ML20101A604

FOIA Request for Records Re NRC Investigation Rept Q-1-83-014

ML20101A604
Person / Time
Site:	Three Mile Island
Issue date:	01/23/1996
From:	Omealia M AFFILIATION NOT ASSIGNED
To:	Grimsley D NRC OFFICE OF ADMINISTRATION (ADM)
References
FOIA-96-40 NUDOCS 9603130178
Download: ML20101A604 (1)

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l9 3901 Tunlaw Road l

!~ Apt.103 i Washington, D.C. 20007 l

l January 23,1996  !

Mr. Donnie H. Grimsley EREEDOM OF INFORMATION i

Director, Division of Freedom of ACT REQUEST

! Information and Publications Service yerA-9/.-0 MO ~

Office of Administation U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission k'g E _p9f Washington, D.C. 20555 ATTN: FOIA Request

Dear Mr.Grimsley:

Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 5552) and to the U.S. Nuclear .

Regulatory Commission's (NRC) regulations (10 CFR Part 9, Subpart A), I request a copy of NRC's Office of Investigations Report No. Q.1-83-014 be placed m the NRC's Public Document Room. This report was referenced in Report of Investigation No. Q-1-84-004,

" General Public Utilities Nuclear (GPUN)/Possible Training Irregularities," (see pages 1 and 6). I have attached a copy for your convenience.

Please let me know if you require any additional information. I can be reached at 202/634-1439.

Sincerely, l

1

' 4 MichaelO'Mealia

• Enc.:

as stated l

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9603130178 960123 PDR FOIA O'MEALIA96-40 PDR., .

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REPORT OF INVESTICTA10N l

I4 i St'8.1LC1: CENERAL PURLIC UT!i1 TIES NUCLEAR (CPUN)/POSSIBLE TRAIN 1RREGULAkITIES 1

I REPORT NO: Q-1-64-004 l

REFERENCE:

Q-1-83-01&; Q-1-83-015 DATL CLOSED: MARCH 22, 1964 This investigation was initiated to detereine the intent behind an April 27, 1976 semorandum I written by Alexis TSACGARIS (hereinafter, "TSAGGARIS sesorandum"). The investigation also addressed the extent to which General Public Utilities' (GPU) internal investigation report of2 the March 2F*, 1979 accident (i.ereinaf ter, the "KEATD; Task Force") included the problems

> identified in the TSACCARIS meterandum and certain other negative inforcation regarding the training program at Three Mile Island.

Duric6 the NRC staf f review of the CPU v. Bat. cock & Wilcox lavspit records, the TSAGGAR15 memorandut was identified as raising questions about sar.agement kr.evledge of failures to comply with FRC training requireser.ts.

The memorandus concerr.ed problems in the requalification program related to poor lesson attendance, delay in cospleting makeup lessons and insufficient time spent in the control room. After the recitation of the deficiencies in the program, the memorandus stated: "We are required by federal law to meet certain requirements for licensed individuals and in several cases we do not meet them."

1. Exhibit 1

2. Exhibit L

3. See Exhibit 2. Exhibit 3 and Exhibit 15 fp-tif amwmilsd o ,-

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Alesis TSACCARIS won'the Supervisor of Training at the Three Mile Island Nuclear Station (hereinaf ter. "TM1") f rc- January 197f, until the string of 1o77 Af ter assusing this pepiticn. TSACCAP15 estah!!sted a quarterly audit syster. to monitor, asong other things, the amount of tiene spent in the ,

control root by non-phift pe r se nsic1. The terv "r.cn-shif t personne)" applied tr any 11cer. red individual who was net a secher of er cperatir4 shif t such se the Supervasor of Operations er a Unit Superintendent.$ In order to ensure that non-shif t personnel veeld lor. in the necessary ausber of hours of control roos time te sieet the NRC standards fer biennial requalification as required by 10 CFK Part 55. Appendia A. TSAGCARIS estab*ished an internal pregram I

requiring these individuals to spend a stated nusber of hours per sonth in the control roos. Thc purpnee of the progras wcs to avoid a situaticr. ir wt ich ar individual would net have sper.t any time in the contro* room for several sonths and be forced to " catch up" to meet the federal requalification requirements. TSAGCAR15 currently believes that it was a f ailure on the part of several individuals to log in sufficient control room time on a D menchly t asis to which he was ref erring in the April,1976 memorandus rather t h at. e violt ". of the NRC requalification requitecents. TSAGGARIS could rot recall ' u )pecific individuals to whoc. he was refstring in the April, 19M sesorandus. TSAGGARIS did recall, bovever, that, as a result of this sesorandue, several operator licenses were persitted to lapse.

I TSAGGAkl$ was not aware of any viclations of federal regulatione governing training while he was Supervisor of Training at TM1 and emphasized that his o

memorandus was not addressing actual instances of ococompliance.- A review of NRC Region ! records disclosed that an inspection perf ormed in August. 1976 of the General and Requalification Training Prograss did not teruit in any items of noncompliance.10

4. Exhibit 5 at 3-4

5. M. at 7 It, at 9-10 6.

7. Id. at 10

8. Ex~hibit & at 16; Exhibit 5 at 14 D 9.

10.

Ext.ibit & at 18; Exhibit 5 at 11 Exhibit 16 (2)

r' Joseph J. COLITZ was the Superintendent of Unit I at TM1 at the time of the TSACCAR15 scrorandus. COLITZ did not specifically recall the April 27. 1976 memorandue but did resesber TSAGGARIS rasping the issue of attendance at training by non-shift persennel in the requalification progras. COLITZ etated that he had o perienced difficultics in keepinf up with the requalification prograc and that, af ter TSAGGAR15 raised the irne. COL 17Z decided te allow h u 11rense tc lapse. COLITZ was not aware of any violations of feders' ress.lations in the requalification progras.II John C. HERBEIN was the Station Manager at TM1 at the time cf the TSAGCAR15 r.er.or andue . HERSEIN held a senior reactor operator's license from approxir.etely March.1973 until early 1977. HERBEIN had r,c recollection of the 15AGGAR15 sescrandus or of having discussed the subject matter with TS AGG ARIS. In preparation for the interview. James BUM:5. HERBEIN's atterney, discovered in HERSEIN's files a memorandus which apparently l prescribed corrective action for the deficiencies cited in the TSAGCAR15 h resorandus. This memorandus sigt.ed by COL 17Z and Gary MILLER. required, as:mg other things, non-shif t licensed individuals te schedule and stand a l feur hour watch in the control roos once per month.I3 HEREEIN was not awart l

of any willful violations of federal regulaticcs in the training progras ]

during the time he was station tanager.

Gary P. MILLER was the Superintendent of r .it 2 at TM1 at the time of the TSAGCARIS memorandus. MILLER believed that HERSEIN told MILLER and COLITZ to get together with TSAGGAR15 to resolve the probltts raised in the memorandus.

TSAGCAR15 assisted r.1LLER and COLITZ in writics the June 10. 1976 I which responded to the problems raised in the TSAGGARIS memorandus mencrandus. MILLER held an operator's license for approximately six months

11. Exhibit !!

10. Ethibit 12

13. Exhibit 10

14. F.xhibit 10 (3)

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r but gase it up at NFRBEIN's direction because of the demands of his normal duties. During the time period of the TSAGCARIS sencrandum. MILLRR was act aware et any willful violations of federal regulatteris in the training progree during the time he was unit superintendent. '

Richard ZECHMAE rerlared TSAGGARIS as Scrervisor of Training at TM1 in Nos es.be r . 1977. ZECHMAE is currently the Technician Training Manager for TMI.

ZECHMAN had no knowledge of the TSAGCAR15 memorandus and stated that he v'as not aware of any actual noncompliances in the area of training and was not aware of any instances in which noncompliances were identified and management made a decision te conceal the noncompliances from the ERC.I0 As a result of a records search. ZECHMAN previded the ic11owing neees as the ace-shif t licensed persennel at TM1 during 1976 and 1977:

Nelson BROWN. Joseph J. COLITZ. James FLOYD. John G. HERSEIN. George KUNDER.

Cary MILLER. Dennis BOLTZ W1111as MARSHALL. James O' hah *LON, and James

> SLELINGER.

memorandus, ZECliMAN also found in the training files a copy of the same signed by COLITZ and MILLER which was apparently prepared in respense to the TSAGGARIS meterandus. ZECHMAN had ne personal knowledge concerning the COLITZ and MILLER senorandus.

The investigation deterr.ined the T5AGGARIS memorandus dii not come to light during the KEATEN Task Force investigation and thus, did not influence the task force reports.I Robert W. KEAT S was in charge of the task force and is currently the Director of Engineering Projects for GFU Nuclear Corporation.

KEATS did not specifically remember the TSACCAR15 memorandus but did recall discussing some of the topics addressed in the memorandus. g poor lessen attendance, during the task force's investigation. EtATEN explained that the task force did not do a general investigation or audit of the training area

15. bhibit 13 Ifi Exhibit 9

17. Exhibit 10 hhibit 5 at 29; hhibit 7 at 11-12; Exhibit 17 at 35-37 Exhibit 6 at $4-55; and Exhibit 14 D18.

(4)

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j but primarily iteited its activity to interviewing the Training Department 4 staff about their perception of the training area. The task force looked irto l the trear.ing area only in relation to its mission "to understand the f actors i that led the operators to take the ... incorrect actione cr. the morning of Marc h the 28th."I' Alevis 75AGGAF.15, who continued as a member of the KEATE Task yorce even af ter he lef t the GPL' organtastion in January,1980, was act a primary secher

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of the task fcrce's investigation in the training area. TSAGCAR15 stated that l t.is primary assignment en the task force was in the area of emergency planning l and that he was not involved in the training aspects of the report because the j l task force felt that he may not have been atle to be objective since he had l had responsibilities for training at TM1. O TSAGCAR15 did not bring the a

i April, 1976 memorandus to the attention of the task force. KE.AT U did not j 1 recall an intentional decialon to esclude TSAGGAKIS from the training area of i the report but did agree that, except for task force seetir.gs. TSAGCAkl$ was l r.ot active in the training aspects because most of his time was devoted to the 21

energency response area. KIAT E also explateed that a July 26, 1979 i 4 .'

severarduc*2 prepared by himself which listed TSAGCARIF as being respersible l for the training area was superseded and this responsibility was delegated to

! someone else. KEAT S listed Dr. Robert L0EC, Ronald WILLIAMS. and himself as the primary neebers of the task force in the training area.I' l:

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! Ronald L. WILLIAMS was a consulting specialist prior to leaving CPt1 in March,

) 1960. WILLIAMS was the author of four pares of handwritten notes of a 4

KLAT 5 Task Force intarview on October 18, 1979 with three members of the TM1 Training 1separtment. Although he was not the author and does not know who

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wrote the training section of the KEATD Task Terce report WILLIAMS thought l that the problems raised in the October 18, 1979 interview were sufficiently I addressed in the task force report.26 KEAT3 also thought that the problems to. Exhibit 7 at 25 l 20. Exhibit 5 at 26-28 21. Exhibit 7 at 4-5

{ 22. Exhibit 18 23. Exhibit 7 at 6 4 24. Id. at 4 25. f.shibit 15 I

26. Ehibit 14 l

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l D identified in WILLIAM'S notes were generally included in the " Operator l Training" and ltecosusendations" section of the final task force report.'

2 In a seer randus ' to the TM1-1 Plant Superintendent, dated June 17. 1977 Thec dore L. 50(f. a former TM1-1 Reac ts,r Operations Shif t Force.an. discussed the it. adequacy of reacter operator training and 1s;.11ed that the number et j houts of training recorded in the operator training records was not correct. l l

The contents of this memorandue were the e.ubject of a previous 01  !

investigation.29 1r a memoranduc 0 to the TM1-1 Plant Superintendent.

3 undated. Larry C. NOLL. then a Control Roos Operator Shitt Foreman. implied that other shifts at TM1-1 were fala1fying training records. The contents of this mercrandum were the subject of a previ.,us 01 inver t agation. I Nent of the FLATD Task Force members interviewed had any knowledge of the 500K or BOLL semnranda.32 and these memoranda had no tapact on the Task Force Investigative findings in the area of training.

ST ATUS OF IETFFTICAT!Ot. I This investigatter. has not produced any information te indicate that the T5AM,ARIS memorandue ves in reference to actual conditions of ' noncompliance with any requirements cf the requalification program, nor was there any teetteeny to indicate that the licenree willfully cercealed information concerning concoepliances f rom the NRC. Additionally, an NRC Region I inspection performed within r.everal months of the TSACCARIS memorandus did not identify any instances of noncorp11ance which should have been reported.

27. Exhibit 8 2P. Exhibit 3 29.

30.

Report Nuaber Q-1-83-014; closed May 31. 1963 Exhibit 2 l

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31. Repert No. Q-t-83-015; closed July 26, 1983

32. Exhibit 14; Exhibit 7 at 20-24; and Exhibit 5 at 15-16. 21.

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,) h D There did not appear to be a direct correlation between the NOLL. BOOK and 75ACCARIS memoranda beyond the fact that each identified different separts of probtere vit:iin the t:aining departaent at the time. There semoranda de not appear te base had any effer: upon the KEATDi Task Force report . In light of the above. 01 has terminated any further investigation into thf t matter.

Prepared by:

L.J. hor [on.[nvestigator Office of Investigations Regier. I l l

Approved by: *

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[ R. Keith Christopher. Director Office of Investigations D Region 1 t

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