ML19208B174
| ML19208B174 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Crane  |
| Issue date: | 07/23/1979 |
| From: | Buchter D, Marsh B Metropolitan Edison Co, NRC Office of Inspection & Enforcement (IE Region III) |
| To: | |
| References | |
| TASK-TF, TASK-TMR NUDOCS 7909190187 | |
| Download: ML19208B174 (49) | |
Text
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j UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION i
i I!
In the Matter of:
2l IE TMI INVESTIGATION INTERVIEW 3J of Dennis A. Buchter Si i
6i 7l 8:
Trailer #203 9l NRC Investigation Site TMI Nuclear Power Plant 10!
Middletown, Pennsylvania I
11!
June 27, 1979 12!
(Date of Interview)
- 3 July 23, 1979 (Date Transcript Typea) i 14!
TMI-#318 l$i (Tape Nu.moerts))
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19 20i 21l NRC PERSONt4EL:
22 Marsh Hunter 23!
Yuhas 24i i'
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7909190 /k7 l
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l lj MARSH:
The time is 9:09 a.m.
The date is June 27, 1979 and this is Bob 2
Marsh and I'm an Investigator for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, i
3l assigned to the Region III, Chicago, Illinois office.
This morning we're 4!
l cated at Thr.ee Mile Island in trailer 203 and we're here for the purpose 5
f conducting an interview of Dennis A. Buchter who is an Auxiliary Operator A f r Met Ed.
Dennis, if I may, before we start I'dlike'to make reference 6
7j to the memo you have in front of you.
I'm not going to eead it but in essence that memo describes the goals of our investigation, the authority 91 under which it's being conducted and some of your rights as a subject of an i
interview.
On the -econd page there are several questions which I've asked 10f you to respond to, anc I'd like also to put those responses on tape.
The first question reads:
Did you understand the above, making reference to 12!
that two page memo?
13) m, 141 BUCHTER:
Yes.
15; 16 MARSH:
Second is:
Do we have your permission to tape this interview?
17!
i 13t BUCHTER: Yes.
19l 20!
MARSH:
And thirdly: Would you like a copy of the tape or transcript?
21!
22lI BUCHTER:
Yes.
231 241 25!
t (f u n
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!lj MARSH:
I'll provide you a copy of the tape right at the end.
I'll take it 2
out here and duplicate it so you can take that with you today.
l 31 BUCHTER:
All right.
5 MARSH:
Dennis, to get started with, if you could, can you give us a...
6i 7
just a brief summary of your background in the nuclear field and your experiences with Met Ed. And then following that in your own words we'd 8
g like your experiences of March 28, the day of the incident, as to how'd you
"" ** 7 "" ""
Y" 10 in as you go along.
12l I
BUCHTER:
The training I had was all here with Met Ed, through C school, B 131 school and then with all the A test.
That's the only training I had in nuclear so far.
15 16; MARSH:
Okay.
Dennis, when did you first start with Met Ed? How long have you been with them?
19!
BUCHTER:
Since 76 this time.
I was laid off from... I was hired in 73 20:
i and I was laid off in about June of 73 and I was called back in October 76.
21!
22l r
MARSH: Okay.
When you first went with them in 73 what was your postition?
23 241 25i
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i BUCHTER: Crawford, you know.
I was down in the pump cellar at Crawford.
1 2!
MARSH:
Is that Crawford?
3 i
4j BUCHTER:
Yeah, power station.
5 6i MARSH:
y Okay, one thing before we get into the questioning and asking you to proceed with your background, there's one other individual in the room who I'd like to identify himself at this time.
10i HUNTER: My name is D. R...Corwin R. Hunter, I'm an Inspector Specialist with the Performance Appraisal Branch, and I'm in Region III.
12!
131 MARSH: All right, thank you.
Why don't you go ahead Dennis and give us 14I some more background.
You said you were with Met Ed and your now an auxiliary operator and you've been so since 1976?
ISi 17!
BUCHTER: Yep.
ISI 19l MARSH: Okay.
20!
21:
BUCHTER:
I was also called back there in the Spring of 76 to work Unit l's I
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first outage.
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MARSH:
Um Um. That's the refueling outage?
2l BUCHTER:
Yeah.
That first one they had.
3 41 MARSH:
Okay.
Is that... it for experience or do you have...
5 I
6i i
BUCHTER:
That's e.1 I had.
7{
81 MARSH:
g If you would then, calling your attention on March 28th, can you give us your recollections as to how you first heard about the event and 10l where you were, and then what your experiences were...
11:.
12!
I BUCHTER: Well, I was working Unit 1 secondary...I had secondary readings 131 and they announced that Unit 2 had tripped, so they sent me to the primary 141 side of Unit 1 to watch the evaporator, to watch the gas release and liquid release. While that operator to do other things, cause he was more experi-16i enced.
17l 18t MARSH: Who were you replacing?
20i BUCHTER: Jim Randisi.
21!
22 MARSH:
Randisi?
231
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i 24j BUCHTER:
Yeah.
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MARSH:
Did he stay with Unit i do you know or was he...?
1 2!
BU M ER: He stayed in Unit 1.
3 l
4l MARSH:
Okay.
g Gi BUCHTER:
Then...then I sat there and watched it until we icst s:eam and then I had to set the evaporator down.
Then I just sat around until they 8
declared an emergency and they called down and told me to shut the liquid y
release and gas release down.
And then by that time they were chasing everybody out.
And then I went to Unit 1 control room, I sat up there for about 2 hours2.314815e-5 days <br />5.555556e-4 hours <br />3.306878e-6 weeks <br />7.61e-7 months <br /> and then they sent me over to Unit 2 for an extra man.
12; I
131 MARSH:
Okay. When you...you said you were first told about a trip in Unit 141 2...
'15; 16; BUCHTER:
That was announced over the page.
18l MARSH:
Over the page system, that's hcw you found out about it?
20l BUCHTER: Y ah, yeah.
21i 22l l
MARSH: Okay. Would you recall a...an approximate time that that happened?
231 24i 23i-o 0
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6 ilj BUCHTER:
Somewhere around 4:00 o' clock.
2!
MARSH:
Okay. And about what time would you have gone or had been sent 3
ver to Unit 2?
41 i
Si BUCHTER:
That was about 9:00 o' clock.
6 7\\
MARSH:
About 9:00?
g 9[
BUCHTER: Yeah.
10i 11:
MARSH:
Okay.
Darwin do you...you have some questions I believe?
l 13l HUNTER:
Okay, Dennis. After you went to Unit 2, did you go to the control room and just stand around as an extra man as you indicated?
16!
BUCHTER:
Yeah.
I went there to the control room, and reported in and told 17l them I was there. At first they told me to man the phones, but then they 18?
got a white hat or company person to man them, take over for me.
191 20:
HUNTER:
Were you on the phones, Dennis, for a short period or...?
21!
22l BUCHTER:
Yeah, about 10 minutes.
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f lj HUNTER:
Okay.
Now when you indicate manning the phones, was it a black 2{
telephone, or a bell telephone that type of thing?
I 31 BUCHTER:
Yeah, yeah.
4!
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6l HUNTER:
Okay. Who were you talking with as you...
i 7l I
BUCHTER:
I didn't have any phone calls.
81 9!
HUNTER:
None at all at that time? Okay.
You would have been picking up incoming calls...if you had any?
11:
12!
BUCHTER: Yeah.
131 14!
HUNTER:
Okay. After...then you were relieved by a supervisor or a Het EJ white hat, I quess you said.
16:
17l BUCHTER:
Yeah.
18!
191 HUNTER:
What did you do then?
20J 21:
1 BUCHTER:
I just stood in back of the control room till they told us to out 21 in A0 central.
It's our little. room out on the turbine floor.
231 24,f 25i g% t-n..o.
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HUNTER:
Okay, and how long did you stay there?
l 2'
BUCHTER:
3i Til about 11:00 o' clock, when they told us we could go home.
4l 5{
HUNTER:
Did you have any job assignments out of the A0 central, or were y ur just wahing?
6i I
7 BUCHTER: We was just waiting.
g 9l HUNTER: Okay.
And, okay, coming across from Unit 1 you were not involved 10(
I in any...any activities in Unit 2, such as the secondary system or the 11!
primary system?
12!
i 13!
BUCHTER:
No.
14j
'15i HUNTER:
No involvement on the control panels?
171 I
BUCHTER:
Nope.
18f 19l HUNTER:
Emergency feedpump in operations?
20t 21:
BUCHTER:
Nope.
23 HUNTER:
Emergency diesel generator operations on Unit 2?
24 iSi n'
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BUCHTER:
No.
i 2!
3 HUNTER:
Okay.
You were on Unit 1 shift that night. Who was your supervisor?
4f 5!
BUCHTER:
Dale Pilsitz was the foreman and Bill Zewe was Supervisor.
l Si 7l HUNTER: Okay. And about 11:00 where did you go from A0 Central?
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BUCHTER:
9l We left to go out and get our cars in ;.he north parking lot then I
s we went to the 500 sub and there it took us a while, till we got monitored 10!
11!
and everything else till we go home.
12!
HUNTER:
Who was at the 500KV yard to monitor the automobiles?
)
141 BUCHTER:
HP.
15 16, HUNTER:
17, Did they monitor your automobile?
i 18r BUCHTER:
Yeah.
They monitored it at the north gate too.
20!
HUNTER:
Okay.
21!
They monitored it at the north gate as you went out?
22!
l BUCHTER:
Yeah.
23!
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ti HUNTER: Then they monitored them again at the 500KV yard?
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t 31 BUCHTER:
Yes.
I 4!
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HUNTER:
Did they wash them down or anything?
i 6i BUCHTER:
No.
7 I
8!
HUNTER:
Did they monitor you at anytime?
g 10!
BUCHTER:
Yeah.
Over there at the 500 sub.
12 I
HUNTER: Okay, and were you contaminated?
13l l
141 BUCHTER:
Nc, not that day.
16i HUNTER:
Okay. When did you...so that got you out of here around 11:00 to 17 '.
the north gate and the 500. What time do you feel like you finally got to go home?
20i BUCHTER: We were home around 1:00.
21!
22l
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HUNTER: Okay, so it took you a couple of hours to get out of there?
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l.lj BUCHTER:
Yeah.
2!
l 3l HUNTER:
Okay. And when did you come back on...?
4!
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BUCHTER:
11:00 that night.
.i 6i HUNTER:
7 So you picked up the 11:00 to 7 on the 29th?
8f i
BUCHTER:
Yeah.
g And I reported right to Unit 2 cont'.ol room.
10I 11;[
HUNTER:
And then you started working Unit 2.
Did you continue on Unit 2?
I 12!
BUCHTER:
Yeah.
In the Unit 2 since.
13l 14i HUNTER:
Okay, and cre you still on...were you on Bill Zewe's shift?
Is that...
16i e
17!
BUCHTER:
Yep.
19f HUNTER: Are you still on his shift?
201 21l BUCHTER:
Well, he's been sort of moved up since...well since his shift 22!
j since.
23!
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!lj HUNTER: Who do you work for now?
I 2;
BUCHTER:
Fred Scheimann. He's still my foreman.
3 41 HUNTER:
Okay, and the Shift Supervisor on that crew is?
5 i
6!
BUCHTER:
Is swapped back and forth now.
7 I
81 MUNTER:
Okay.
9l i
101 MARSH:
Let me interject one word here just maybe to clear some confusion.
11!
Dennis, you indicated that you're normally assigned to Unit 2, but on March 12; l
28th you had been assigned to Unit 1 as a matter of cross training to be 13l l
not dual qualified, but just dual experience, right?
1 41 15; BUCHTER: Yes. We had 3 aids on our shift.
16i 17!
MARSH:
Okay.
18f 19i BUCHTER:
And we decided among ourselves that one would take each shift 20!
over.
21l 22!
MARSH:
Okay, but your normal duty assignment would've been Unit 2.
23!
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l BUCHTER:
Yes.
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j MARSH: On this particular day you happened to be in 1...at the time?
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4!
BUCHTER:
Yeah.
5!
Gi HUNTER: Okay, Dennis, a couple of questions a little more specific looking 7
at your experience on Unit 2.
We've had some problems as you're aware, Met 8l Ed has:had some problems as you're aware of now.
I'm sure that the E12 A 9!
and B valves on the emergency feedwater system were, in fact, closed and i
10i they were opened at 8 minutes into this particular event by Craig Faust.
11!
Have you performed the emergency feedwater surveillance procedures as a 24 12l serie and also the 27 series and the 14 series on emergency feedwater ni pumps? Have you performed those surveillances as an ADA?
14' 15.
BUCHTER: Yes.
16i i
171 l
'St HUNTER:
Can I assume you performed them more than once...since you've on 19 the plant?
201 21!
BUCHTER:
Yes, yes.
22!
i 22l HUNTER:
One of the concerns that we have is the procedure does a number of 2
things.
One of the things that it does, in fact, do is specific valve 25i a
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!lj lineups and set the system up for a surveillance, also there are some valve 2
verification sheets that are done.
31 BUCHTER:
Yep.
4; t
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HUNTER:
6 Do you or have you run into the condition where when you did the test, or started the test, that the valves...any of the valves on that i
gj system or the pumps were not in the correct position that you know of?
91 BUCHTER:
No.
Not that I know of.
10!
I 11; HUNTER:
Like the EF12's might have been closed, and they should have been i
open?
13i 14:
~
BUCHTER:
No, they were open all the time, cause when we do it they shut them in the control room.
16; 17 HUNTER:
Okay.
Do you...do you have a local indication of where you verified them closed or do you do that at the control board?
19!
20t i
BUCHTER:
What we usually do is talk on the page and then they tell us 21:
they're closed, and they start the pumps then.
22!
23l l
HUNTER:
All right.
Have you ever run into the fact that...have run into 2 41 25l the case where the pumps were inquota lock or in a position other than they were supposed to be?
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i 15 BUCHTER:
No. You see, we go out and verify all the valves and we call 1l 2
them and tell them that we're ready to have to open the 12 valves and go l
ahead and start the pumps.
3 4j HUNTER: Okay.
Let me give you a condition of the...you are doing the 5
surveillance and you find something.
You find the EF12 A and B valves in g
7j the closed position or something local like a recire valve, more in line with your job. How do you handle that? What would you do with that?
g 91 10l BUCHTER,:
Usually call the control room and ask why it was shut, or why its out of position.
11!
12t 13l HUNTER: And would you normally talk to the control room operator or a 1
foreman?
141 d
15' BUCHTER:
Yeah.
The control room operator usually lets the foreman answer the page, and I'll talk to him.
17' 18t HUNTER:
Okay. Not just the emergency feedwater system, but also decay 19!
heat removal, other type surveillances.
Have you run into any valves being 20!
out of the position, like the 108 valves or any of they type valves or 21i pumps?
22!
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l BUCHTER:
There was a couple of valves I found out of position already.
24I' They were done... surveillance was done that day and they forgot to put them 251 back.
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l HUNTER:
Okay, and how did you find them out of position? During a routine 3
2 shift check or just by walking by and observing them in the closed position
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BUCHTER:
The control room operator usually said, " hey we don't know if g
Gj they're open yet, and we'd go check them", that's when I~went back to verify they were open.
7 8f HUNTER: Okay. And is that the limit then of your input to tnat, say it was B.. 8H108 valves or whatever, would that be the end of your input you 10l l
would say, okay they're closed, and he probably said, open them?
11!
12l' BUCHTER:
Yeah.
13l 14i riUNTER: And then you left it to him or would you...?
16i BUCHTER:
No, I'd open them if they're manual valves.
171 I
- 191, HUNTER:
Right.
Then would you get involved after that...?
20:
BUCHTER:
No.
21(
I 22l HUNTER:
...Or would you just leave it to the control room operator?
23 24!
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17 1
BUCHTER:
I'd tell them that when they were open again and he'd do it from there.
2 3:
4j HUNTER:
Okay.
From a couple of the operators we've reviewed here the way Sj yud business, you'd have a check shift check sheet that you do and on i
6j those check sheets there are valve lineups and...
i 7l BUCHTER:
Yeah.
Some valves are on there.
g 9I HUNTER:
...Certain valves on there.
I'm speaking towards that type of i
10[
thing also...
12!
I BUCHTER: Yeah.
13) o 14:
HUNTER:
...If you find something in your checks.
If you found something out of position you normally would notify the control room and get it to the right position.
i 18!
BUCHTER:
Yeah.
Yeah, sometimes, you know, they find them out of position 19!
and you call... call up there and say they're in the middle of a surceillance 20i or doing...that they should be in a different position or else they're 21l doing a test.
22j 2l l
HUNTER: Would you log that on that sheet that...
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18 1!
BUCHTER:
Yeah.
I 2!
3 HUNTER:
...this is out of position because surveillance procedures is f
being run?
4 5l' BUCHTER:
Yeah, yeah.
6 7l l
suNTER:
Okay.
In a...in another area with the emergency feeewater system, 8
the EF11 valves are air operated remote control, they do have m.'.nual, auto g
- entrols on Baily Station.
Are you aware of those...
n!
BUCHTER:
Yeah.
131 HUNTER:
... types of stations.
Have you ever seen those valves in manual?
14i i
Or are they out of position...out of automatic?
151 16!
l BUCHTER:
No, not unless we operate them ourselves.
17!
18!
HUNTER: Okay.
191 201 MARSH:
Would there be conditions when you would operate them by yourselves, 21:
check them out auto?
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231 BUCHTER:
Yeah.
If they had problems with them in the control room and i
24l they couldn't operate them or like a...they werer t always shut, they 25!
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didn't seat all the way we'd go down and manually try to shut them some 2j m re.
I 3!
MARSH: Have thera been situatic,ns such as that?
5l BUCHTER:
Yeah, I went down to operate them twice so far.
I had to...they l
thought they were leaking by and I had to go down and see if I could shut 7
them more.
8 9l
- l' MARSH
- Were you successfully in closing them more or...?
10 n;
i BUCHTER:
Can't really tell.
12!
1 13!
MARSH:
Can't tell.
Not that you got a quarter turn out of it or anything.
1Si BUCHTER:
16i We got a little out of it, but they. don't know how much you shut it.
17!
181 HUNTER:
Dennis, you are speaking of the E Fil valves right?
191 20l BUCHTER:
Yeah.
3 21:
22!
HUNTER: A and B valves.
231 Are you aware that the valves are special and in fact, they.do leak through that they're designed to leak?
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BUCHTER: Yeah.
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3l HUNTER:
Are you aware of that?
4 Sj BUCHTER:
Yeah.
That's why they always shut the 12's.
I Si 7l HUNTER:
Okay, lets go back and talk about the 12's.
You in indicating 8l again, that okay, that the 12's would be shut...it becomes very obvious I
that if, in fact, the ll's a. leaking through, are you speaking in the g
terms that the ll's are leaking through and you're leaking back to the aux...the emergency feedwater pumps backwards or speaking in the terms of leaking from the emergency feedwater pumps when thay're on leaking into the I
131 i
14!
l BUCHTER:
15i It's leaking in.
16 HUNTER:
When...can you recall when you would have been involved in that i
17:
i king of thing of checking the ll's and possibly even watching the 12's go 18f closed or seeing them close them?
201 i
BUCHTER:
Yeah.
I don't remember when the last time I did that surveillance 21!
i was.
22' l
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HUNTER: Okay.
You were indicating that that...the 12's being closed 24!
occurs during surveillance activities?
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BUCHTER: Yeah.
l 2!
HUNTER: Have you ever seen them cidsed other than surveillance activities?
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BUCHTER: No.
Si Si s
HUNTER:
One of thoso emergency feedwater valves is, in fact, has been
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el vated in temperature because of some plastic melted on it...
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91 BUCHTER:
I haven't been down there.
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n HUNTER:
EFil valve and I forget which it's the A or the B.
The otter one 12!
I is nice and one of the types is... indicates high temperature the type is 131 tiis color. As if high temperature water or steam had been leaking through 14!
.the check valve back through the 11 valve...
151 16:
BUCHTER:
17 Yes.
18f HUNTER:
..and back tcwards the emergency feecwater pump evolved. 'dere 191 you aware of that?
20i 21!
BUCHTER:
No, cause I ain't allowed in that area.
I am now, but I wasn't 22l i
allowed in that area.
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HUNTER:
Ouring your operations of the emergency feedwater surveillance 2j which put you in that area, and icsking at the pipes, do you recall seeing i
3; anything liket that?
4!
9 5l BUCHTER:
No.
They're all normal.
i 6i p
HUNE:
Yeah. Would you say that that had occurred recently if it...
8!
BUCHTER:
If it happened since the accident, g;
101 HUNTER:
Okay.
To your knowledge it weald' a hapoened but you're not 3
aware of any...any discolored piping or Digh tercperature?
131 BUCHTER:
Nope.
14' 15' HUNTER:
You've never had to go down and isolate the...see that the Il2 valve's isolated or to make sure that there was no back flow through there?
18' 191 BUCHTER:
No.
20!
21'
$NTER:
Have you ever walked up to the emergency feedwater pumps on your 22l 23i tours and they were rotating backwards or anything, that they were rotatirg?
241 25l i
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23 1
BUCHTER: Yeah, the only things we had that was the reliefs would lift off
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every once in a while on the suction of the motor driven emergency feedpumps.
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3 MARSH:
4 And that's the reliefs you're talking about?
51 i
BUCHTER: Yeah.
61 I
71 I
MARSH:
Relief valves?
81 9l l
HUNTER: And the relief on that is probably 150 pounds or so or...
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11!
BUCHTER:
12!
Yeah, it comes from the condensate system.
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131 HUNTER:
Cond,ensate system.
But.the only way that would. relieve is if it was leaking back because that's the only source of high pressure water.
16; BUCHTER: Well this is on the suction end of the pump.
i 18[
HUNTER:
Right, but the only source of high pressure water wculd be if it 191 was leaking back to the pump from the...
20i 21f BUCHTER:
All we had to do is shut the suction valve and the relief would 22!
recede, so we always figured it came from the suction.
Or shut the suction 231 valve and the valve would 3r the relief valve would shut again and we could l
reopen the suction valve back up.
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HUNTER:
Okay, I'll look at that.
That's interesting that you would...that 1
2 that would recede the relief valve.
Is the relief valve on the pump side j
f the suction valve or on the tank side of the suction valve?
3 I
4j BUCHTER:
It's on the tank side.
5 l
6i HUNTER:
It's on the tank side?
7 3!
BUCHTER: Yeah.
g I
101 HUNTER: And wnen you shut that valve it would recede?
12l t
BUCHTER:
Yeah.
13!
14!
15,'
HUNTER:
Okay.
Yeah, I'll look at that.
I think that probably even confirms 161 the fact that it's leaking back through the pumps, but I'll look into that, 1
Okay.
Have you operated the emergency diesel generator surveillances 17!
before?
18f 191 BUCHTER:
Diesel generator I...
20:
21:
HUNTER:
Yeah, the emergency diesel generator surveillance, you've run those?
23l i
24; 25i
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25 i
1:
BUCHTER:
I've run both of them there.
l 2'
i 3j HUNTER:
Have you ever had problems with those surveillance procedures, the 4j diesel not starting properly or starting within the time frame or meeting 5
the acceptance criteria?
Gi BUCHTER:
No, no.
7 i
81 i
HUNTER:
Okay.
g 10!
BUCHTER: We had one that was the manifold was cracked on one time.
That 11; g
was it, they changed that though.
I 131 HUNTER:
Okay.
14 ',
15l 8tfCHTER: And that one that, I forget what they said, that something broke lo,,i on it, but they'd all been repaired.
17!
18t HUNTER:
Okay.
Dennis, I don't have any further questions.
To close this 191 out, and if you have any questions or comments, you're welcome to :nake them 20i or if you think of anything that...that would be of significance to the 21(
investigation so that we can understand what happened, we'd appreciate you 22 getting a hold of us...
23!
24 255 n P,
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I i
i l
l 26 i
BUCHTER: All right.
2l 3
_ HUNTER:
Or even if it's, if you were sitting talking to an operator and he indicated that the...that he did something and we haven't picked 4
up, what we're doing is, if you, well, I know that so and so did this 5!
we'll try and interview him and we'll try and get everybody on'the shift 6
, but we're going to miss some of them and we don't want to miss them 7
l you eo think of something or somebody who was involved in someth But if g
was...that would be important to our look at this incident we'd appreci 9!
ae 101
\\
11l BUCHTER: All right.
12!
13j i
MARSH:
We don't mean that in terms of a witch hunt that we're lookin 14' l
15i people that did things wrong...
16!
BUCHTER:
Yes.
17!
18t MARSH:
...St t we're still trying to pin down certain key events that it is 19!
necessary to find out just what certain valves were closed in that 20!
or certain actions were taken.
Dennis I've got one or two question I'd still 2 11 like to go over.
One, we talked about contamination on that first day and 22l 23j you responded that you weren't contaminated on that day.
Were there events i
downstream a few days later where you did become contaminated?
24l 25; i
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27 i
y BUCHTER:
April 6th.
1 2:
I 3j MARSH: April 6th then.
Can you give me some comments on that as to how it came about?
4 51 H
e 1, at day a
.e reactor coolant pump tripped, and I had 6
f to go down and open the needle valves for cooling flow.
And I went in to 8;
perate the valve and when I came up both my arms were crapped up or contaminat ed i
end I didn't notice it, when I came out of Unit 2 HP because the background 91 was so high. When I got up to the processing center they picked it up and i
101 I walked back to Unit 1 HP to clean my arms up and all my clothing was 11:,
i 12l contaminated too cause rubbed it through the arms.
And then I couldn't wash off my arms; it was on there.
131 14i MARSH:
This was on April 6th?
l 16; i
B_UCHTER: Yeah, it was Friday.
So I had to wrap my arms in rubber so I 17l could go home.
The next day when I came in they had no trace of it.
18!
I 191 MARSH: They checked you again the next day?
20!
l 21!
BUCHTER: Yeah.
I had took the rubber off.
I didn't take if off at home.
22!
23!'
MARSH:
Were you reading...were you wearing dosimetry at that time when it 24{
happened?
25i l
,. o i
cm.
I j
28 BUCHTER: Yeah.
2l 3
MARSH: What were you wearing?
4j BUCHTER:
I had a high range pocket dosimeter and my TLD.
~
I MARSH:
Did you carry a low range also or just the high range?
el i
8!
gj BUCHTER: Yeah. A low range too.
f 10 MARSH:
So you had a high range, low range and your TLD?
11:.
12:
I BUCHTER: Yeah.
13!
141 MARSH:
Do you recall the readings on those as to what they reading?
16!
BUCHTER:
17!
Low range went off scale and the high range was reading about 1300, my TLD I went and read right away, it read 1600.
19i MARSH: Okay.
What I'm going to do is I'm going to take a break here for 20!
about 2 minutes.
I'd like one of the health physicist to talk to you or 21i our people.
22l I'm going to take a minute or two to get them over here, but...
23l 24!
25i R
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1!
BUCHTER:
That's all right.
l 2:
3l' It's 9:31 no.<, so I'm going to break the tape for just a minute.
MARSH:
41 5l MARSH:
Okay the time now is 9:40.
I will indicate for the record that l
Domin Hunter has departed and we've been joined by Mr. Greg Yuhas.
Gi
- Greg, I'll let you identify yourself and your position.
7 I
81 YUHAS:
I'm Gregory Yuhas, Radiation Specialist, Region I.
g I'm going to be j
asking Mr. Suchter a few questions related to the contamination that's been 10 previously described.
First, Can you describe how you were dressed for 11:
this entry dated March 6, 1979?
12l 13f i
BUCHTER:
I had double paper coveralls on and double wet suit with a Scott 14!
an.
air pack.
16:
i YUHAS:
Okay.
17; Were your outside gloves taped to either your plastics or your paper suit?
181 19t BUCHTER:
Yeah.
20!
21l YUHAS: Okay.
22l l
23\\
BUCHTER:
Well, I had cotton gloves underneath them.
The first pair of 2 41 rubber gir 25!
es was taped to my rain suit or the wet suits and the other one was taped passed the outer ones.
i n
l i
30 11 YUHAS: Okay. Where specifically on your arm or forearm did you become 2
contaminated?
31 BUCHTER:
To the front.
What do you call this area, right below the wrist.
Si YUHAS: Okay.
6 7
MARSH:
Your indicating the inner surface of your wrist just...
10j BUCHTER: Yeah.
ll!
MARSH:
12!
...above where the watch band normally would be.
13 BUCHTER:
Yeah, I think.
14!
15 MARSH:
16l That's your left arm your pointing to right?
1 17l YUHAS:
Do you remember separation of the taped gloves?
19[
BUCHTER:
No.
201 i
21:
YUHAS: Okay.
Do you remember the arm becoming wet at any point?
22l 23l l
BUCHTER:
Not ' hat I would know of.
24i 25i
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I 31 YUHAS: Okay.
Can you describe the survey where you found the contami-y nation? What type of instrument did you use and what did it read and what 2
was the extent in terms of the area that was contaminated on your skin?
3 41 gj BUCHTER:
It was those monitors that had a Unit 1 processing center, what do t!_/ all the square ones with...
Si 7;
i YUHAS: Would this be the RM14...
81 91 BUCHTER: Yeah.
101 11!
i YUHAS:
...with the extra 210 probe?
12l 13!
BUCHTER:
Yes, that's the one.
And then I checked it out and it went off 14!
scale on the one scale and I immediately went back to Unit 1 HP.
- Finally, 15i later Pete Velez's arms were both crapped up too, contaminated.
He also 16i had to clean his.
17l 18!
YUHAS: When you went back to Unit 1 HP, did you contact an HP tecnnician 191 and ask him to resurvey you?
20(
BUCHTER:
Yeah.
22l 23t i
YUHAS:
Do you remember who that was?
24l 25!
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32 BUCHTER: There were a couple of them back there at the time.
They told me 1l 2
to go back and clean up right away.
I don't remember which one was back 1
there.
3 4!
YUHAS:
5 Did they resurvey you prior to having you deconmed?
Gi y
BUCHTER:
Yeah.
I had to wash about 6 times and it didn't ccme off.
8.
i YUHAS:
Okay.
g i
10l' BUCHTER:
I resurveyed myself with the same instrument back there.
11!
12!
YUHAS:
Did the HP techs resurvey you?
14!
BUCHTER: No, I was doing it.
16i YUHAS: Okay.
And when you resurveyed yourself after efforts of decontamin-17!
ation, what was the highest readings you found and over what area, with 18:
what instrument?
191 20!
BUCHTER:
It was still going off at...on the one scale, that's all the further I went.
22l 6
23l i
YUHAS:
Did you up scale it to greater than the one scale?
24!
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33 t
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BUCHTER:
No.
l 2!
YUHAS: Okay.
Did you log these survey results anywhere?
3, l
4j BUCHTER:
5 Pete Velez was there...came in there and he's the one that told 6i them to wrap me in rubber and send me home.
And at that time he said y
something about it being about 4 or 500 counts, a
I 8[
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YUHAS: Did Velez survey you?
9l l
10l l
BUCHTER:
He was there when I was standing there the last time when I was ll!
I running it over my arm.
12!
131 YUHAS:
14l The last time that you surveyed yourself, did it peg the instrument?
i l
Oid it go greater than 500 in needle full scale over?
15:
1 16!
BUCHTER:
17l Well, I didn't...I seen it was going up and I pulled it away before it set the alarm off.
18r 19f YUHAS:
I see.
20j 21l BUCHTER:
...it was gone.
22' 231 i
YUHAS: Okay.
24i.
Why didn't you up scale the instrument?
25i f
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34 j
1}
-BUCHTER:
Cause Velez said it was no use in doing i+ because it wasn't coming off and might ae well tape me up and send me home.
2 3l 4l YUHAS:
Okay.
Did you n' tice that Mr. Velez was contaminated to the same extent or to a greater extent then you were?
5
)
6i BUCHTER:
He had his both forearms contaminated too.
I 8f i
gj YUHAS:
Do you have any idea what level they were contaminated to?
10!
1 BUCHTER:
No.
i 11!
12' YUHAS:
Okay.
13 14i
_SUCHTER:
He probably always knew what it was cause he was right with me
- '1 whole time.
And he probably had the same reading on his arm.
l 17l
'(U_HAS: Okay.
Did you at any time use an E520 or the 18...or a 177 probe 18{
to survey?
191 20l BUCHTER.: No.
22l l
YUHAS:
23j When you left that day, when you went our through the Unit 1 p ess 24[
center, did you set off the frisker out there after you were taped up o your way home?
25i
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35 i
lj BUCHTER: They told me not to monitor myself cause I'd just set if off.
2 3j YUHAS: Okay. Were there areas of your body other than your hands that F
were crapped up?
Sl l
6{
BUCHTER:
No. When I slipped my coat and stuff on they got also contaminated.
i I had to leave them here.
7 a!
YUHAS:
Did you survey your bcdy... carefully?
Si i
10!
I BUCHTER:
Yeah.
I surveyed the rest of myself...
11:
I 12!
YUHAS:
Okay.
I 141 BUCHTER:
...I couldn't find nothing else.
16i 17!
i YUHAS: What sort of decontamination technique was used to clean your arm?
12l 19t BUCHTER:
Soap and water and a scrub brush the first couple of times and 20 then they used that radioac wash.
With soap with a brush too.
One of the 21l bristies broke.
22l 23f 24!
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1)
YUHAS: Did some member of the Rad Chem staff supervise your decontami-h nation?
E i
31 i
4l BU M ER:
No.
i Sjj '
YUHAS:
O{
Can you describe exactly how your forearm was taped? Over what area of contamination, you haven't answered that question yet.
About how big was the area that was contaminated?
9f BUCHTER:
It was just about the size of a half dollar that we could find.
11!
YUHAS:
12!
About the size of a half dollar?
131 BUCHTER: Yeah.
14' 15, YUHAS:
Such that the probe area really covered the whole area that was contaminated?
17!
18i BUCHTER:
Yeah, yeah.
191 20\\
YUHAS: Okay.
Can you now describe how this was taped and who taped it 21:
with plastic?
22!
23\\
BUCHTER:
Those NSS people that were down at the HP control point that 241 taped my arms up.
25!
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37 YUHAS:
1{
Your indicating, plural, both arms were contaminated?
2:
BUCHTER:
No, just the one, the left arm.
3 4i YUHAS:
Okay.
So they taped it up and you went home that way?
g I
6i f
BUCHTER:
Yeah.
i 8l YUHAS:
Okay. When you came back the next day was it clean?
gj 10l BUCHTER:
Yeah.
They removed the tape and the rubber and it was clean.
11!
12l l
YUHAS: Who surveyed you that day?
13i 14:
BUCHTER:
Pete Velez was there.
15; a
16i YUHAS: Who surveyed you that day?
t 17!
ISt BUCHTER:
Pete Vele:.
19t 20!
YUHAS:
Okay. Were you watching the survey instrument when he surveyed 21',
you?
22; i
23l BUCHTER:
Yes.
2 41 25i
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t f
l 38 i
l lj YUHAS: And you had less than 100 counts?
l 2:
3 BUCHTER:
Yeah.
I 4l Sj YUHAS:
Okay.
Now you indicated that you had a whole body count shortly thereafter.
6 7,
BUCHTER:
8l Well, that Friday when I got contaminated and Saturday morning I had the whole body count.
g i
10l YUHAS:
Okay.
11; 12f BUCHTER: They said there was very little there.
131 14!
YUHAS:
Okay.
Had you... prior to this incident, been contaminated while working here.
16i 17l BUCHTER:
Yes, I was contaminated about 3 times in previous years.
18!
l 19!
YUHAS: Were any of those contaminations significant? Were they fairlv 20!
high levels?
22f i
BUCHTER:
Yes. One time I was changing the filter in Unit l's first 23l outage and the foreman bumped me above my eye and set the monitor off on 24I the 10 scale, but then I washed and it came right off.
25!
9 ^\\.;
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39 i
lj YUHAS: Who trained you as an A Auxiliary Operator in chemistry and health 2l physics? Do you participate in a training program, if so, who is it taught 3
Y 4{
gj BUCHTER:
There was two weeks of training for HP and it was Pete Velez and 6;
the other HP foreman.
i 7l YUHAS: Specifically, what other HP foreman?
9l BUCHTER:
Bob McCann and Tom Mulleavy.
10; 11 YUHAS:
In the course of that training did they discuss the significance of 12!,
skin contamination?
13 14' BUCHTER:
Yes.
They...we have to know all the levels, what we're allowed to leave with, and what levels we're allowed to get and stuff like that.
IT l
YUHAS: What are the levels that you are allowed to leave with?
18f 191 MARSH:
Excuse me, hold it right for just a quick second here and turn this 20t tape over.
The time being 9:48.
211 22!
l MARSH:
9:48 reading 472 on the meter.
23; I
24!
i 25j 9,\\ ^
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j 40 1
BUCHTER:
I think it...it's.4 fixed contamination you're allowed to leave 2
with, or take it off l
31 3
4j YUHAS:
.4 what?
Si i
6j BUCHTER:
That's dpm.
I think that's what it is.
7l t
YUHAS:
g I just want to regress a little bit to the entry that you said you made shortly after the incident.
Would that have been Fr' day the 30th?
g 10i BUCHTER:
That could have been that Friday night.
12l l
YUHAS:
Friday night on the 30th?
131 14' BUCHTER:
Yeah. We were working 11 to 7.
15, 16i YUHAS:
Okay.
Can you tell me a little bit about that entry into the auxiliary building?
19!
BUCHTER: Well, it...I. ras going in to ajust seal water to the letdown 20i coolers, the sealer return coolers and they wanted more cooling water to 211 i t.
I ajusted that and then I went up to the panel to take the panel 22' readings.
And then I went upstairs to check some breakers and I came out.
23 I had a HP tech with me.
24) i 2$i 9 i.3 O.
l l
41 i
gj YUHAS:
I'm going to remove a spider from your shoulder.
Did you have a 2
RWP for that entry?
I 3:
l BUCHTER: Yeah.
4 Si YUHAS: Okay.
Do you remember hcw much exposure you took making that 61 l
entry?
8:
1 BUCHTER:
I received about 700, that's roughly.
I don't know exactly.
It 91 was about 700.
But I had 600 working in Unit 1 outage and I wound up with about 1200 for the quarter.
12l MARSH: Do you recall who the HP tech was that accompanied you on that i
131 trip?
15i BUCHTER:
Dick Benner.
ge.
17!
MARSH:
Bennett?
18t 19!
BUCHTER:
Benner.
20!
21i MARSH:
Benner.
22l 23t 1
BUCHTER:
Yeah.
2 41 25!
gp 7:
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42 i
i lj MARSH:
Okay.
2!
3j HHg: About how long ago did you receive the two weeks of health physics l!
training?
4 SI BUCHTER:
That was June or July last year.
6 I
7l g{
YUHAS:
Can you describe for me what requirements have to be met for an i
individual to enter a locked high radiation area?
g 101 11:l BUCHTER: A locked high radiation area you have to notify your shift foreman, shift supervisor plus an HP foreman.
And they want to know why you want to t
12l i
go in and out of there.
13) 14!
YUHAS:
Okay.
1Si i
BUCHTER:
And also you have to have a HP tech with you.
17l 18l YUHAS:
Is that always true?
19t 20!
BUCHTER:
As far as I know.
21i 22!
YUHAS:
You always have a HP tech with you when you enter a high area?
23) i 24!
25l 4
9 l
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43 BUCHTER: Greater than 1 R.
That's a locked area and they send them with 1
2j you.
i 31 3
4j YUHAS:
In the...in an emergency, do you act as an HP monitor?
5 BUCHTER:
I can, yeah.
6 7
YUHAS:
May I see your security badge? For the record Mr. Buchter's 8!
security badge has the HP stamp on it which indicates that he has ccmpleted g
10}
the comprehensive, righ....
11!
BUCHTER: Yeah.
131 YUHAS:
...HP training program...
1t 15i BUCHTER: Two weeks course, yeah.
17l YUHAS:
...and you are, in fact, authori::ed to act as a HP tech in an emergency?
191 20f BUCHTER:
Yeah.
21l 22!
j YUHAS:
Okay.
23t 241 25i q \\.;
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44 i
l If MARSH:
Excuse me.
That's badge 563 is the number that appears on your...
4 2!
BUCHTER: Yeah.
3 l
4; YUHAS:
5 Did you, during the incident perform any HP functions?
6i f
BUCHTER:
No.
7 I
8l YUHAS:
91 During the incident did you perform anything that you consider to repair party functions?
101 11:
BUCHTER: No.
12l I didn't go in to repair anthing. All I did was go in to l
operate.
131 I went in 3 times in the Aux building and since then I've been out buildings and the secondary.
141 15r YUHAS:
When you say you went in 3 times during the first 3 day period you 16i just made one entry?
17!
18:
BUCHTER:
Yeah.
Those 2 days and the 6th of April I went in the other 2 19!
times.
20' 21l YUHAS:
Did you participate in any offsite monitoring or onsite monitoring 22' teams during the first 3 days?
23(
l 241 25 l
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45 1
BUCHTER:
No.
21 i
3j YUHAS: Okay, all right.
Do you have any concerns resulting from this 4f incident contamination on your arm?
5!
g BuCHTeR: no.
il l
YUHAS: Okay.
I don't have any further questions at this time.
8 Si i
MARSH: Okay.
I have just two very brief questions Dennis.
These I've
{
been asking quite regularly and I just...I want to get your response to them.
One is, do you have any knowledge, direct or indirect or have you heard anything whatsoever concerning the possibility that sabotage m 14t have played a role in this event?
15; BUCHTER:
All's I've heard were rumors going around.
lo,,i 17l 18l an you be more specific. What have you heard...and?
19l
_BUCHTER:
That's like the newspapers and they were saying it's possible 20\\
sabotage and everything else.
I haven't heard nobody say anything in the
- 22l, plant that they know no of anybody satogaging.
23!
l MARSH:
You were more just discussing that you've read the papers....
24l 25l f.
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46 lj BUCHTER:
Yeah.
l 2:
I MARSH:
...and the possibility of sabotage was going on?
4 Sj BUCHTER:
Yeah.
That's what is wrong.
I Si MARSH:
Okay.
But nothing...nothing specific other than that?
7 8l i
BUCHTER:
No.
i 91 1
101 MARSH:
You wouldn't knew of anyone who would have reason to?
12l BUCHTER:
131 Not that I know of.
14!
MARSH:
Okay.
151 Are you familiar with any other events of intentional acts to create damage around the plant before this happened or after?
l 17' BUCHTER:
No, not to do any damage to operate the plant.
19i MARSH:
Are you making reference to something that would be other than to 20l l
damage the plant or...?
21l 22!
might have been little pranks or something pulled around, 23J yeah.
24!
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47 l{
MARSH:
Second question addressing something similar.
There's a lot of curiosity since this plant was up for just about 1 year the day of the 2
31 event March 28th which is also the anniversary date that it went active.
4l Are you aware of any plans for parties on that day in plant?
5 61 Y
7 MARSH:
Yeah.
Si I
9t i
BUCHTER:
10j Yes, as I was here the night it went critical.
11l l
MARSH:
12l Okay, I'm talking March 28th of this year, the day of the event Being the anniversary date, had there been any plans for any plant now 131 parties in plant, or just celebrate the anniversary of 1 year?
14l 15!
BUCHTER:
No.
16i 17l MARSH:
18f You're not aware of any?
19i s,
I BUCHTER:
No.
20) 21; MARSH: Okay.
Had you seen any signs around the plant indicating that 22!
there was going to be a party either onsite or offsite?
24!
25\\
bf,
, kl.
l
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l 48 i
l 1l BUCHTER:
Not that...I haven't seen anything about it.
2l 3j MARSH: Okay. Do you have reason to believe that anyone in the control 4l room or onsite at that time, let's say the control room staff, possibly gj would have been partying or might have had alcoholic beverages onsite that i
Gi night?
}
7j gj BUCHTER:
No.
I worked with them all and none of them I knoi, of would drink on shift or drink prior to coming in the shift.
g 10!
l MARSH: Okay.
I have no other questions Dennis. We appreciate ycur coming in and your recall.
It may not seem much to you, but it's still...it adds information as we go along, so we very much appreciate your in?ut.
13I 14I BUCHTER:
All right.
16i i
MARSH:
Before we finish I will again offer you the microphone if there's 17!
anythinc/ you want to say or anything you want to put on record, feel free to make your comments if you so choose.
20[
BUCHTER:
No, I have nothing at this time.
21; 22l MARSH: Okay.
Then the time being 9:55, I'm reading 609 on the tape.
23!
l We'll terminate it at this time.
24i 25i
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