ML20151V814
| ML20151V814 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Peach Bottom, 05503493  |
| Issue date: | 08/09/1988 |
| From: | Taylor J NRC OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR OPERATIONS (EDO) |
| To: | Sheetz R PECO ENERGY CO., (FORMERLY PHILADELPHIA ELECTRIC |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20151V818 | List: |
| References | |
| EA-88-022, EA-88-22, NUDOCS 8808230012 | |
| Download: ML20151V814 (4) | |
Text
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@tc%'o UNITED 0TATES i
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION e,3 WASHING TON, D. C. 20553
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09 AU61988 Docket No. 55-3493 License No. S0P-10110-1 EA 88-22 Hr. Ronald E. Shestz DESIGnTED onIGInL HOME ADDRESS DELETED r
UNDER 10 CFR 2.790 Certifica sy_hwggdco_
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Dear Sir:
SUBJECT:
NOTICE OF VIOLATION AND PROPOSED IMPOSITION OF CIVIL PENALTY In March 1987, the NRC received information that control room operators at Philcdelphia Electric Company's Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station had been observed sleeping while on duty in the control room, reading materials not directly job related, and being otherwise inattentive to the obligations of their iicenses. The NRC promptly confirmed this information during the initial phase of an investigation of this matter. As a result, the NRC no longer had reasonable assurance that the facility would be operated in a manner to assure that the health and safety of the public would be protected, and therefore issued an Order to Philadelphia Electric Company (PECo) on March 31, 1987 suspending operations of the Peach Bottom reactors, effective immediately.
Subsequently, the NRC found that the inattentiveness described in the Order had occurred over an extended period of time and was pervasive. Other examples of inattentive behavior not known at the time of the Order were also identified, such as: control room personnel being routinely reclined in a resting position with their heads back and eyes closed for indeterminate periods of time, play-ing hand held computer games or video games on one of the computer display screens in the control room, and engaging in horseplay. Operators were aware of these conditions and failed to take action to correct them. As a result of these findings, the NRC conduct <J an enforcement conference with you on February 11, 1988 for the purpose of discussing your understanding of (1) these inattentiveness issues, (2) their safety significance, (3) their causes, and (4) corrective actions taken by both you and the utility to prevent recurrence.
During that conference, you specifically admitted to your personal involvement in at least some of this inattentive behavior.
Your actions constituted a violation of your individual senior reactor operator license. The violation is described in the enclosed Notice and is classified at Severity Level II in accordance with the "General Statement of Policy and Procedure for NRC Enforcement Actions," 10 CM 2, Appendix C (Enforcemeni Policy) (1988).
The NRC recognizes that yot have participated in a comprehensive rehabilitation pr am within PECo for the. purpose of better understanding your individual rea,...isibilities under your NRC license and to assure such conduct does not recur. Nonetheless, the activities described in the Notice were engaged in by you for ari extended period prior to the shutdown and were indicative of a complacent and unprofessional attitude by you toward the privileges and responsibilities of your license, contrary to safety, and constituted serious dereliction of duties in carrying out those responsibilities.
Further, as a 8808230012 880809 DR ADOCK 05000277 Pt?J
Ronald E. Shectz shif t supervisor responsible not only for manipulating controls, but also for directing manipulation of controls by reactor operators, you set a poor example for these individuals and failed to exercise the control and command responsi-bilities expected of a person in your position.
You are reminded that you hold a license from the United States government which confers upon you the special trust and confidence of the American people in the safe operation of nuclear facilities and places you in a position where your performance is expected to be above reproach.
Consequently, I have determined that additional action should be taken to emphasize your individual accountability to the NRC as a license holder, and as a supervisor of other licensed personnel, as well as your responsibility to rcmain alert and attentive at all times so as to ensure protection of the public health and safety.
During the NRC deliberations concerning appropriate enforcement action, the NRC considered the entire spectrum of possible enforcement actions, including Letter of Reprimand, Notice of Violation, Civil ienalty, and Orders to Modify, Suspend or Revoke your license.
In light of your participation in the rehabil-itation program and the fact that pervasive and extended management failures contributed significantly to the unacceptable conditions at Peach Bottom, I hive determined that an Order against your license is inappropriate. However, in light of your involvement in this conduct and your failure to take corrective actions and after consultation with the Commission, I have decided to issue to you the enclosed Notice of Violation and Proposed Imposition of Civil Penalty in the amount of 5800 to emphasize that you, as a license holder, are individually accountable to the NRC. The violation is classified at Severity Level II in view of your supervisory rank. iu chough the enforcer.. ' policy does not provide a schedule for civil penalties against individuals, penalty is based on the schedule provided for in Table IA for small materials lcenses in which the base civil penalty is $800.
You should be aware that my recurrence of this behavior could result in revocation of your license.
You are required to respond to the enclosed Notice and should follow the instructions specified therein when preparing your response.
In accordance with Section 2.790 of the NRC's "Rules of Practice," Part 2, Title 10, Code of Federal Regulations, a copy of this letter and its enclosures will be placed in the NRC Public Document Room.
The responses directed by this letter and the enclosed Notice are not subject to the clearance procedures of the Office of Management and Budget as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1580, Pub. L. No.96-511.
Sincerely, i
//
[=
J es H. Tay r, Deputy Executive Director for Regio al Operations
Enclosure:
Notice of Violation and Proposed Imposition of Civil Penalty
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Ronald E. Sheetz. e cc w/ encl:
Corbin McNeill, Executive Vice President, Nuclear Public Document Room (PDR)
LocalPublicDocumentRoom(LPDR)
NRC Resident Inspector Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Smith B.'Gephart, Esq.
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i 4-DISTRIBUTION:
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RegionIDocketRoom(w/ concurrences) 1 SECY Congressional Affairs J. Taylor, DED0 W. Russell, RI-D. Holcdy, RI J. Liebennan, OE Enforcement Directors, RII-RIII Enforcement Officers, RIV-V F. Ingram, PA E. Jordan, AE0D B. Hayes, 01 S. Connelly, OIA F. Miraglia, NRR D. Nussbaumer, 0GPA OE/ES File OE/EA File EDO Rdg File DCS l
L. Chandler, 0GC 8
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