ML20203G982
| ML20203G982 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 12/19/1985 |
| From: | Stephen Burns NRC |
| To: | Schwartz S NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE) |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20203G948 | List: |
| References | |
| FOIA-86-188 NUDOCS 8604290401 | |
| Download: ML20203G982 (4) | |
Text
- 4
- - -.~
... a I
t e
v
. p. =' %,,
- [
UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
%',...../
(
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20555 m
/ f./
(
(-m
.l
,< r f
h
(
(
j
/
o i/
0
.$ /)f ;
l ^Y
/ s&L g?
t I r
ra l
1i/l}
,i 7 i 5
. ~ ' -.
.. l 1,j,/ J A Q,, f '
I.V :' ]
' ) ~~[/0f.
I
- f-~. ~ 3 y 4 1 & [ W.i
("' > is j,?U5k-l f
~
r,
[
() h L i Y
o l0
/[VL..
O/
l )), p%
f.
-r r
d' b.
li&' ! O.-
[(l 5
{
'$I l4
[},_) & -
~'
'~
f l
/
', L, 0 0 ',', 'N
", f > LA,J.J '
l I
-.,n f }
/Gr l
l V O'.
v, ihm L)v,' ', 7 }Q t0< h' g Os' o
- t, g dy. ?
'J
/
't e i
~..,
i
~) ?
)l
,j./ [Q
. ) g]J -
n itf Lt-3 8604290401 860404 PDR FOIA GARDES6-188 PDR
[- h
SSINS No.: 6835 s
IN 85-XX UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION 0FFICE OF INSPECTION AND ENFORCEMENT WASHINGTON, D.C.
20555 December, 1985 IE INFORMATION NOTICE N0. 85-XX: FELONY CONVICTION RESULTING FROM FALSIFICATION OF NONDESTRUCTIVE EXAMINATION RECORDS Addressees:
All nuclear power reactor facilities holding an operating license (0L) or a construction permit (CP).
Purpose:
This notice is being issued to reemphasize the importance of inspector integri-ty in the quality control process and to emphasize the seriousness of the issue by mentioning the recent felony conviction and jail sentence of an individual who intentionally falsified nondestructive examination (NDE) records.
It is expected that recipients'will review this information for applicability to their facilities and consider actions, if appropriate, to preclude a similar
(
problem from occurring at their facilities.
No specific action or written response is required.
Description of Circumstances:
In August 1985, a former employee of Seabrook Nuclear Power Station contractor Pullman-Higgins (P-H) pleaded guilty to two felony counts involving violations of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1001. The former employee had submit-ted completed liquid penetrant NDE reports when, in fact, the inspection had not been done.
The individual was sentenced to 6 months imprisonment and 3 years probation with a second 6 month consecutive term suspended.
The events that led to the conviction are described below.
In January 1983, one of the individual's previously accepted welds was found to have rejectable indications. Although this single incident did not raise suspicions of record falsifications, the engineering disposition of the associated nonconformance report required P-H to spot check other inspections perfomed by the subject to verify that the discrepancy was an isolatcd incident.
The P-H QA manager had also initiated reinspections of samples of the subject's work. Of the 40 welds reinspected,11 were found with rejectable indications and several failed to show evidence of any previous liquid penetrant or magnetic particle inspection.
P-H determined from their investigation that the subject did not properly conduct his work and his employment was terminated in April 1983.
Ins
,2
IN 85-XX December. 1985 Page 2 of 2 The individual admitted, during the NRC investigation of this case, that he had i
falsified numerous NDE reports. He also admitted that he had falsified his formal education and previous NDE certification on his job application and It was-4 earned that he had been terminated from previous NDE employ-resume.
ment for a falsified radiographic film report.
,j,,,
t*-
Discussion:
/,y,p.-
/
c a l.....c a the individual h-Itk,l 6dtions isy Ya~ve Qmatel/20Kselds afgh 33iIVEre safEt9 reliteydividua Ja-;dd i tion tu Uie iesony um..ictier 6
Se~vera
~
prevented this event. RouDne WifTcstiWn 6f~ths in and resume would have revealed that he had not attended the college from which he claimed a bachelors degree. Verification also may have revealed that his previous NDE certification had been forged and that he was fired for cause from a previous NDE job. Also, at the time of this event, P-H did not have a procedure to routinely check the QC inspectors or to review the inspection reports. Sample inspections of the other P-H inspectors indicated that the o.chk
{}4_ individual convicted was an isolated case.
No specific action or written response is required by this information notice.
If you have any questions about this matter, please contact the Regional Administrator of the appropriate regional office or this office.
I Edward L. Jordan, Director Division of Emergency Preparedness and Engineering Response Office of Inspection and Enforcement Technical
Contact:
J. C. Stewart, IE (301)492-9061
Attachment:
List of Recently Issued IE Information Notices
b G
IN 85-XX December, 1985 Page 2 of 2 i
The individual admitted, during the NRC investigation of this case, that he had falsified numerous NDE reports. He also admitted that he had falsified his i
formal education and previous NDE certification on his job application and resume.
It wasMearned that he had been terminated from previous NDE employ-ment for a falsified radiographic film report.
Discussion:
In addition to the felony conviction of the individual, P-H reevaluated approx-imately 2000 welds of which 33% were safety related. Several actions may have prevented this event. Routine verification of the individual's job application and resume would have revealed that he had not attended the college from which he claimed a bachelors degree. Verification also may have revealed that his previous NDE certification had been forged and that he was fired for cause from a previous NDE job. Also, at the time of this event, P-H did not have a procedure to routinely check the QC inspectors or to review the inspection reports. Sample inspections of the other P-H inspectors indicated that the individual convicted was an isolated case.
No specific action or written response is required by this information notice.
If you have any questions about this matter, please contact the Regional Administrator of the appropriate regional office or this office.
Edward L. Jordan, Director Division of Emergency Preparedness and Engineering Response Office of Inspection and Enforcement Technical
Contact:
J. C. Stewart, IE (301)492-9061
Attachment:
List of Recently Issued IE Information Notices
- See previous concurrences DEPER:IE ELD 0:ES DD:01 ELJordan JLieberman JAxelrad RFortuna 12/
/85 12/ /85 12/ /85 12/ /85
- DEPER:IE *DEPER:IE DEPER:IE DEPER:IE-
- PSB:IE DEPER:IE DEPER:IE JCStewart AWDromerick RLBaer ERossi DGable WFisher SASchwartz 12/10/85 12/10/85 12/ /85 12/ /85 12/10/85 12/
/85 12/ /85
x dOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY PROJECT 1555 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Suite 202 Washington, D.C. 20036 (202)232-8550 March 18, 1986 FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT REQUEST FREEDOW OF INFORageos-Director ACT REQUEST Office of Administration
{
M h
Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, D.C.
20555 g
To Whom It May Concern:
Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C.
552, the Government Accountability Project (GAP) requests copies of any and all agency records'and information, including but not limited to notes, letters, memoranda, drafts, minutes, diaries, logs, calendars, tapes, transcripts, summaries, interview reports, procedures, instructions, engineering analyses, drawings, files, graphs, charts, maps, photographs, agreements, handwritten notes, studies, data sheets, notebooks, books, tele-phone messages, computations, voice recordings, computer runoffs, any other data compilations, interim and/or final reports, status reports, and any and all other records relevant to and/or
~
generated in connection with I.E. Notice 85-97, entitled " Jail 3
Term for Contractor Employee who Intentionally Falsified Welding Inspection Records," dated December 26, 1985.
This request includes all agency records as defined in 10 C.F.R. 9.3a(b) and the NRC Manual, Appendix 0211, Parts 1.A.2 and A.3 (approved October 8, 1980) whether they currently exist in the NRC official, " working", investigative or other files, or at any other location, including private residences.
If any records as defined in 10 C.F.R. 9.3a(b) and the NRC Manual, supra, and covered by this request have been destroyed and/or removed after this request, please provide all surrounding i
records, including but not limited to a list of all records which have bean or are destroyed and/or removed, a description of the action (s) taken relevant to, generated in connection with, and/or issued in order to implement the action (s).
I
o GAP requests that fees be waived, because " finding the information can be considered as primarily benefitting the general public," 5 U.S.C. 552 (a) (4) (a).
GAP is a non-profit, non-partisan public interest organization concerned with honest c
and open government.
Through public outreach, the Project promotes whistleblowers as agents of government accountability.
Through its Environmental Whistleblower Clinic, GAP offers assis-tance to local public interest and citizens groups seeking to l
ensure the health and safety of their communities.
The Environ-mental Whistleblower Clinic is currently assisting several citizens groups, local governments and intervenors in Texas concerning the construction of the Comanche Peak nuclear power plant.
We are requesting the above information as part of an ongoing monitoring project on the adequacy of Region IV and the l
NRC's efforts to protect public safety and health at nuclear power plants.
For any documents or portions that you deny due to a specific FOIA exemption, please provide an index itemizing and describing the documents or portions of documents withheld.
The index should provide a detailed justification of your grounds for claiming each exemption, explaining why each exemption is relevant to the document or portion of the document withheld.
This index is required under V,1ughn v. Rosen (I), 484 F.2d 820 (D.C. Cir. 1973), cert. denied, 415 U.S. 977 (1974).
We look forward to your response to this request within ten
)
working days.
Sincerely, 8 4 f % L.a m Billie Pirner Garde Director, Environmental Whistleblower Clinic f
f
)
1