ML19347E867

Responds to NRC 810306 Ltr Re Violations Noted in IE Insp Rept 50-458/81-01.Corrective Actions:Natl Mobile Concrete Corp to Revise QA Manual to Reflect Need to Verify Water Additions to Mixer Trucks by 810415.Affidavit Encl

ML19347E867
Person / Time
Site:	River Bend
Issue date:	03/31/1981
From:	Draper E GULF STATES UTILITIES CO.
To:	Madsen G NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION IV)
Shared Package
ML19347E866	List: ML19347E867
References
RBG-10-017, RBG-10-17, NUDOCS 8105140073
Download: ML19347E867 (4)

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.D s GULF STATES UTILITIES COMPANW A m 3Orai: E 30* 215'. 3EAwMON* *E4As'04 A*EA 00CE 3 333 653' March 31, 1981 RBG- 10,017 File Nos. G9.5 G15. 4.1 Mr. G. L. Madsen, Chief Reactor Projects Branch U.S. Nuclear Regu.'atory Ccmmission Region IV Office of Inspection & Enforcement 611 Ryan Plaza, Suite 1000 Arlington, TX 76011 Dear Mr. Madsen-River Bend Station-Unit I Refer to: RIV Docket No. 50-458/ Report 31-01 This letter responds to the Notice of Violation contained in your I&E Report No. 50-458/81-01, as required by 10CFR2.201. This inspection at the River Bend construction site was conducted by Mr. A.3. Beach on Januar" 23, 1981, of activities authorized by NRC Construction Permit No. CPPR-145 for River Send Station, Unit No. 1.

We trust that the enclosed response satisfactorily answers your concerns. We shall be glad to discuss any further concerns you may have regarding this matter.

Sincerely, re .e -

E.L. Draper 6

Vice President-Nuclear Technology ELD /RJK/mma Enclosure F1051.40073

4 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION STATE OF IEXAS I COUNTT OF JEFFERSON 1 In the Matter of I Dockee Nos. 50-458 50-459 GULF STATES UTILITIES COMPANY I (liver Band Station, I Units 1 and 2)

AFFIDAVIT E. L. DRA?ER, being duly sworn, states : hat he is a Vice President of Gulf Scaces Utilities Company; that he is authorized on the part of said Company to sign and file with :he Nuclear Regulatory Co:=nission the documents attached hereto; and that all such documents are true and correct :o the best of his knowledge, infornation and belief.

L. -

E. L. DRA?Eh Q

Subscribed and sworn to before ne, a Notarf Public in and for the State and County above named, thisd O % ay d of IhW 4t.) , 1981.

00u m..%. % _u Notary Pub'.I).c in an'd for Jefferson Coun:y, Texas My Consission Expires:

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, a Page 1 of 2 Enclosure I NRC Notice of Violation 50-458/RPT S1-01 River Bend Station - Unit I i

FAII.URE TO PROPERLY RECORD AMOUNT OF WA M ADDED TO CONCRETE IN TRUCK Criterion X of Appendix 3 requires that a program be established and executed by or for the organization performing the activity to verify conformance with the docume2ted procedures for accomplishing the activity.

Stone & Webster Specification 210.350, Revision 2, " Specification for Mixing and Delivering Concrete", states that, "the amount of withheld water added and slump measured after the final addition of water shall be recorded on truck delivery tickets."

Contrary to the above:

On January 26, ,dl, during the final water addition to a truck load of concrete identified on Batch Ticket 16574, the National Mobile Cencrete Corporation (NMCC) QA Director, in accordance with the above specification requirement, recorded that 12 gallons were added to the truck load. However, data on the batch ticket indicated that the quantity of 9 gallons was the maximum amount of water allowed to be added without exceeding the allowed water-cement ratio. The number on the batch ticket was subsequently crossed out and replaced by "9" gallons.

The EE inspector determined that the NMCC QA Director did not verify conformance with the documented procedure in that he did -

not actually verify the amount of 'inal water added to the truck for entry on the truck delivery ticket.

Stone & Webster batch plant inspection personnel, upon djscovery that the original batch ticket information had been changed, initiated a type C inspection report, IRS 1000 329, documenting that 12 gallons of water had been actually added.

This is a severity Level IV violation (Supplement II).

GSU RESPONSE Investigation into this finding indicates the violation was a result of National Mobile Concrete Corporation (NMCC) QA Manual's lack of direction cencerning verification of water additions to mixer trucks after batching. The addition of water to mixer trucks after batching by NMCC is a part of River Benc Site effort to isprove cercrete consistency at the placement locations, and was initiated in January,1981 by the addition of a Stone &

i Webster ?QC Concrete Testing Station at the Batch Plant which provides NMCC with slump test results of concrete in order to ad-

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, .. I Page 2 of 2 just water content and improve concrete consistency. A com-bination of lack of understanding specified requirements and ver-bal miscommunication between NMCC production and QA personnel ap-pears to have contributed to an isolated case of lack of verification of actual quantity of water added to the truck iden-tified on Batch Ticket 16574 The following action has been taken to correct the above and prevent recurrence of similar violations.

CORRECTIVE STEPS WHICH HAVE BEEN TAKEN AND RESULTS ACHEIVED:

The apparent over addition of water to Batch 16574 has been evaluated. The method utilized by NMCC Batch Plant personnel to calculate allowable water, results in a conservative value of nine gallons being recorded on the Batch Ticket for maximum amount of water allowed to be added. Stone & Webster FQC has calculated that actual water / cement ratio of the concrete recorded on 3atch Ticket 16574, and determined that the maximum water / cement ratio was not exceeded by the addition of 12 gallons of water.

Compressive strength test cylinders fabricated from concrete recorded on Batch Ticket 16574 produced an average 28 day compres-sive strength of 4885 P.S.I. The required 23 day compressive strength is 4000 P.S.I.

Stone & Webster has issued direction to National Mobile Concrete Corporation Site Management to the effect that (1) only NMCC production personnel . ire to authorize water additions to mixer trucks at the Batch Plant, and (2) thte NMCC QA personnel will verify that water additions do not exceed maximum allowable and if maximum allowable water is exceeded, that the lead will be rejected at the Batch Plant. NMCC has responded, that the procedure which has been utilized since 1/30/81, is that NMCC Production Personnel decide how much water is to be added and document the quantity added and mixer revolutions and sign the Batch Ticket as " Authorized Signature" NMCC QC Inspectors verify the actual water additions and mixer revolutions and initial beside the " Authorized Signature".

S&W QA has instructed NMCC that the 3% tolerance for Batch Water as referenced in ASTM C-94, does not apply to water additions af-ter batching, and NMCC has acknowledged and is complying with this direction.

CORRECTIVE STEPS WHICH HAVE BEEN TAKEN TO AVOID FURTHER VIOLATIONS NMCC will revise the NMCC QA Manuat to reflect the need to verify water additions to mixer trucks and has dccumented instructions to all QA personnel to the above procedure.

DATE WHEN FULL CCMPLIANCE WILL BE ACH:DED:

All instructions issued in writing as of March 24, 1981. NMCC QA Manual revisions will be issued by April 15, 1981.