ML20207P688

Responds to to Vice President G Bush Re Removal of Radio from Control Room.Nrc Position Discussed in IE Circular 81-02 & IE Info Notice 85-053.Formal Rulemaking Re Control Room Decorum Considered

ML20207P688
Person / Time
Site:	Monticello
Issue date:	01/14/1987
From:	Taylor J NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE)
To:	Rohland R NORTHERN STATES POWER CO.
References
IEC-81-02, IEC-81-2, IEIN-85-053, IEIN-85-53, NUDOCS 8701200062
Download: ML20207P688 (9)

Text

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'o UNITED STATES g

/ o NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

'{ E ,

wrsMNGTON, D. C. 20555

• • • • • / .

JAN I 41987 '

Docket No. 50-263 -

Mr. Robert J. JJohland, Shift Supervisor Northern States. Power Company Monticello Nuclear Power Plant '

i- 'Old Highway 152 Northwest of Monticello Monticello, Minnesota 55362 ,

Dear Mr. Rohland:

I welcome this opportunity to respond to the concerns you identified in your.

. letter to Vice President Bush of October 25, 1986. In your letter you state that the NRC decision to remove an AM-FM radio from the Monticello control room has created morale problems. Highly motivated, well-trained, and attentive operators are an essential ingredient for ensuring safe operation of nuclear power plants and the NRC has gone to great lengths to establish the highest g standards in.these areas. Assuring the proper control room environment is a very important aspect in operating a nuclear plant.

~

For the past several years, especially since the 1979 accider.t at Three Nile

Island Unit 2, the NRC has established various policies and requirements aimed at diminishing potential distractions to control room operators and thereby enhance operator readiness spond to unexpected event.s. These policies and requirements have inclu u eeasures to limit unnecesaary personnel in the control room, reduce the administrative workload of control room operators,

. ensure that operators are not subjected to excessive ove: time work, and keep inappropriate reading material oLt of the control room. It is in this historical context that the NRC has determined that permitting the use of AM-FM radios in the control rooms of nuclear power plants would be inconsistent with the goal to enhance operator attentiveness to plant conditions. The NRC's position I that the use of radios in control rooms must be prohibited was first formally I

transmitted to affected utilities on February 9,1981 (IE Circular No. 81-02) and later reinforced by followup correspondence on July 12, 1985 (IE Information Notice No. 85-53).

To further support our efforts to enhance operator attentiveness, the staff is considering recommending to the Commission that we proceed with a formal rulemaking that would encompass the broader subject of control room decorum, ~

within which the use of radios would be a significant part. As part of this rulemaking process, interested parties would have an opportunity to formally respond to all proposals. In addition, the Commission is currently considering a request by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (Local 160) that an adjudicatory hearing be held on the October 20, 1986 Order to Show Cause issued to Northern States Power Company for the purpose of prohibiting use of radios and other audible entertainment devices in the control rooms at the Prairie Island and Monticello facilities.

l l 8701200062 870114 i PLA Aduu v%00.2o3 5,

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Mr. Robert J. Rohland ,

The NRC reco'gnize's the good operating performance of the Monticello Nuclear Power Plant, and we consider it unfortunate that you believe that the NRC decision to restrict the use of radios in the control room could adversely impact morale. However, we consider that the decision not to allow radios in the control *' room at all nuclear facilities is in the best interest of safe plant operation. We welcome your interest in this matter and encourage you to bring to the attention of your management or the NRC any further concerns you may have regarding this matter or other issues that could impact the safe operation of Monticello Nuclear Power Plant. Should you have any further questions, please contact me..

Sincerely,

/

Ja es . Taylo ector 0 ice of In etion and Enforcement cc: Office of the Vice Preside ATTN: Barbara Lowe~

SD-202 Washington, D.C. 20510

.o Mr., Robert J. Rohland DISTRIBUTION:

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+ 0FFICE OF INSPECTION AND ENFORCEMENT OFFICE OF THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR 86-691 2. DATE: 12/30/86

( . IE ACTION NUMBER

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SUBJECT:

ED0 2423 MORALE AT MONTICELLO PLANT SINCE REMOVAL OF RADIO FR Ref EDO 2416 ,

Robert Rohland, Office of Vice President referral, 10/25/86

4. REQUESTOR:

5. ACTION REQUESTED:

Signature for Taylor cc: Office of the Vice President ATIN: Barbara towf S0-202 Washington, DC 20510 I

6. ASSIGNED TO: Partlow

7. EXPECTED COMPLETION DATE: 1/13/87: due to front office 1/9/R7

,8. EXTENDED COMPLETION DATE:

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. COMPLETION DATE:

10. DOCUMENTATION OF COMPLETION: '

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CFFICE OF THE CECRETARY

, CORRESPONDENCE CONTROL TICKET PAPER NUMBER: CRC-86-1351 LOGGING DATE: Dec 23 86

' ION OFFICE: EDO AUTHOR: B. Lowe AFFILIATION: VICE PRESIDENT OF THE U.S.

F LETTER DATE: Dec 16 86 FILE CODE: IDER-5 Monticello'

SUBJECT:

Morale problems at the Monticello plant ACTION: Direct Reply DISTRIBUTION:

SPECIAL HANDLING: None NOTES: Referral DATE DUE: Jan 12 87 .F.

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SIGNATURE: . DATE SIGNED: .

AFFILIATION:

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. . i CFFICE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT ' '~

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REFERRAL Nuclear Regulatory Commission -

( To 1717 H Street. N.W. -

Date: - December 16, 1986 Washington,D.C. 20555 s..+

. cc.Q e-p ACTION REQUESTED $M h -w .I .

.j i Draft reply for- - -

6 Vice President's signature. ~

Undersigned *s signature. '

NOTE ,

Mennorandum for use as enclosure to

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Pron pt action is essee M.

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fw* 'flease unil the infomation copy to the attention of Barbara Lowe Office of the Vice President. 50-202. Washington, D.C. 20510 (telephone: ~224-2424) i ,

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Description *

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Y Intter: Telegram: other: - -

To: The Vice Pmsident .

%p:. rrom: Nobert E. Aohland - -

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.0ctober 25, 1986 ,

t subsect: NRC matter . . , _ ..., . .' - - ._ ;-- ,

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By direction of the ice President serbara towe .: 4 & .-.

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VICE-PRESIDENT GEORGE BUSH k' 1400 PENNSYLVANIA AVE.

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20013 4

DEAR MR. VICE-PRESIDENT, OCT. 25, 1986 a would like to report on a morale problem at the Mont. cello Nuclear Power Plant. First some history of the plant and the operating crew.

The operating crew started shift work in Oct.' 1969. Since that date, there has been an AM-FM radio in the control room. It i has had the blessing of the utility, Northern States Power Co NSF has regulated what is listened to, but has not totally restricted the use of the radio.

The plant went into commerical operation in July of 1971. The plant had it's share of bugs to work out. But it wasn't . ' .'

long before the Atomic Energy Commission, (now the NRC ),

realized that Monti was going to be one of the best nuclear '.

plants in the country.

We have one of the best operating records in the entire nuclear industry. General Electric designed the plant. We have recieved several awards from GE. The Institute of Sk Nuclear Power Operations ( INPO ), has also cited us as one of the best run plants in the country.

We have operated this plant for the last 15 years with a radig in the control' room. It has never been a distraction, even -during the times when the operators were required to be extra alert during plant transients such as automatic shutdowns.

In July of 1985, the NRC decided that any thing that could distract the operators should not be allowed in the control room. Therefore, the radio was removed by the order of NSP.

The local union filed a grievance against NSP for removing the radio. The matter went to binding arbitration. On Oct. 6, 1986, the arbitrator decided that the company could not show any good reason why the radio was removed and ordered that the radio be replaced forthwith.

The NRC, now largely made up of retired admirals from Rickove.s Navy, does not like to be disobeyed. They told NSP that if the radio was not removed from the control room, the operatin g license for the Monti plant would be aumended to prohibit the use of radios, tapes, TV's or other audible entertainment devices. The radio was removed for a second time on Oct. 22, 1986.

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The operators now get to listen to the hun of many electric relays and the very loud heating and ventilation system.

The radio did provide a soothing background noise that helped with some of the monotonous, routine work. It also helped.the midnight shift go quicker.

The NRC does serve a function. But some of its members'have too much navy time. Those of us in the ~ private nuclear plant:

can eventually see the NRC insisting that operators wear uniforms.

If Monticello were one of the worst plants that the NRC regulates, then I would say they have a concern about the radio. BUT, Monticello is one of the best plants in the nation. Recently, the NRC stopped inspecting Monti as often as they were just for the above reason.

The operators are really upset about the radio issue. It . .

has been with us for along time and never caused a problem. -

NSP has been in favor of the radio, and even made positive comments about it during the binding arbitration proceedings.

Those of us who work in operations at the Monticello Nuclear Power Plant would appreciate any help you can give us.

t R ctfully ou ,

L

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Robert J. R hland Shift Supervisor Monticello Nuclear Power Plant i .

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