ML20151R198
| ML20151R198 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Neely Research Reactor |
| Issue date: | 03/29/1988 |
| From: | Kerr W Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards |
| To: | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20151R166 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8804270267 | |
| Download: ML20151R198 (4) | |
Text
___
d
\
REPORT OF VISIT TO GEORGIA TECH RESEARCH REACTOR FACILITY TO INSPECT FACILITIES AND TO INTERVCIEW OPERATIONAL STAFF by i
(
William Kerr Ann Arbor, Michigan 29 March, 1998 RECB'KD EORGIA !!GilTUTE OF IECHf' OLOGY 8804270267 000407 }ME 01 lbbb PDR ADOCK 05000160 0 PDR NUCLff,R fa. SEARCH CENTER
(
L ,
' i l
[P l
( < REPORT OF VISIT TO GEORGIA TECH RESEARCH REACTOR FACILITY TO INSPECT FACILITIES AND TO INTERVIEW OPERATIONAL STAFF i
by i
e William Kerr Ann Arbor, Michigan i r
Introduction i At the request of Dr. Ratib Karam, Director of the Georgia Tech t Research Reactor (GTRR), a review was conducted on March 24 and 25, 1988 of the staff and the organization of the GTRR. !
Laboratory facilities were also inspected. The following members '
of the staff were interviewed:
Dr. Ratib Karam - Director !
Dr. Robert Mcdonald - Associate Director Mr. Dean McDowell - Reactor Supervisor Mr. William Downs - Reactor Operator Mr. David Cox - Manager of the Hot Cell Facility .
Mr. Mitch Mercer - Electron 4.cs Technician Mr. Jerry Taylor - Health Physics Technician Ms. Daphne Aycock - Office Manager j Emphasis was given to the recent changes in organization and
(' staffing, and the influence these may have on safe operation of the facility. r Conferences were also held with Dr. Thomas Stelson, Vice President for Research, and with Professor Bernd Kahn, Chairman of ;
the Nuclear Safeguards Committee.
Conments and Conmclusions r It appears that, as a result of the revisions in administrative structure, and the changes in staffing that have been accomplished over the past several months, a significant improvement has occurred in the ability of the staff of the GTRR to operate the facility in a safe and efficient manner.
The addition of an associate director with a strong educational background, and with significant managerial experience, will permit more detailed attention to personnel and operational problems. This should make it less likely that problems that might develop in those areas will be left unattended.
The existing cadre of licensed operators is the minimum required for operation. Unavailability of oither operator would make it virtually impossible to operate the reactor on an 8 hour9.259259e-5 days <br />0.00222 hours <br />1.322751e-5 weeks <br />3.044e-6 months <br /> shift (indeed the present Tech Specs require that two licensed
( operators be on site during reactor operation). However the commitment of the GTRR management to the addition of three more 1
L - - - - _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ,
d licensed operators over the next 5 to 12 months will strengthen
, the operating staff, and will nake it less likely that an
( operator who is ill, or otherwise temporarily impaired, might feel pressure to go on duty in a situation le which he could not function at full capability.
The newly appointed replacement health physics staff, and the commitment to an additional staff member in the health physics area has added needed strength' in this part of the staf fing. It appears that this move will also resolve some of the antagonisms that had led to a needlessly adversarial relationship (one that could have compromised safety) between the operating and the health physics staff. With the additional staffing, and the reorganization, norale in the staff seems to have improved
' markedly.
These existing units, plus an electronic technician, probably ,
represent a minimum, but adequate, operating staff. However with the small operating staff that now exists, care must be exercised to insure that the resulting multiplicity of responsibilities is not confusing This confusion may not be obvious to the distracted individual Careful observation to avoid this possibility should be maintained.
The management of the GTRR has also crmmited to a number of other
' initiatives yet to be fully developed. These include:
1
( 1) Upgrading the existing proceduren, and, where appropriate, adding new procedures for operational and health physics activities.
- 2) The inauguration of a training program for all staff members. The program is intended to insure awareness of and understanding (appropriate to the individual's responsibilities) of all relevant NRC rules and regulations These initiatives, if designed and implemented appropriately, should further enhance the capability of the staff in areas of safety and reliability.
Although clearly the time available limited those areas that could be investigated in depth, nothing was observed that would lead to a conclusion that the reactor can not now, with the existing staff, be operated snfely.
Additional Comments The GTRR is one of the best research reactor facilities in the United States. It will be unfortunate if its potential contribution to research and graduate training at Georgia Tech, and in the region, is not developed further.
Assurance was given at the vice presidential level that the GTRR and its director have the enthusiastic support of this office.
- However the financial assistance to the Research Reactor, with n
the exception of incomo earned from outside activities, is almost negligibly small, even though the facilities of the laboratory
{ are used in several regulbrly scheduled classes. It aleo appears that not much attention has been given to the center by the vice president's offico except in times of crisis. An increase of both oversight and financial support would add to the effectiveness of the Research Reactor operation.
It appears that-an unfortunate'and sometimes bitter relationship between the health physics and the operational staff at the GTRR was permitted to grow and to fester for many months. Although it is easier to identify this problem in retrospect than while it was developing, it is to be hoped that such a long standing, potentially harmful, situation can be avoided in the future by more careful oversight.
It is clear that detailed consideration was given to the local situation and to available resources before implementing the recent reorganization which makes the director of the GTRR
-responsible for both radiation safety and for laboratory operation. The current situation is almost certainly an improvement over what existed previously. However a situation in which the same individual has responsibility for both operation and safety can be perceived as a conflict of interest. Although it might be concluded, legically, that unless the same person is responsible for both, ope or the other may be neglected, there is some danger that a manager who does not have an appropriate
(_ perspective, or one whoiis under pressure to produce, may neglect
- safety. For this reason, it is recommended that continuing i oversight of the current arrangement be maintained.
The hiatus in operation!which has occurred will produce a severe perturbation in facility income, and thereby result in additional l restriction in what is already a severely strained budget.
Additional internal resources may be required to insure that l needed equipment repair and replacement continues, and that the l commitments for new staff are met.
i j I express my appreciation to Or. Karam, and to the other staff
- members of the GTRR for.their candid and thoughtful comments j during our conversations.
! wk 29-III-89 1
i 1
1 r
l 4
I
\ ('
l 3 I
l