ML20133K395
| ML20133K395 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Cooper  |
| Issue date: | 09/30/1996 |
| From: | Callan L NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION IV) |
| To: | Macdonald P AFFILIATION NOT ASSIGNED |
| References | |
| EA-96-276, NUDOCS 9701210212 | |
| Download: ML20133K395 (2) | |
Text
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EA 96-276' Patrick F. MacDonald
[Home address removed from copies pursuant to 10 CFR 2.790)
SUBJECT:
PREDECISIONAL ENIORCEMENT CONFERENCE (NRC INVESTIGATION 4-96-002)
Dear Mr. MacDonald:
This is in reference to the matters discussed with you at a predecisional enforcement conference conducted on September 5,1996,in Lincoln, Nebraska. As indicated in our letter to you dated August 22,1996, the conference was conducted to discuss the NRC's concern that you may have violated the NRC's rule on deliberate misconduct, which prohibits individuals from intentionally violating required procedures of a licensee. As was discussed in our previous letter, our review of an investigation conducted by the NRC's Office of Investigations (01) involving a control rod mispositioning incident at the Cooper Nuclear Station on January 7,1996, raised this concern.
The concern discussed at the conference involved you and another licensed operator making a decision to continue control rod insertions after recognizing that you had begun on the wrong page of the control rod sequence book. You made this decision without first informing either the control room supervisor or shift supervisor and without obtaining the concurrence of the shif t supervisor and the reactor engineer. CNS procedure 10.13,
" Control Rod Sequence and Movement Control," requires concurrence in a recovery plan for a mispositioned control rod.
At the conference, you acknowledged that you erred in not reporting the mistake earlier.
However, you stated that you did not recognize at the time that you had a mispositioned control rod, and that you were not f amiliar with, nor mindful of, the procedural requirements to obtain concurrence before proceeding. You stated that you and the other licensed operator were focused on inserting control rods to avoid exceeding plant administrative limits and an automatic plant trip, and that you did not intentionally violate procedural requirements. We note that the other operator did inform the reactor engineer
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i of the mistake when he approached the panel.
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The NRC agrees with NPPD's expectation that you should have promptly informed shift supervisory personnel of your mistake and the abnormal conditions that developed. The I Please note that the EA number used on previous correspondence with you was incorrect. The correct EA case number should be EA 96-276.
9701210212 960930 PDR ADOCK 05000298 G
A Mr. Patrick MacDonald information available to the NRC, however, does not support a conclusion that you intentionally violated any CNS procedural requirements. l'Ithough your actions violated CNS procedures and NPPD management expectations, you appear to have been focused on inserting control rods to avoid exceeding plant administrative limits and an automatic plant trip. And, while you should have been mindful of the procedural requirements, you were j
not. The facts that you maintained accurate logs and informed the reactor engineer of the l
mistake when he approached the panel do not suggest a deliberate intent to cover up your mistake or violate procedures. Thus, the NRC plans no further action and considers this matter closed.
Although the NRC is not pursuing enforcement action against you, we nonetheless consider the procedural violations that occurred to be significant. The NRC is issuing a Notice of Violation to the Nebraska Public Power District, your former employer, as a result of these violations. A copy is enclosed for your information. We are also providing a copy of this letter to NPPD.
Should you have any questions about this letter, please contact Gary Sanborn at 1-800-952-9677 or 817-860-8222.
In accordance with 10 CFR 2.790 of the NRC's " Rules of Practice," a copy of this letter, with your home address removed, will be placed in the NRC's Public Document Room. In addition, we will also place in the Public Document Room copies of our previous I
correspondence with you.
Sincerely, L.
. Callan Regional Administrator Docket No. 55-40747 License No. OP-42486
Enclosure:
NPPD Notice of Violation (EA 96-202) cc:
Mr. Guy R. Horn, Vice President - Nuclear Nebraska Public Power District 141415th Street Columbus, Nebraska 68601