Press Release-II-08-005, NRC Issues Order to Former Turkey Point Security Employee Prohibiting Work in NRC-Licensed Activities for Three Years

Press Release-II-08-005: NRC Issues Order to Former Turkey Point Security Employee Prohibiting Work in NRC-Licensed Activities for Three Years

ML080430071
Person / Time
Site:	Turkey Point
Issue date:	02/12/2008
From:	Office of Public Affairs Region II
To:
Category:Press Release
References
Press Release-II-08-005
Download: ML080430071 (2)

Text

NRC NEWS U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs, Region II 61 Forsyth Street SW, Atlanta GA 30303 Web Site: www.nrc.gov No: II-08-005 February 12, 2008 CONTACT: Ken Clark (404)562-4416 E-mail: OPA2@nrc.gov Roger Hannah (404)562-4417 NRC ISSUES ORDER TO FORMER TURKEY POINT SECURITY EMPLOYEE PROHIBITING WORK IN NRC-LICENSED ACTIVITIES FOR THREE YEARS The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued an Order to a former contract security employee at Florida Power & Light Companys Turkey Point nuclear power plant near Miami which prohibits him from working in NRC-licensed activities for a period of three years. The immediately effective Order was issued following the former security officers felony conviction for making a false statement during an investigation conducted by the NRC Office of Investigations.

NRC officials said Juan Blanco, a former security employee of Wackenhut Nuclear Services, which provides FP&L with contract security services at Turkey Point, admitted during an NRC interview in February 2006, that he provided a statement that was not complete and accurate during a previous OI interview in April 2005. Specifically, Blanco told the NRC in 2005 that he had no knowledge of an incident involving the removal of two firing pins from a weapon. In a 2006 interview, he admitted that he was shown the firing pins by the security officer who removed them after they were removed.

Blanco failed to report to FP&L or Wackenhut information that was adverse to the safety and security of the facility.

NRC officials said Blancos actions were determined to be in violation of federal regulations which state that an employee or a contractor may not deliberately submit to the NRC, a licensee, or a licensees contractor, information that the person submitting the information knows to be incomplete or inaccurate in some respect material to the NRC.

For a period of one year after the three-year period of prohibition has expired, Blanco must, within 20 days of acceptance of his first employment offer involving NRC-licensed activities, provide the NRC with the name, address and telephone number of the employer or entity where he is, or will be, involved in NRC-licensed activities.

The NRC on Jan. 22 announced proposal of a $208,000 fine against FP&L for four security violations at Turkey Point which included two occurrences of willfully failing to properly equip armed responders because two individuals willfully disabled weapons by breaking or removing firing pins; a failure to make a 1-hour report to the NRC as required; and providing the NRC with incomplete and inaccurate information.

NRC issued a Confirmatory order to Wackenhut Corporation confirming corrective actions the contractor agreed to take. A former FP&L employee and a former Wackenhut employee were issued confirmatory orders prohibiting their seeking employment in NRC-regulated activities until mid-2008, and two former Wackenhut employees were ordered not to seek employment in NRC-regulated activities for respective five-year periods.

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