ML19305B040

Final Deficiency Rept Re Inadequate Brown & Root QA Program. Investigations Have Commenced,W/Assistance Provided to Supplier in Review & Reconst of Welder Certification Records

ML19305B040
Person / Time
Site:	South Texas
Issue date:	01/04/1980
From:	HOUSTON LIGHTING & POWER CO.
To:
Shared Package
ML19305B031	List: ML19305B030 ML19305B040
References
NUDOCS 8003190063
Download: ML19305B040 (2)

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Breakdown in Contractor Quality Assurance Program Final Report I. Sumary On December 4, 1979, HL&P notified the Nuclear Regulatory Commission of a reportable deficiency under 10CFR50.55(e). This deficiency consists of the failure of the Brown & Root Quality Assurance Vendor Surveillance Program, as reported in a recent Brown & Root audit, to detect an apparent deficiency in a Category I miscellaneous steel supplier's Quality Assurance program. This resulted in the shipment of Category I steel to the South Texas Project for which Welder Certification documentation records were inadequate.

II. Description of Incident During an audit of a Category I miscellaneous steel supplier's Quality Assurance Program, the supplier was unable to provide adequate docu-mentation of welder certification. Welder certification verification is required during normal surveillance over the period of the contract, however, this lack of objective evidence of certification had not been previously reported by Vendor Surveillance personnel.

Evaluation of past Vendor Surveillance Reports indicates that welder certification to AWS D1.1 was reviewed on several occasions. Several of the reports state specifically that "... welders are qualificd and records are on file at the Vendor's Q.A. office." Since some of these records can not now be located, it has been determined that this represented a breakdown in the Brown & Root Vendor Surteillance Program.

III. Corrective Action Investigations have comenced, with assistance being previded to the supplier in review and reconstruction of the welder certification records. Additionally a two part program has commenced to ensure that the Vendor Surveillance Specialists understand what records are required and to verify that welders at other suppliers are properly qualified:

1. Increased training coverage has been provided rele'vant to welding documentation, particularly welding procedures, welder qualification and weld filler metal documentation.

2. A directive has been issued to each Vendor Surveillance Specialist detailing information necessary to verify welder qualification.

Whenever verification of welder qualification is required by the Vendor Surveillance Plan this directive is applicable to welders performing work covered by that Vendor Surveillance l Plan.

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.. 2 Any future deficiencies shall be treated as nonconformances and appropriate corrective action will be taken. To ensure that this was an isolated situation selected purchase orders will be reviewed.

IV. Safety Analysis The above corrective actions are adequate to ensure that there will be no recurrence.of tnis problem. No evidence of items which if left uncorrected could adversely affect safe operation of the power plant has been determined.

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