ML19276H097
| ML19276H097 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 09/21/1979 |
| From: | Gossick L NRC OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR OPERATIONS (EDO) |
| To: | Kennedy R NRC COMMISSION (OCM) |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 7910020856 | |
| Download: ML19276H097 (3) | |
Text
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September 21, 1979 MEMORANDUM FOR:
Comissioner Kennedy FROM:
Lee V. Gossick Executive Director for Operations
SUBJECT:
OIA INVESTIGATION REPORT, "MICHELSON REPORT EVENTS AND LEVELS OF REVIEW" Your memorandum of August 24, 1979 noted four areas of apparent weakness in MRC procedures which contributed to the lack of early and adequate staff attention to the "Michelson Report." You requested a plan for development and implementation of new or improved procedures. We have the following coments and plans with regard to each of the areas you mentioned:
"1.
A lack of a forum, other than the ACRS, within the regulatory system through which safety related concerns expressed by individuals such at Dr. Michelson can be addressed and resolved;"
"3.
A lack of adequate internal staff procedu es to ensure that externally generated reports such as ACRS consultant reports are rigorously distributed, screened for safety concerns, and analyzed by the staff;"
He agree that these weaknesses presently exist and should be corrected.
It is evident that it has not been sufficient to rely on the ad hoc distribution or circulation of internally or externally generated concerns or reports to one or many members of a staff that is fully occupied with other priority work assignments, without a preliminary interdisciplinary review for potential significance and without specific assignments for followup actions. This general subject will be addressed in the long range recommendations of the NRR Lessons Learned Task Force and I would expect it to be addressed by both the Presidential Ccmmission and the NRC Special Inquiry Group.
In the meentime, however, pending receipt of the recommendations of those groups, I will request Mr. C. J. Heltemes, Jr., Interim Director of the Office for Analysis and Evaluation of Operational Data, who has been recently detailed to that office, to develop and provide to me recommendations for immediate steps that can be taken to correct these weaknesses. Specifically, I have asked him to address, from an agency viewpoint, the handling, initial screening, and subsequent disposition of safety-related concerns expressed by individuals (inside and outside of NRC) and by externally generated reports and to develop the procedures for assuring that such matters are systematically processed.
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i Comissioner Kennedy.
"2.
A lack of formal written procedures or guidelines through which the ACRS or its members may request tiRC staff review of a pa.iicular subject;"
In the past, requests by the ACRS or its members for flRC staff review of particular subjects have been made in a variety of ways.
Requests made by the full committee are generally forwarded in memoranda from the ACRS Chairman of Executive Director to the EDO or the Director, NRR, or are included in the ACRS letter reports to the Chairman, fiRC. The Ccamittee semiannually summarizes such requests and the staff provides a status report to the Comittee. Requests by individual members, or subcomittees, are sometimes forwarded (in writing or orally) by the ACRS member or an ACRS staff member to project managers, individual staff members or supervisors. These less formal requests sometimes do not receive widespread distribution, particularly to line management, and appropriate assignments for followup actions are not assured unless a written request is handled as controlled correspondence.
I have requested the Interim Director, AEOD, to consult with the Executive Director, ACRS staff, and the Director, l'RR, and to prepare formal written procedures for the handling of Committee requests and ACRS consultants' reports for consideration by the ACRS and r
me by the end of October.
"4.
A lack of adequate and timely exchange of pertinent safety related information between DSS and DOR."
In July 1976 the Director, DOR, established procedures for the systematic preparation and issuance of Operating Experience Memoranda and Operating Information tiemoronda to provide feedback information and recomendations to DSS, DSE and DPM on matters arising in operating reactors and relevant to CP and OL licensing.
Information developed in the CP and OL licensing process having potential relevance to operating reactors is.ransmitted to DOR, both orally and by memoranda, but no systematic pracedures for documentation of such information have been established.
The Director, NRR, has requested the Acting Directors of DSS, DSE and DPN to develop and implement such procedures for their divisions by the end of C'ctober, and to consider the initiation of regularly scheduled interface meetings between the Directors and Assistant Director of the four I;RR divisions for the purpose of exchanging safety-related information on a timely basis.
I will keep the Comission informed of the results of the above plans for improvements.
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f f) V[ J v-
_ / Lee V. Gossick Executive Director for Operations cc:
See next page.
I I
Concissioner Kennedy '
.cc:
Chairman Hendrie Connissioner Gilinsky Comissioner Bradford Comissioner Ahearne H. Denton, HRR R. Fraley, ACRS A. Kenneke, OPE L. Bickwit, OGC C. Kantnerer, OCA J. Fouchard, OPA S. Chilk, SECY W. Dircks, NMSS V. Stello, IE R. Mi'oque, SD S. Levini, RES E. Case, NRR D. Vassallo, DPM D. Muller, DSE D. Eisenhut, DOR F. Schroeder, DSS R. Mattson, DSS D. Ross, CPM S. Hanauer, DSS N. Haller, MPA J. Heltemes, AE00
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