ML20151V873

Forwards Notice of Violation from Enforcement Conference Conducted on 880210.Violation Based on Inattentive Behavior While on Duty

ML20151V873
Person / Time
Site:	Peach Bottom
Issue date:	08/09/1988
From:	Taylor J NRC OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR OPERATIONS (EDO)
To:	Winters A PECO ENERGY CO., (FORMERLY PHILADELPHIA ELECTRIC
Shared Package
ML20151V876	List: ML20151V873 ML20151V881
References
EA-88-029, EA-88-29, NUDOCS 8808230042
Download: ML20151V873 (3)

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UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

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. Docket No. 55-60882 09 m 588 License No. OP-10495 EA 88-29 Mr. A. Thomas Winters DESI GAi D CRIGINAL UE R Certified ry hw _ /1 @

SUBJECT:

NOTICE OF VIOLATION In March 1987, the NRC received infomation that control room operators at Philadelphia 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 licenses. The NRC promptly confirmed this infomation 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 Conr.>any (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 indeteminate periods of time; playing either 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 actions to corret:t them. As a result of these findings, the NRC conducted an enforcement conference with you on February 10, 1988 forthepurposeofdiscussingyourunderstandingof(1)these  ;

inattentiveness issues, (2) their safety significance, (3) their causes, and (4) corrective actions taken by both you and the utility to preclude recurrence.

During that conference, you specifically admitted to your personal involvement in at least some of this behavior. Your actions constituted a violation of

, your individual reactor operator license. The violation is described in the enclosed Notice and is classified at Severity Level III in accordance with the "General Statement of Policy and Procedure for NRC Enforcement Actions,"

10 CFR 2 Appendix C (Enforcement Policy) (1988).

The NRC recognizes that you have participated in a comprehensive rehabilitation program within PEco for the purpose of better understanding your individual responsibilities under your NRC license and to assure such conduct does not recur. Nonetheless, the activities described in the Notice were engaged in by you shortly after receiving your NRC license and are 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. 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

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A. T. Winters e 2-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 NRC as a license holder, and your responsibility to remain alert and attentive at all time to ensure protection of public health and safety.

During the NRC deliberations concerning appropriate enforcement action, the NRC considered the entire spectrum of possible enforcement actions, including a letter of Reprirand, Notice of Violation, Civil Penalty, and Orders to Modify, Suspend or Revoke your license. In light of your completion of the rehabilita-tion program and the fact that pervasive and extended management failures contributed significantly to the unacceptable conditions at Peach Bottom, we have determined that an Order against your license is inappropriate. However, after consultation with the Comission to erphasize that you, as a license holder are individually accountable to the NRC, I have decided to issue to you the enclosed Notice of Violatica. Although a civil penalty is considered for a Severity Level III violation, a civil penalty is not being proposed in your case since you had only been licerset fcr a short period of time prior to the shutdown.

You should be aware that any recurrence of this beh6vior could result in revocation of your license.

You are required to respond to the enclosed Notice and Order and should follow the instruction specified therein when preparing your response.

In accordance with Secticn P.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 nocument 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 1980, Pub. L. No.96-511.

Sincerely, 3 9 -

b r, Deputy Executive Director J mes M. Tay for Regio al Operations

Enclosure:

Notice of Violation cc w/ encl:

Corbin McNeill, Executive Vice President Nuclear PublicDo:umentRoom(PDR)

Local Public Document Room (LPDR)

NRC Resident Ins sector comonwealth of >ennsylvania Xfilian & Gephart ATTN: Smith B. Gephart. Esq 218 Pine Street Post Office Box 886 Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17108 i

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1 DISTRIBUTION:

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RegionIDocketRoom(w/ concurrences)

SECY Congressional Affairs J. Taylor, DEDO W. Russell, RI D. Holody, RI J. Lieberman, 02 Enforcement Directors, RII-RI!!

Enforcement Officers, RIV-V ,

F. Ingram, PA  :

E. Jordan, AE00 '

B. Hayes 01  ;

5. Connelly, OIA F. Miraglia, NRR '

D. Nussbaumer, OGPA l OE/ES File OE/EA File  !

EDO Rdg File DCS  :

L. Chandler, OGC l

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