ML20248L258

PNO-78-060:on 780321,three Offsite Licensee Maint Workers Were Reassigned to Plant to Work in Radiation Areas.Refusal of Assignment Resulted in Discharge for One Worker.Worker Was Interviewed by Radio & Television on 780321

ML20248L258
Person / Time
Site:	Indian Point
Issue date:	03/23/1978
From:	Nolan F, Sniezek J, Whitt K NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION I)
To:
References
PNO-78-060, PNO-78-60, NUDOCS 9806110040
Download: ML20248L258 (2)

Text

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PRELIMINARY NOTIFICATION

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March 23, 1978 PRELIMINARY NOTIFICATION OF EVENT OR UNUSUAL OCCURRENCE--PNO T_his 3reliminary notification constitutes EARLY notice of an event of

_P055I3LE safety or public interest significance. The information presented is as initially received without verification or evaluation and is basically all that is known by IE staff on this date.

Facility: Consolidated Edison Company of New York, Inc.

Indian Point Unit 2 (DN 50-247)-

Buchanan, New Ynrk

Subject:

REASSIGNMENT OF WORKERS TO JOBS WITHIN RADIATION AREAS t On March 21, 1978, with the plant in a planned refueling and maintenance I outage, Region I was contacted by three offsite licensee maintenance  !

i workers who stated that they were being reassigned to Indicn P,oint to work in radiation areas and would be discharged if they refused the .

pp reassignment.

The workers did not have information to indicate over-. ',

exposures had occurred or were expected to occur. Region I informed the '

( s workers that NRC regulations do not prohibit licensees from assigning unwilling worke~rs to jobs in radiation are4. 8;

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On March 21, 1978 the licensee stated to Region I that no working conditions which would result in exceeding NRC requirements were involved

~in this case. On March 22, 1978 the licensee informed Region I that all g, but one worker had accepted the reassignment and the worker that had not reported to Indian Point had been discharged. The licensee also informed Region I that a werker had been interviewed by a radio and television station on March 21, 1978.

On March 22, 1978, Region I was telephoned by New York City area representatives of Friends of the Earth and The Village Voice newspaper.

The representative of the Village Voice indicated'that union members had established a picket line at Vernon and 34th Streets in New York City on' March 22, 1978, to protest the worker reassignments.

An inspection of the health physics program was performed on March 15-17, 1978. No,significant problems were identified.

Media coverage of this matter has occ.urred. The State of New York has been infomed. A press release is not planned by the licensee nor NRC.

(CONTINUED)

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.! . Page 2 March 23, 1978 Continued PNG-78-60 NRC, Region I, (Philadelphia) received initial information related to this occurrence by t?.aphone from unidentified licensee maintenance workers on March 21, 1978. Subsequent information was obtained from the licensee on March 21 cod 22,1978.

Contact:

KWWhitt, IE x28019 FNolan, IE x28019 JHSniezek, IE x28019

_ Distribution: Transmitted H St 4. W u Chairman Hendrie Commissioner Bradford Commissioner Kernedy S. J. Chilk, SECY C. C. Kammerer, CA Commissioner Gilinsky (For Distribution)

Transmitted: MNBB n'vS p .,2. P Bldg de oa s.m.

r E. Volge.sau, IE L. V. Gossick, EDO E. G. Case, NRR Region g 7/2l[

S. H. Hanauer, EDO J. J. Fouchard, PA SS Bldg Tl/Cf (MAIL)

R. Hartfield, MIPC C. V. Smith, NMSS T. J. McTiernan, DIA R. G. Ryan, OSP R. Minogue, SD iE H. K. Shapar, ELD

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f.,' PRELIMINARY NOTIFICATION 75 i

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