ML20042C032

Advises of Resignations of Two Senior Operators.Three Licensed Senior Reactor Operators Will Be Employed to Preclude Ever Being W/O Any Senior Staff.Current Dilemma Will Be Corrected to Prevent Recurrence

ML20042C032
Person / Time
Site:	University of Missouri-Rolla
Issue date:	03/25/1982
From:	Dean D MISSOURI, UNIV. OF, ROLLA, MO
To:	John Miller Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
References
NUDOCS 8203300098
Download: ML20042C032 (2)

Text

, School of Min:s::nd M:;tallurgy Office of the Dean 104 Mining Building UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-ROLLA Rona, Missouri 65401 Telephone (314) 341-4153 h \ \ f Qj l l' go, \

March 25,1982 /c'

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Mr. James R. Miller, Chief )N8 4 8

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Standardization and Special e 'Q%

Projects Branch ( o Division of Licensing 'r y ,.

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission ,_IC x..

Washington, D.C. 20555

Dear Mr. Miller:

i f In response to your letter of March 17, let me first assure you that the administration of the University of Missouri-Rolla is also concerned about the fact '. hat both of the licensed senior operators have lef t the UMR Reactor Facility staff.

Mr. Ronald L. Jones, the Reactor Maintenance Engineer, resigned as of February 19, 1982. His leaving was not entirely unexpected, although it came with very short notice. Mr. Jones had worked at the facility five and one-half years, which is about average for our senior operators. He joined the training staff of Mississippi Power and Light.

Mr. Alva E. Elliott's resignation, which was effective last Friday, March 19, was unanticipated. He gave us only three weeks' notice. Dr. Albert E. Bolon, Reactor Director, had requested that he remain as Reactor Manager until the end of this academic semester, but he had made a commitment to join the training staff of Arkansas Power and Light on March 29. Thus, the two resignations in such rapid sequence were very unusual and not within our control.

The experience the two men had obtained while conducting twenty two-week training programs for electric utilities made both of them valuable to the utility industry. As you know, since the accident at Three Mile Island, the utilities have been under pressure by the NRC to have sufficient in-house training capability. The utilities have more financial resources than do state universities to attract experienced personnel. Both men will be starting at salaries approximately 45% higher than their base salaries were here.

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o Mr. Miller March 25,1982 Page 2 As has been reported to the NRC Project Manager, Dr. Robert Carter, the reactor has been secured by unloading over one-half of the critical mass, which has been placed in fuel storage. We are well aware that our license, as well as Federal Law,10CFR50, el al, prohibits operation of the r9 actor until a licensed senior operator is present to provide direc; oervision of the core reloading and start up. We are hopeful that or more of the three persons who took the senior operator's exai. laat:on last Thursday and Friday will be licensed in the near future.

In order to avoid a repetition of the present situation, in which no senior operators are available, we are:

1. Recruiting immediately for replacements for the Reactor Manager and Reactor Maintenance Engineer at increased and more competitive salaries. These two staff would be required to be licensed as senior reactor operators at the earliest possible time as a condition of their employment.

2. Encouraging the Reactor Electronic Technician and one other reactor operator to achieve senior reactor status as soon as possible. These two individuals took the senior reactor operator's examination last week.

3. Planning to have at least one faculty member licensed as a senior reactor operator. Dr. Bolon took the senior reactor operator's examination last week.

It is our intent to have at least three licensed senior reactor operators in the future. This should preclude ever being without any such staff.

I hope that my response is adequate to assure you that we are equally as concerned as the NRC about our current dilemma and that we 'are doing all that we can to correct the problem and to prevent its reoccurrence.

Sincerely yours, e 0

+ ut W Don L. Warner, Dean School of Mines & Metallurgy DLW:ps L 1

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