ML18057B386

Informs of Scheduled Evaluation of Requalification Program & Licensed Personnel at Plant.Ref Matl Requirements, Administration of Requalification Exams & NRC Rules & Guidance for Exams Encl

ML18057B386
Person / Time
Site:	Palisades
Issue date:	11/18/1991
From:	Wright G NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION III)
To:	Slade G CONSUMERS ENERGY CO. (FORMERLY CONSUMERS POWER CO.)
References
NUDOCS 9111270036
Download: ML18057B386 (10)

Text

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Docket No. 50-255 a

• Cons~mers Power Company ATTN:

Gerald B. Slade General Manager Palisades Nuclear Generating Plant 27780. Blue Star Memorial Highway Covert, MI 49043

Dear Mr. Slade:

NOV 1 R 1991

SUBJECT:

REQUALIFICATION PROGRAM EVALUATION Arrangements have been made between Mr. D. Rogers, Training Administrator, and Mr. J. Lennartz, Principal Examiner, for an evaluation of the requalification program and licensed personnel at your Palisades facility.

The evaluation visit is scheduled for the week of March 23, 1992..The requalification examinations and the subsequent evaluation of the facility requalification program will be performed in accordance with sections 601 thro~gh 604 of NUREG 1021, Operator Licensing Examiner Standards, Revision 6.

You are encouraged to en~ure that your training staff and proposed examinees are famili~r with these standards~*

For the examiners to adequately prepare for this visit~ it will be necessary for the facility to furnish the approved items listed in Enclosure 1, 11 Reference Material Requirements.

11 Failure to supply the reference material as required by Enclosure 1 may result in postponement of the exami.nation.

The Chief Examiner may request-that the facility submit a proposed examination for use during the examination week in addition to the material requirements of. Submission of a proposed examination, even if requested, is optipnal. However, if a proposed examination is submitted, those personnel participating in its development may become subject to the security restrictions describe.d be.low.

Mr. D. Rogers has been advised of our reference material requirements, whether a proposed examination is requested, ~nd where these items are to be sent.

You are requested to designate at least one employee to be a member of a joint NRG-facility* examination team.

The employee shall be an.active SRO (per th_e

. requirements of 10 CFR 55.53(e) or (f)) from the Palisades Nuclear Plant Operations Department.

You are encouraged to designate a second employee from the training staff to be a member of the examination team.

This employee should be an active SRO (p~r the requirements of 10 CFR 55.53(e) or (f)), but may be a facility or INPO certified instructor. If desired and agreed to by the Chief,Examiner, you may designate one additional e_mployee from the training 9111270036 9111 10 PDR ADOCK 05000255 V

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Consumers ~ower Company 2

NOV 18 \\99\\

staff ~ith appropriate qualifications to be a me~ber of the examinatiori team~

In additirin to these individuals, a simulator operator must be made available for scenario preview and validation during the on-site examination ~repar~tion week.

In some cases, it may be necessary to designate a simulator operator*

during the test item review period. This individual will also be subject to the examination security agreement.

Any facility representatives under the security agreement shall be restricted from knowingly communicating by any means the content or scope o.f the examination to unauthorized persons and from participating in any facility programs such as instr.uction, examination, or tutoring in which an identified requalification examinee(s) will be present. These restrictions shall apply_

from the day that the facilitY representative understands that he or she has specialized knowledge of the examinati6n. The Chief Examiner will determine.

when facility representatives have received specialized knowledge concerning the examination and require execution of an examination security agreement.*

In most cases, the examination team members will not be required to enter into an examination security agreeme.nt more than 60 days prior to the examination week.

The simulator operator will normally become subject to the requirements-

. during the examination preparation and validation.week but, in some cases, this. may occur as much as 30 days prior to the examination week to support operating test item review and revision.

The facility sha 11 identify to the. NRC 60 days prior to the examination,.

administration date, the proposed operators, including ere~ composition~ for the examination.

This information should be provided by the facility training staff to the NRC's Chief Examiner.

• The facility management is res pons ib le for providing adequate space and accommodations to properly develop and conduct the examinations.,,

"Administration of Requalification Examinations," describes our requirements

• for developing and conducting the examinations *. Mr~ 0. Rogers has also been informed of these requirements. Also, a facility oj:>erattons inanagement representative (a:s a minimum, first level' above.shift supervisor) should observe the simulation facility examination process at the site.

• Enclosure 3 contains the 11 NRC Rules and Guidance for Examinees" that will be in effect during* the administratien of the written examination.

The facility management is responsible for ensuring that all operators are aware of these rules.

Please review the guidance ~romulgated in Revision 6 to NUREG~1021 pertaining

-- ---to tfie "C:ontenf and scope-of *simulator *exa.mination scenarios. The scenario**

examination bank should cover the ent.ire spectrum of Emergency Operating*

Procedures (EOPs), including alternate deiision paths within EOPs, and should*

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NOV.18 1991 incorporate a range of failures with varying degrees of* severity for the same

. typ~ of event.

Each scenario should contain simultaneous events that require that the crew. prioritize actions and assign crew members to particular tasks.

Each scenario should also require that the crew determine when to transition between EOPs and determine which actions to take within the EOPs.

This request is,covered by Offi.ce of Management and Budget Clearance Number 3150-0101 which expires May 31, 1992.

Theestimated average burden is 7.7 hours8.101852e-5 days <br />0.00194 hours <br />1.157407e-5 weeks <br />2.6635e-6 months <br /> per response, including gathering,.copying and.

mailing the required material. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any* other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to the Information and Records Management Branch, Division of Information Support Services, Office of Information Resources Manageinent, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, D.C. 205~5; and to *the Paperwork Reduction Project (3150-0101),

Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, NEOB-3019, Office of Management and Budget, Washington, D.C.

20503~

Thank you for your consideration* in this matter.

If you have any questions on the evaluation process, please contact Mr. J. Lennartz at (708) 790-5651.

Enclosures:

1. Reference Material Requirements

2. Administration of Requalification Examinations

3.

• NRC Rules and Guidance for Examinees See Attached Distrib~tion

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L~rtz/cg

• 11/1~ /91 RI~

Burdick 11/(fl /91 Since~ely, CIHGIHAL SIGNED nv GEOFF.REY.c. WRtSH:t.

Geoffrey C. Wright, Chief Operations Branch R II v

~riciht 111{3/9i

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Davis

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Consumers Power Company Distribution

.cc w/enclosures:

. David P. Hoffman, Vice Pre~ident Nuclear Ope~ations P. M. Donnelly, Safety and Licensing Director DCD/DCB (RIDS)

OC/LFDCB Residerit Inspectgr, Riil James R. Padgett, Michigan Public Service Commission Michigan Department of Public Hea 1th..

Palisades, LPM, NRR SRI, Big Rock Point D. Rogers, Training Manager cc w/o enclosures:

R. M. Gallo, Branch Chief; OLB B. E. Holian, Project Manager, NRR B.

L~ Jorgensen, S~ction Chief, DRP

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4 NOV 1 8 1991 *

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• e ENCLOSURE 1 REFERE.NCE MATERIAL REQUIREM,ENTS Test* items to support all aspects of the: requalification examination must be

• *provided to the NRC 60 days prior to th.e.examination date.

All t~st items should be developed in accordance with the guidelines provided

. in sectirin~ 602 through 604 of NUREG 1021, Operator Licensing Examiner Standards, and their respective attachments~

For the first requalification evaluation at the facility, the submittal must contain at least~

700 test items for use in the written examination.

They should be equally divided between the two sections of the examination and

• there ~ust be.at least 350 test items for use in each section.

75 job performance measu~~s (JPMs) for use on the walk-through portion.*

of.the operatiflg examination.

To the extent possible, approximately-40% of the JPMs should.evaluate "in plant" tasks (system/component operation outside the control room).

15 simulator scenar.ios of approximately 50 minutes e(lch in.length for use on the simulator portion of the operating examination for examinations administered in one week. *

.For subsequent requalification exa~inations facilities are expected to make submittals reflecting progress toward the following targets over the next ~

years after the initial evaluation visit:

A minimum of 700 test items for use in the written examination equally divided between the two sections of the written examination and which cover all safety related elements rif the facility job task analysis *

(JTA).

The bank shall be dynamic in nature, in that at least 150 questions a year shall be reviewed, revised or generated.

New questions

.that are developed should cover equipment and system modification, recent industry and licensee events and procedural changes.

JPMs to.evaluate each operator and senior operator safety related task identified in the facility JTA, which meet the criteria in ES-603~ The*

JPM bank should expand at a rate of at least.IO JPMs per year until this goal is reached.

It is estimated that 125-150 JPMs will b~ the final result~ Development of the questions associat~d with the JPMs shall also continue, such that there is a representative sample of questions gi~en the knowledges associated with the task listed in the JTA.

ENCLOSURE i (Cont'd)

A bank of at least 30 simulator.scenarios which reflect all plausible or expected abnorma 1 and emergency situations to wh-i ch contra l room operators are expected to respond or control. At least 5 scenarios per year should be generated until all aspects of the emergency operating procedures are

. covered with sufficient variation in the type and scope of initiating events and level of degradation.

For a.11 requalification examination and evaluation visits, the faci_lity shall:

submit an Examination Test Outline/Sample Plan which meets the

.requirements of ES-601, Attachment 2.

provide th~ associated examination banks (written, simulator and JPM) and

• associated.reference material. At a minimum this shall include Technical

. Specifications, applicable plaht operating, surveillance and

• administrative procedures, abnormal and emergency operating procedures, emergency plan procedures and training material utilized in the.

requalification training (including student handouts and lesson plans).

Additional reference material may be requested by the Chief Examiner.

ENCLOSURE 2 ADMINISTRATION OF REQUALIFICATION EXAMINATIONS

1.

An evaluation of at least twelve. facility licensed operators is required*

for a program evaluation. *Normally.the crew scheduled for requalification training during the period selected for the program evaluation should be selected. The sample will include other licensed oper~tors who are *not

.routinely.performing shift duties or are not maintaining an active license per IO CFR*ss~s3(e). The restrictions on crew compo~ition in the simulator are described in ES-601(C.l~b.) and ES-604.

2~

The simulator and simulator operator(s) shall be provided for examination developmerit.

The date(s) and duration of time needed to develop the examinations will be agreed upon by the chief examiner and the facility *.

3.

The reference material used in the simulator wi*ll be reviewed by the chief examiner.

No material wiJl be used that is solely used for training.

4.

A single room shall be provided for completing Section B of the writt~h examination. 1he location of this room and supporting rest room facilities shall be such as to prevent contact with all other facility arid/or contractor personnel for the duration of the e~amination.

S.

Minimum spacing is required to ensure examination integrity and will be.*

evaluated by the chief examiner~ Minimum spacing consists of one examinee per table and a 3-foot space between *tables.

No wall charts, models, and/or other training materials shall be present in the examination room.

6.

Copies of reference material for Section*s of the written e~amination shall be provided for each examinee.

The reference material will be reviewed by the chief examiner and will consist of Technical Specifications, operating/abnormal procedures, administrative procedures, and Emergency Plans as available to the plant operators.

7.

Video taping capabilities may be utilized. The facility should contact the chief examiner for restrictions related to its usage. *

8.

An attempt will be made to distinguish between RO and SRO knowledge and abilities to the extent that such a distinction is supported by the facility training materials.

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ENCLOSURE 2 (Cont'd)

9.

Prudent scheduling of exam week activities js important to help alleviate undue stress on the operators.

Your training staff and the Chief Examiner should work very closely*in formulating a schedule which does not result in excessive delays in crews or* individuals being administered their examination. *The following ~re some suggestions for structuring.

the exam actiVittes to achieve this purpose:

0 0

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Don't bring in crews or indivtduals well before their scheduled exam times.

When examining operators in groups, it is better to hold the group.

just completing their exam vice the group that ar~ takin~ their exam later.

Following simulator scenarios, the facility evaluators and NRC examiners should quickly determine whether follow-up questioning is required, so that the crew may be released to talk among themselves about the scenario.

Ensure that time val'idation of JPMs, particularly those performed in the simulator, is conducted accurately. A reasonable schedule.

shoul~ be established to prevent op~rators from waiting for simulator availability to complete their JPMs.

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I ENCLOSURE 3 NRC RULES AND GUIDANCE FOR EXAMINEES

1.

Use black ink or dark pencil ONLY to facilitate legible repr_oductions.

2.

Print your name in the blank provided on the cover sheet of the examination.

3.

Fill in the date on the cover sheet of the examinati.on, if necessary.

4.

• Ans~er each question on the ~xamination. If add~tional paper is required, use only the lined paper provided by the ex~miner.

5.

Use abbreviations only if they are commonly used in facility literature.

6.

The point value for each question is i~dicated in parentheses after the question and can be used as a guide for the depth of answer required.

7. -

Show all calculations, methods, or assumptions used to obtain ~n answer to a mathematical problem whether asked for in the question or not.

8.

Unless s6li~ited, the loi~tion of reference~ need not be stated.

9.

_Proportional grading will be applied.

Any additional wrong informatiOn that is provided may count against you.

For example, if a question is worth one point and asks for four responses, each of which is worth 0.25 points, and you give five responses, each response will be worth 0.20 points.

If one of your five responses is incorrect, 0.20 will be deducted and your total credit for that question will be 0.80, even

. though you may have listed the four correct responses in the answer key.

10. Partial credit may be giv*en.

Therefore, ANSWER ALL PARTS OF THE QUESTION AND DO NOT LEAVE ANY ANSWERS BLANK.

Partial. credit will NOT be given* on

• multiple choice questions.

11. If parts of the examination are not clear with respect to their intent, ask questions of the examiner only.

12.

You must sign the statement on the cover sheet that indicates the work on the examination is your own and that~ou have not received or been give~

any assistance in completing the examination. Thi.s must be signed AFTER the examination has be~n completed.

13.

Rest room trips are to be limited and only one examinee at a time may leave.

You must avoid all contact with anyone outside. the examination room to avoid even the appearance or possibility of examination compromise.

ENCLOSURE 3 (Cont'd)

14. Cheating on the examination would result in a revocation of your license and could result in more severe penalties.

15.

Ea~h section of the examin*tion is designed to t~ke appr6ximately 90 minutes to complete.

You will be given two hours to complete each section to allow for thirty minutes of review.

16. The e~amination has been time validated by knowledgeable*persons.

You should be aware that not every answer needs to be verified by consulting a reference, and exce_ssive usage of reference material may cause you to not complete the examination in the allotted time.

17.

D~~ to the existence of questians that will require all examinees to

• refer to the same indications or controls, particular care must be taken

. to maintain individual examination security and avoid any possibility of

• compromise or appearance of cheating.

18.

When you are finished and have turned in your completed examination, leave the examination area.

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