ML18017B117
| ML18017B117 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Brunswick, Harris  |
| Issue date: | 06/18/1980 |
| From: | Dircks W NRC OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR OPERATIONS (EDO) |
| To: | Andrews I HOUSE OF REP. |
| Shared Package | |
| ML18017B118 | List: |
| References | |
| REF-SSINS NUDOCS 8007020198 | |
| Download: ML18017B117 (5) | |
Text
The Honorable Ike Andrews U.
S.
House of Representatives Mashington, D. C.
20515 Dear Congressman Andrews:
I am pleased to respond to your letter of May 16, 1980, in which you enclosed a letter from the Kudzu Alliance, which we also had received, raising questions concerning the ability of the Carolina Power and Light Company to safely utilize nuclear power.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission monitors the construction progress of the Shearon Harris facility to assure conformance with NRC requirements.
Seventeen onsite inspections, involving 409 inspector hours, were conducted in the six months prior to April 1, 1980.
The results of these inspections have not identified concerns that would lead us to conclude that CPS L's management is not capable of properly constructing the facility.
One area,.identified by these inspections, placement of rebar in concrete, warranted additional atten-tion.
Accordingly, two corporate management meetings were held in the NRC Region II office to assure that management was fully aware of the issue and of our concern.
Additionally, a special comprehensive inspection of CP&L s quality assurance and quality control programs was conducted duri ng the period of April 28 through May 2, 1980.
This special inspection involved inspections in the areas of engineering, design control, procurement, and implementation of construction activities both at the site and at the corporate office.
Although five items of noncompliance were identified, none were evaluated to be of major safety significance.
A review of these items and those from our routine inspections indicates that while problems are occurring, CP8 L is performing adequately at this time in its management of construction activities.
In regard to the contamination of the beaches and sanitary landfill attributed to the Brunswick plants, these events have been reviewed by the NRC. It was found that the levels of contamination were low and posed no threat.to the health and safety of the public or the environment.
Notwithstanding, even though the levels of contamination were low and posed no threat to the health and safety of the public and the environment, the licensee's loss of control of radioactive and contaminated materials is considered by the NRC to be a serious matter.
Accordingly, escalated NRC enforcement action is being con-sidered against CP8L.
The detailed results of these inspections, including our independent measurements, will be reported in inspection reports.
All inspec-tion reports are routinely placed in Local Public Document Rooms.
In the case of CPS L, the Local Public Document Rooms are located at Raleigh, North Carolina for Shearon Harris; at Hartsville, South Caro'lina for Robinson 2; and at nswick Plants..
Southport, North Carolina forth~
q ~
0 The Honorable Ike Andrews In regard to the industrial accidents addressed in the Kudzu Alliance letter, the young worker injured by a reinforcing rod was worki'ng for a construction firm at a dam site located several miles from the nuclear site.
The dam is part of the Shearon Harris Project.
The youth is reported to be recovering, and no vital organs were damaged.
In regard to the steel
- cables, the lifting tackle had been loosely coiled and bound with a wire. It was then lifted by a crane and at a height of 140 feet, the binding wire broke.
The lifting tackle fell, landing first on a scaffold and then onto eight workers.
Two of the workers were taken to the hospital where one was treated for a broken leg and the other released.
The other six workers were treated onsite for minor cuts and scratches.
These types of events at reactors under construction are matters not under NRC's regulatory cognizance.
- However, Region II of the NRC informed the appropriate regional office of OSHA (Region 4) which has jurdisdic-tion to investigate these matters.
The source of the statement by the Kudzu Alliance that CP8L's Brunswick plants were the sixth and eighth worst in the nation by number of reported accidents is unclear.
The NRC does not rank licensees in accordance with the number of accidents reported.
Nor do OSHA or the Bureau of Labor Statistics rank employers by number of accidents.
Me assume that the reference to accidents is meant to be a reference to the number of Licensee Event Reports (LER's) issued in 1979 since the NRC publishes a list of all reported events.
It should be noted that the total number of LERs issued by a facility is dependent on the type of facility, the age of the facility, the reporting requirements contained in the facility technical specifications and a company's reporting philosophy (e. g.
report everything or report the minimum).
A ranking by number of LERs, due to differences in the above factors is considered to be meaningless.
In summary, we believe facility and corporate management are responding effectively to our concerns.
Me will continue to monitor CP8 L's management and take whatever enforcement actions are necessary to ensure that it remains adequate.
Also in all matters relating to the safety of workers and the
- public, we keep the appropriate federal and designated state contacts fully informed.
In the cases identified, good communications existed between the NRC and the States of North Carolina and South Carolina.
Sincerely,
(~<8>>a) Zs KevinCo~~
Enclosure:
Incoming Itr fm Kudzu Alliance, dated May 16, 1980 William J. Dircks
'Acting Executive Director for Operations SEE PREVIOUS YELLOW FOR CONCURRENCE WPU: DN RCI RCI RCI ROI FFHSI OELD Q
EDO 6/4/80 RSf}ewmaker GReinmuth HThornburg NMoseley JSniezek N)eYg ng V t llo JOB W
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The Honorable Ike Andrews Distribution:
W. J. Dircks, EDO H.
R. Denton, NRR H.
K. Shapar, ELD J..
P. Murray, ELD R.
C.
- DeYoung, IE N.
C. Moseley, IE J.
H. Sniezek, IE H.
D. Thornburg, IE G.
W. Reinmuth, IE R.
E.
Shewmaker, IE J.
P.
O'Rei lly, RII OPE OGC SECY (80-1044)
OCA L.
N. Underwood, IE (Hll-2259-H06)
PDR (50-325/324) 8((50-400/401/402/403)
LPDR (50-325/324)8c(50-400/401/402/403)
IE Files Central Files EDO Reading (EDO-09008)
IE Reading
FROM:
Rep. Ike Andrews ACTION CONTROL COMPL DEADLINE ACKNOWLEDGMENT INTERIM REPLY DATES
-09008 DATE OF DOCUMENT 5 16/80 TO:
OCA FINALREPLY FI E LOCATION o4 PREPARE FOR SIGNATURE OF:
Q CHAIRMAN Q EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OTHER:
SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS OR REMARKS sl Return incoming w/reply DESCRIPTION Q LETTER Q MEMO Q REPORT Q OTHER Ltr from Kudzu. Alliance req halt of con-struction of the Shearon Harris plant unt'onstruction problems can be i vesPgated CLASSIF DOCUMENT/COPY NO.
NUMBER PF PAGES POSTAL REGISTR a O.
ASSIGNE 0
DATE ASS IFICATION CATEGORY Q
NSI QRD Q FRD INFORMATION ROUTING SECY 80-1044 LEGAL REVIEW Q
FINAL '
COPY 5 22 80 Denton Shapar
~ J, ok, ASSIGNED TO DATE NO LEGAL OBJ ECTIONS NOTI FY:
COMMENTS, NOTIFY:
EXT.
JCAE NOTIFICATIONRECOMMENDED:",
Q YES Q
NO NRC FORM 232 (11-75)
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR OPERATIONS PRINCIPAL CORRESPONDENCE CONTROL DO NOT REIÃOVE THIS COPY No.
NRC SECRETARIAT Logging Date TO: 0 Commissioner XGI Exec. Dir./Oper 0
Cong. Liaison O Public Affairs Incoming From:
Date 0
Gen. Counsel 0 Solicitor O Secretary 0
Inspector & Auditor Pollc Evaluation ws Consti tuent Referral To Subject Date aron CI Prepare reply for signature of:
0 Chairman 0 commissioner 0
EDO, GC, CL, SOL, PA, SECY, IA, PE 0
Signature block omitted 0 Return original of incoming with response Suspense:
May 27 X%K For direct reply' For appropriate action 0
For information Remarks:
Rec'd O.f. EO i>a(a..... g g.i.. &.,~
OCA to Ack, docket For the Commission:
1 1e
'Send throe I3) copies of reply to Secy Correspondenco snd Records Branch Nnc42 ACTION SLIP