a copy of this document, Indicate in the box: ACT - Copy without attachment/enciosure =

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IN 95-XX

February XX, 1995 This information notice requires no specific action or written response. If

you have any questions about the information in this notice, please contact

the technical contact listed below or the appropriate Office of Nuclear

Reactor Regulation (NRR) project manager.

Brian K. Grimes, Director

Division of Projects Support

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Technical contact: Stuart A. Richards, NRR

(301) 415-1031 Attachments: List of Recently Issued NRC Information Notices

DOCUMENT NAME: G:\USOVA\IN-OUT.GMU

• See previous concurrence

To receive a copy of this document. Indicate In the hax: C'

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