ML20133Q252

Forwards Investigation Rept, Vogtle Nuclear Power Plant Alleged Intimidation/Harassment of QC Welding Inspectors.... Document Placed in PDR & May Be Useful in Preparation for 850925 Conference

ML20133Q252
Person / Time
Site:	Vogtle
Issue date:	09/12/1985
From:	Grace J NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION II)
To:	Kelly R GEORGIA POWER CO.
References
NUDOCS 8511010456
Download: ML20133Q252 (2)

Text

.

opg&

SEP 10 1935 Georgia Power Company VATTN: Mr. R. J. Kelly Executive Vice President P. O. Box 4545 Atlanta, GA 30302 Gentlemen:

SUBJECT:

PLACEMENT OF DOCUMENT IN PUBLIC DOCUMENT ROOM Enclosed is a sumary of an investigation conducted by the NRC Office of Investigations, Region II field office. The subject of the investigation is "Vogtle Nuclear Plant Alleged Intimidation /Harrassment of QC Welding Inspectors and Possible Falsification of QC Inspection Records by Pullman Power Products, Inc." This Document has been placed '= the Public Document Room and may be of use to you in preparing for the confer .;e on September 25, 1985.

Eincerely, l ORIGINAL SIGNED BY ALBERT F. G'SSON l J. Nelson Grace Regional Administrator

Enclosure:

Cover page and summary, dated 10/26/83, 7 pages cc w/ encl:

W. E. Conway, Senior Vice President Nuclear Power dK 0. Foster, Vice President and General Manager Vogtle Project T. H. Gregory, III, General Manager, Vogtle Nuclear Construction II Bockhold, Jr. , Vogtle flant Manager

f. T. Gucwa, Chief Nuclear Engineer G(ble A. Thomas, Vice President-Licensing Vogtle Project cc w/ enc 1: (Cont'd on page 2) 8511010456 850912 4 DR ADOCK 050 pol lj,

o o l

Georgia Power Company 2 SEE 1 W cp w/ enc 1: (Cont'd)

'Ed Groover, Quality

, Assurance Site Panager

[< W. T. Hayes, QAVice Beckham, Manager President

& General Manager - Operations ti A. Bailey, Project Licensing Manager J eorge F. Trowbridge, Esq.

Shaw, Pittman, Potts and Trowbridge sIruce W. Churchill, Esq.

Shaw, Pittman, Potts and Trowbridge LErnest L. Blake, Jr., Esq.

Shaw, Pittman, Potts and Trowbridge tJames E. Joiner, Troutman, Sanders, Lockerman and Ashmore dames G. Ledbetter, Comissioner Department of Human Resources i

vtharles H. Badger, Office of Planning and Budget, Management ,

Review Division deppishKirkland,III, Counsel Office of the Consumer's Utility Council

/DouglasC.Teper,GeorgiansAgainst Nuclear Energy daurieFowler,LegalEnvironmental jAssistanceFoundation Tim Johnson, Executive Director Educational Campaign for a Prosperous

/ Georgia Morton B. Margulies, Esq., Chairman Administrative Judge, Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel jDr. Oscar H. Paris, Administrative Judge i / Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel Justave A. Linenberger, Jr., Administrative Judge, Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel bec w/ encl:

eis, ELD M. Hill, IE Miller, NRR LW/'Brach, EDO A. Gibson, RII M. Sinkule, RII

. Rankin, RII RC Resident Inspector i Document Control Desk R. State of_ Georgia ) _,

RII RI RII RII RII MVSinkule:Jd c VBrownlee RWal'ker Olshinski 9/p/85 9/1 /85 9/9/85 9/g/85 9/d/85

UNITto STATts ENCLOSURE

. jd# . ,. _

g ,,

NUCLEAR REGULATCRY C3MMISSION

! OFFICE CF INVEETIGATIONE FIELO OFFICE. CE2 TON ll

'd

- 101 M ARIETTA STRtET. SufTE 3100 o ATLANT A. GEORGIA 3t003 Date: October 26. 1983 REPORT OF INVESTIGATION i TITLE: V0GTLE NUCLEAR PLANT

. ALLEGE 0 INTIMIDATION / HARASSMENT OF QC WELOING INSPECTORS AND POSSIBLE FALSIFICATION OF QC INSPECTION RECORDS BY PULLMAN POWER PRODUCTS, INC.

SUPPLEMENT: . 50-424 CASE NUMBER: 2-83-005 CONTROL OFFICE: 01: Region II STATUS: CLOSED REPORTING OFFICE: OI: Region 11 PERIOD OF INVESTIGATION: May 19 - July 9,1983 REPORTING INVESTIGATOR: 441

' RfbeYt H. Bu k Investigator Office of Investi tions Field Office, Regior, 11 REVIEWED BY: .

E.'L5 Williams d ,'Ac[ing Director y

Office of Investiqtions Field Of .ce, Region II

, u

/N v -

William J. Ward.M0i rector Division of Field Operations y _

~ '

Office of Investigations

~/go. .

i . .

2 r l

, NL. ,,,

IA m -

Roger e tor

, }-tuna, Deputy D Of of Inve att APPROVED BY: b En B. Hayes, h tor Office of Investi atichs 9

D.

s e

O 08

g  %

e e

N F

e

• 9 l

SLIMMARY 96 O

I e.

f O

e4 I

l f

1 ct w -,.

[

I i

" Summary This investigation was initiated to identify and document alleged intimidation l and harassment of Pullman Power Products, Inc. (PPP) Quality Control (QC) welding  ;

inspectors by the company's construction management personnel. PPP, head-quartered in Williamsport, PA, is under contract to install all piping and piping supports associated with the construction of the Alvin W. Vogtle Nuclear Plant *

(VNP), in Wdynesboro, GA, a licensed facility of the Georgia Power Company.

Additionally, it was reported to the NRC that the intimidation and harassment experienced by the QC welding inspectors may have resulted in possible 10 proprieties regarding inspection records prepared and maintained by these individuals.

The allegation pertaining to intimidation and harassment of QC welding inspectors by the Project Manager et the VNP was first reported to the Senior Resident Inspector (SRI), NRC at '.he facility. This initial allegation was substantiated by the SRI'during the subsequent interviews of four additional QC welding inspectors employed by PPP. -Additionally, a Confidential Source alleged vast PPP material storage problems, records improprieties and incidents of intimidation by the Project Manager and his construction superintendents. The SRI obtained information that QC inspectors were being manipulated by the Project Manager i through threats relating to adverse personnel actions affecting employment and salary matters. Additionally, the Project Manager allegedly interfered with the utilization of QC welding inspectors and attempted e influence the reassignments of inspectors whose work histories did not favor production and scheduling. An onsite. incident of assault in August 1982 upon a QC welding inspector by a

'donstruction superintendent, both employees of PPP, was also reported to the SRI.

A review of pertinent regulatory documents, standards, procedures and contract requirements was conducted pursuant to the investigation. It was disclosed that PPP committed to cooperate with the licensee to ansure QC standards for the VNP are enforced at all times. Further, this review disclosed that the line of .

authority regarding administrative matters for the QA/QC manager at the fie,1d office site of PPP is through the Project Manager. It was determined that PPP or .-

2 a subsidiary company was the subject of previous inquiries regarding intimidation

\ and harassment of QC inspectors at the Seabrook Nuclear Plant, Seabrook, New Hampshire and at the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant, Avila Beach, California. A licensee initiated self evaluation in late 1982, utilizing Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO) criteria, identified that the Q V QC administrative reporting to the Project Manager is an area of weakness in the PPP field organi-2ation. .

During the investigation, nineteen field level QC welding inspectors in PPP's field office at the VNP were interviewed regarding intimidation and harassment, interference by the Project Manager and inspection records improprieties. Five of these individuals confirmed vast material storage deficiencies which are compounded by the overt refusals on the part of construction management to divert craft efforts to correct the problems. These inspectors viewed the construction superintendent's negative attitude toward Storage Inspection Report deficiencies as a form of intimidation. Some of these inspectors also related instances of interferende and intervention into QC inspector assignment matters by construc-tion management to favor scheduling and the production effort. All except one of the QC inspectors interviewed reported variously that the Project Manager has attempted to influence the utilization of, and decisions rendered by, inspectors; j that the salary administration and other benefits for QUQC personnel controlled by the Project Manager is unfair and inequitable; that he arbitrarily adjusts I

recomended salary increases base upon subjective criteria; that he is frequently publicly non-supportive and negative towards the QC function; that he

- and construction superintendents publicly chastise and embarass inspectors and that he employs remarks which threaten job security as a means of intimidation

'and harassment. The lone dissenting QC inspector was determined to be a personal friend of the Project Manager and had been the. recipient of preferential treat-cent regarding a job assignment on site. Those inspectors with knowledge of an ensite altercation, in August 1982, between a former PPP Construction Super-intendent and a QC Welding Inspector indicated that the superintendent disagreed with the inspector's perception of the non-conforming item being discussed. One inspector reported an effsite altercation in December 1982 between a Construction Superintendent and a QC Inspector Supervisor during which the superintendent held --

an open knife on the QC supervisor.

. R 3

~

Two current and one former QC supervisory personnel were interviewed and each

~

substantiated the claims and perceptions of field inspectors regarding incidents cnd acts of QC negativism by construction managers, intimidation, harassment, adverse interference, verbal thieats, embarassment and chastisement of these individuals by the Project Manager and his subordinates. All of these individuals indicated that production and scheduling appear to take precedence ovar the quality functions, an attitude nurtured by the Project Manager and his- '

ccnstruction staff. Authorized Nuclear Inspe'ctors at the VNP also confirmed intimidation and harassment of QC welding inspectors by PPP construction manage-ment.

Inquiries were also conducted among the QC inspection personnel who allegedly ongaged in visual inspection practices which were not in accordance with existing procedures or who signed inspection reports without assuring corrective actions had been completed. One QC welding inspector admitted that he occasionally failed to conduct visual inspections within the distance requirements as specified iW PPP and ANSI /ASME procedures. Except for this one procedural violation, all inspection personnel who were interviewed regarding record (

preparation and maintenance improprieties advised forthrightly that they had n2ver signed or initialed an inspection document without first performing the cetions in the manner prescribed by the applicable procedures. Ten welders or pipefitters employed by PPP were interviewed and, except for one reporting that a QC inspector had occasionally failed to visually inspect within the distance requirement set forth in the PPP and ASME procedures, none were aware of record improprieties by QC welding inspectors.

'The Project Manager and two construction superintendents were interviewed ar.d all categorically denied any form of intentional intimidation and harassment of QC welding inspectors. The Project Manager and one Superintendent adnitted actions '

which could be interpreted as interference into matters which are purely QA/QC ,

functions. Tne Project Manager denied any improprieties regarding the adminis- j i

tration of QA/QC personnel matters. All claimed to be supportive of the QA/QC function but acknowledged that they had failed to do so openly in a public {

canner. -

1 l

j

i 4

i l- Eight licensee management officials and QC inspection personnel at the VNP were i

interviewed regarding their knowledge of intimidation and harassment of QC

. welding inspectors employed by PPP. No disclosures pertinent to the investi-gation were revealed during these, interviews. Observations of PPP material l 5torage areas tended to support remarks reported by QC inspectors rega-ding the gIneral disarray of materials and common utilization of these aress by several cajor contractors onsite. A review of QC welding inspector salary data disclosed that there does not appear to be a specific correlation between the amounts of rscent weekly increases received and longevity, related experience and education icvels of these individuals.

e e

em M

4

- .. _ _ _ _ _ _ _d