ML18082A961
| ML18082A961 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Salem  |
| Issue date: | 08/20/1980 |
| From: | Librizzi F Public Service Enterprise Group |
| To: | Eisenhut D Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| Shared Package | |
| ML18082A960 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8008260385 | |
| Download: ML18082A961 (7) | |
Text
e OPS~G Public Service Electric and Gas Company 80 Park Place Newark, N.J. 07101 Phone 2011430-7000 Mr. Darrell G. Eisenhut, Director Division of Licensing U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, D.C.
20555
Dear Sir:
LICENSED OPERATOR STAFFING PLAN SALEM GENERATING STATION August 20, 1980 During the public meeting on August 15, 1980, I reviewed our plan covering operator license training at Salem from the present time to the period when we have achieved a nor-mal compliment of licensed operators and a normal training pattern.
This committed program was forwarded to you in my letter dated August 1, 1980.
The plan requires the induction of rapidly trained SRO's and RO's which will allow the shift to return to the normal eight hour schedule in April 1981.
Under this plan, requalification training would resume in January 1981.
The comments received during the public meeting indicated that our plan to reach our objectives while allowing margins for attrition, absences, and vacations was not clearly presented.
This letter is our attempt to restate the plan with greater clarity.
We recognize the desirability of eliminating 12-hour shift schedules and re.suming requalification training as soon as possible.
Therefore, an alternate scheme, discussed at the August 15, 1980 meeting, is also presented in this letter.
Committed Schedule and Training Program Our experience in the use of 12 hour1.388889e-4 days <br />0.00333 hours <br />1.984127e-5 weeks <br />4.566e-6 months <br /> shift schedules permits us to state that they are not detrimental to operators in the suc-cessful performance of their work.
The San Miguel Electric Co-operative promoted the use of 12 hour1.388889e-4 days <br />0.00333 hours <br />1.984127e-5 weeks <br />4.566e-6 months <br /> shifts as noted in the 8008260385 95-2001 1300M) 1-79.
Mr. Darrell G.. Eisenhut e
August 20, 1980 2
November 1979 issue of the magazine Electric Light and Power.
Their investigations brought out the findings of industrial companies and universities on the subject of various work schedules.
The petroleum industry, where 12 hour1.388889e-4 days <br />0.00333 hours <br />1.984127e-5 weeks <br />4.566e-6 months <br /> shifts are the practice, shows no adverse effects on productivity.
In their case, as in our schedules, workers are given two days off after having worked four consecutive days of 12 hours1.388889e-4 days <br />0.00333 hours <br />1.984127e-5 weeks <br />4.566e-6 months <br /> each.
Our experience shows that the 12 hour1.388889e-4 days <br />0.00333 hours <br />1.984127e-5 weeks <br />4.566e-6 months <br /> shift schedule as des-cribed is a most acceptable alternate work schedule to our employees.
We have reviewed the number and type of LERs that have resulted at Salem, comparing equivalent operating periods when working 12 hour1.388889e-4 days <br />0.00333 hours <br />1.984127e-5 weeks <br />4.566e-6 months <br /> shifts with periods when eight hour shifts were worked.
No adverse effects can be found.
While the above evidence sup-ports the use of a 12 hour1.388889e-4 days <br />0.00333 hours <br />1.984127e-5 weeks <br />4.566e-6 months <br /> shift schedule, our preference for normal operation is the eight hour schedule and we are striving to return to it at the earliest possible time.
In our plan presented August 1, 1980 we would continue the 12-hour schedule until April 11, 1981.
Attachment #1 provides a histogram in tabular form for our program of shift staffing from the present time through March of 1983.
Each minor column identifies the total number of licenses, the number of personnel in training, available for shift work, required, and desired.
Each subsequent major column depicts a period in time when the completion of training has occurred, thus enabling a change in the utilization of personnel.
You will note that each licensed position is covered by the minimum number of personnel or by an excess.
Licensed positions are further supported by other station staff who hold operating licenses should there be an extraordinary occurrence of attrition or absence.
Column I shows the present three-shift 12-hour schedule.
There is no license requalification training until January 5, 1981.
Effective Janaury 5, 1981 (Column II) a four-shift 12-hour schedule will be im~lernented and license requalification training will re-sume.
Effective April 13, 1981 (Column III) a normal five-shift 8-hour schedule will be implemented and the licensed Reactor Operators are augmented by a group of supervisors who were former navy nuclear personnel.
Effective May 11, 1981, (column IV) an additional Shift Supervisor is added to each shift bringing the number of licensed Senior Re-actor Operators to three per shift.
This supervisor is a degreed engineer.
The supervisor does not replace the Shift Technical Advisor as he has not had the full training for that position.
Mr. Darrell G. Eisenhut 3
August 20, 1980 Columns V through XIII show the effect of the various training programs.
Attention is called to column VI where 13 Nuclear Control Operators obtain their Reactor Operator licenses and a large surplus of licensed Reactor Operators is provided.
Column IX shows the effect of three newly promoted Shift Supervisors obtaining their Senior Reactor Operator licenses.
Columns VII and XIII show the effect of attrition and columns VIII and XII show the replacements for attrition.
The large surpluses shown in columns X, XI, XII and XIII depict the planned buildup of trained licensed personnel who will become available to staff the Hope Creek Generating Station.
Column XIII shows the deletion of the Shift Technical Advisors.
They are replaced by a new group of Shift Supervisor-Engineers who have been trained also as Shift Technical Advisors.
Attachment II was prepared to take a typical new employee from date of hiring to earliest date he can receive a Reactor Operator license.
A new employee hired as a Utility Operator after validated testing, receives three weeks of classroom training at a training center away from his nuclear generating station.
He also receives in-plant training during his performance on the job.
He must remain a Utility Operator for one year before he is eligible to bid to become an Apprentice Equipment Operator (AEO).
As an AEO he spends three months in classroom training at a training center.
When he returns to his generating station he receives hands-on training for three months performing no produc-tive work.
When he successfully completes the training, he is promoted to Equipment _Operator.
The employee must remain an Equipment Operator two years.
Again after validated testing he is eligible to bid for the position of Nuclear Control Operator (NCO).
As an NCO he receives 14 months of Reactor Operator training before he is eligible to take his Reactor Operator license examination.
If the employee were able to move from position to position in the shortest time it would take him four years and eight months before he would receive his Reactor Operator's license.
He spends 21 months during this period in training and 27 months in performing his job.
We consider this period of time as the minimum acceptable time to prepare a new employee to become a reliable licensed Reactor Operator.
Attachments III and IV show the movement of people from one position to another.
It is a pictorial representation of the expected numbers of employees licensed and non-licensed in each
Mr. Darrell G. Eisenhut 4
August 20, 1980 operating position and the expected numbers that will move at a point in time from one position to another.
The time intervals in going between groups are the periods in which the operators are in training.
In each licensed group the number in requalifi-cation represents the number of licensed operators on a shift in requalification training.
Attachment V is our training schedule which shows when the training will take place for various groups.
The plan to which PSE&G is committed is:
. Effective January 5, 1981 implement a four-shift 12-hour schedule.
. Effective January 5, 1981 the licensed operator requalification training will resume.
. Effective April 13, 1981 implement a five-shift eight-hour schedule.
- Effective May 11, 1981, have an additional licensed Senior Reactor Operator on each shift in compliance with the NRC Interim Criteria For Shift Staffing letter dated July 31, 1980.
In this letter the requirement for staffing Salem with three licensed Reactor Operators per shift is effective July 1, 1982.
. Effective November 11, 1981, discontinue the use of supervisors with Reactor Operator licenses to working as Nuclear Control Operators and return them to supervisory duties *
. Effective January 1, 1982, promote Nuclear Control Oper-ators to Shift Supervisors and commence their Senior Reactor Operator license training.
These commitments will satisfy our objectives of resuming license requalif ication training and returning to a five-shift eight-hour schedule with an excess of licensed personnel available to cover for absences.
Alternate Program If three Reactor Operators instead of four were permitted in the manning of the Salem 1&2 Units, it would be possible to commence licensed operator requalification training immediately by the use of a four-shift 12 hour1.388889e-4 days <br />0.00333 hours <br />1.984127e-5 weeks <br />4.566e-6 months <br /> per day schedule.
This scheme will also
Mr. Darrell G. Eisenhut August 20, 1980 allow us to resume five eight hour per day shifts on January 5, 1981.
A return to four Reactor Operators for the Salem units would occur on April 13, 1981.
To accomplish this plan, we assume that the control rooms of Salem 1&2 Units, which are separated by glass partitions and an aisle with unlocked access doors, are considered as a single control room.
This would permit a waiver from the present requirement of two licensed operators per shift at each control room to three licensed operators per shift for the two units.
Since Salem has 13 licensed operators we could immediately begin four shift 12 hours1.388889e-4 days <br />0.00333 hours <br />1.984127e-5 weeks <br />4.566e-6 months <br /> per day schedules permitting one shift each week to start licensed operator requalification training.
In addition to the closeness of the adjacent control rooms, there are a number of other reasons why there is minimum risk associated with reducing the licensed Reactor Operators from four to three.
- Each control room has an assigned licensed Reactor Operator with a relief operator available.
The operation of a unit from the control room is a one person function.
Assistance is needed primarily during a LOCA when the reactor cooling pumps must be tripped when the reactor pressure decreases to 1500 psi.
The other assistance for the operator is to give him personal relief from his duties, to aid in performing his routine work and to work with him during unit startup, shutdown and testing op-erations.
In summary, the need for the relief operator occurs only a few times a day.
. One of the routine duties which distract the li-censed Reactor Operator is the equipment tagging function.
At Salem a special computerized tagging system (TRIS), which is 80% complete, will minimize this work for the op~rator and free him to give more attention to the unit's operation.
This in turn will reduce the need for assistance from the relief operator.
The in-service date for TRIS is December 1, 1980.
. To assure quick response by the relief Reactor Operator, a dedicated intercom system will be installed between the two control rooms.
. During startup, shutdown, major load changes and test operations, the relief will be stationed in the control room.
Mr. Darrell G. Eisenhut 6
August 20, 1980
. The time required to go from one control room to the other in leisurely fashion does not exceed ten seconds.
. During a safety injection the operator is locked out from operating safeguard systems for one minute.
Therefore, the response time for the relief operator is one-tenth of that when he can be of any assistance.
. There is a dedicated licensed Senior Reactor Oper-ator in the control room area whose response time also does not exceed ten seconds.
While the Shift Technical Advisor is not always in the control room area, his response time is less than three minutes.
During two months of the period the waiver would be in effect, No. 1 Unit will be shutdown for a planned maintenance outage.
The need for a dedi-cated relief operator during this time is insignif-icant.
In our opinion, the waiver to reduce the licensed Reactor Operator from four to three poses no significant risk to the safe operation of both units.
Therefore, a waiver will be requested to consider the control rooms of Salem Units 1&2 as one control room until April 13, 1981.
If the waiver is granted effective September 1, 1980, we can imple-ment four 12 hour1.388889e-4 days <br />0.00333 hours <br />1.984127e-5 weeks <br />4.566e-6 months <br /> shifts with one of the shifts rotating weekly through operator license requalification training.
Attachment VI provides an histogram in tabular form for this program from September 1, 1980 through May 1, 1983.
Column I identifies the staffing effective September 1, 1980.
Each licensed position has the required minimum license personnel or an excess.
Effective January 5, 1981, (column II) the operators will revert to five shift eight hour schedules.
There is a surplus in all licensed operating positions.
Columns III through XIII are the same as those discussed under the Comitted Program and as shown in Attachment I.
Mr. Darrell G. Eisenhut 7
August 20, 1980 In conclusion, we believe that the committed program presented in our August 1, 1980 letter, and now slightly modified and improved, is an acceptable and achieveable approach which does not impose an extraordinary burden on our operating staff despite the con-tinuation of 12 hour1.388889e-4 days <br />0.00333 hours <br />1.984127e-5 weeks <br />4.566e-6 months <br /> shifts until April 1981.
In recognition of the desire to resume operator requalif ication and to return to eight hour shifts at the earliest time, we have studied an alter-nate program that accomplishes those objectives but requires a temporary waiver on the number of licensed operators in the control room from now until April 13, 1981.
We have analyzed the impact of this change and conclude that there is no diminution of plant safety.
We prefer, therefore, to follow this alternate program.
Sincerely, Frank P. Librizzi General Manager -
Electric Production