ML20199A283

Summarizes Verbal Notification to B Kenyon on 971106,that Little Harbor Consultants,Inc Was Concerned About Certain Circumstances within Quality Control Group Which Were Getting Worse & Needed Mgt Attention

ML20199A283
Person / Time
Site:	Millstone
Issue date:	11/12/1997
From:	Beck J AFFILIATION NOT ASSIGNED
To:	Kenyon B NORTHEAST NUCLEAR ENERGY CO.
References
ITPOP-97-0047, ITPOP-97-47, NUDOCS 9711170129
Download: ML20199A283 (3)

Text

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• Little Harbor Consultants,Inc.

%* Millstone f ITPOP Project OfHee ,

P.O. Box 0630 Niantic, Connecticut 06357 0630 Telephone 860-4471791, est 5966 F: s 860-444-5758 November 12,1997 ITPOP 97-0047 Mr. Bruce Kenyon President and Chief Executive Officer Northeast Nuclear Energy Company P.O. Box 128 Waterford, CT 06385-0128

SUBJECT:

Nuclear Oversight, Quality Control Group in accordance with the LHC protocol governing time-sensitive matters, this letter summarizes our verbal notification to you on November 6,1997, that LHC was concerned about certain circumstances within the Quality Control Group which were rapidly getting worse and needed immediate management attention.

On November 6,1997, John Beck and Billie Garde requested an arpointment with Mike Brothers, the NU officer-sponsor for a safety conscious work environmert, to inform him that LHC had concluded that conditions within the Quality Control Group of Nuclear Oversight were rapidly deteriorating. Management needed to take some extraordinay measures to deal with those circumstances. The basis for the LHC concern was a combination ofinput from drop-in visits to the LHC oflice by numerous members of the group who had expressed various concerns, a number of ECP concerns which emanated from the Quality Control Group, and specific language contained in an action plan which applied to the Performance Evaluation Group. The action plan was developed to address a Problem Area which was self identified by Nuclear Oversight management. The specific language in the action plan that was so prominent w as descriptive of overall conditions in the Quality Control Group and was starkly similar to language used by Ms. Garde in her training courses developed to lert managers to an incipient, organizational crisis.

Following the LHC warning, Mr. Brothers undertook an immediate course of action that had as its initial step his face-to-face meeting that morning with QC Group personnel. He wasjoined by other management personnel as well as Ms. Garde, who was present to observe NNECo's performance and to assure that LHC expectations were clearly understood.

A number of decisions which followed the meetings ( a second meeting with QC personnel was Iy 9711170129 971112 PDR ADOCK 05000245 P

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ITPOP,97-0047, Page 2 --

November 12,1997 i held in the evening of the 6* with those assigned to the evening 'hift ) _were announced in a special edition of"To The Point" which was published on November 10,'1997c This publication was accompanied by an editorial note which reiterated management ' s commitment to a Safety Conscious Work Environment including a pledge to communicate to all employees as frequently as possible on 7

a whle variety ofissues.

LHC is concerned that many of the Quality Control Group issues were known to management for

- months and were not effectively addressed until they appeared to reach a state of crisis. We are further concerned that there are other matters that are the subject of action plan:; that have the -

- potential to escalate in a similar fashion unless management takes vigorous and immediate steps to resolve them.

LHC will closely monitor the actions taken to respond to the Quality Control Group issues. We also expect NNECo to use the information available from sources such as ECP and ECOP to identify and respond to other emerging issues before they escalate to a crisis level.

Sincerely yours, M. EC Jdhn V '. Beck Pres:Jent, Little Harbor Consultants, Inc.

Team Leader, ITPOP cc: Distribution A

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, ITPOP 97-0047, Page 3 .

November 12,1997.

- Distribution:- _

D.M. Goebel, NNECo _ CharlesBrinkman, Manager r

Washington Nuclear Operations.

Ph.NNECo . ABB Combustion Engineering Nuclear Power  ;

K. M. McBrien, NNECo 12300 Tuinbrook Pkuy, Suite 330 Pakville, MD 20852 l W,1 Temple, NNECo t S. Baranski,NNECe Mr. John Buckingham Department of Public Utility Control-M. Quinn, ECOP. . Electric Unit

'10 Liberty Souare wy U.S. Nuclaar Regulate y Commissica  :

New Britain, CT 06051 Attn! Document Control Desk '

Washington, DC 20555 -

- Citizens Regulatory Commission ~ +

ATTN: Ms. Susan Perry Luxton

- U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 180 GreatNeck Road Attn: W.D. Travers Waterford, CT 06385 Mail Stop: 014D4 Washington, DC 205554)001 Citizens Awareness Network 54 Old Turnpike Road ~

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Conunission Haddam, CT 06438

Attn: P.F. McKee Mall Stop: 014D4 r The Honorable Teny Concannon Washington, DC 20555 0001 Nuclear Energy Advisory Council -

Legislative Office Building

_ .U.S. Nucint Regulatory Commission Hartford, CT 06106 Attn: H.N. Pastis Mail Stop: 014D4 Mr. Evan W. Woollacott Washington, DC 20555-0001 Co-Chair Nuclear Energy Advisory Council Mrl Wayne D. Lanning 128 Terry's Plain Road Deputy Director ofInspections 7 Simsbury, CT06070 Special Projects Office.

475 Allendalc Road Ernest C. Hadley, Esquire l'ing of Prursia, PA iM061415 1040 B Main Street P.O. Box 549 KevinT, A.McCarthy, Director West Wareham, MA 02576

. Monitoring and Radiation Division Department of Environmental Protection 79 Elm Street .Mr. Paul Choiniere "The Day"

' , Hartford, CT 06106-5127

~ 47 Eugene O'Neill Drive New London, CT 06320

" - Allan Johanson, Assistant Director OfTice of Policy and Management

' BobDeFayette Policy Development and Planning Division 100 Kings Street 450 Capitol Awnue-MS 52ERN Gettysburg, PA 17325 P.O. Box 341441 -

Hartford, CT 06134-1441:

.. Don Beckman 1071 State, Route 136

First Selectmen -

Belle Vernon, PA 15012

' Town of Waterford

- Hall of Records .

? 200 Boston Pos: Road ..

1 Waterford, CT 06385

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