ML20249B474

Forwards Operator Licensing Exam Rept 50-354/98-03OL Conducted by NRC During Period of 980223-0304.Four of Five Reactor Operator Applicants & Three of Five Senior Reactor Applicants Passed Exams

ML20249B474
Person / Time
Site:	Hope Creek
Issue date:	06/16/1998
From:	Conte R NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION I)
To:	Keiser H Public Service Enterprise Group
Shared Package
ML20249B475	List: IR 05000354/1998003 ML20249B474
References
50-354-98-03OL, 50-354-98-3OL, NUDOCS 9806230193
Download: ML20249B474 (3)

See also: IR 05000354/1998003

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June-16, 1998

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Mr. Harold W. Keiser

Executive Vice President

Nuclear Business Unit

Public Service Electric and Gas Company

.Past Office Box 236

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Hancocks Bridge, NJ 08038

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SUBJECT: HOPE CREEK EXAMINATION REPORT 50-354/98-03(OL) - SUPPLEMENT

Dear Mr. Keiser:

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During the period of February 23,1998 through March 4,1998, the NRC administered

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initial exams to eleven employees of your company who had applied for licenses to operate

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the Hope Creek Generating Station. We also conducted reviews of related information

from March 4 through March 12,1998 (in-office), May 19 through 21,1998 (onsite), and

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May 22 through 28 (in-office). At the conclusion of the onsite operating portion of the

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examination, the preliminary findings were discussed with Mr. McMahon and members of

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your staff. Additional discussions occurred on May 28,1998 between me and

Mr. J. Nichols of your staff, and on June 15,1998, between me and Mr. McMahon of

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your staff.

The results of this examination were made available to your staff on May 28,1998. Four

of five reactor operator applicants and three of five senior reactor applicants passed the

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exams. Also, a senior reactor operator applicant failed a retake on the written portion of

the examination. These results indicate individual poor preparedness for the examination

and a potential programmatic problem in readying applicants for an NRC examination.

Also, our previous letter pointed out inadequacies or weaknesses in the following areas:

the development of the initial examination; performance of significant control

manipulations; and quality of the retake application by a senior reactor operator candidate.

Enciosed we have identified additional inadequacies or weaknesses in the following areas:

poor readiness of applicants for the examination (four of eleven failures on at least one

portion of the examination); and, clarity of guidance for applicant time on shift and the

definition of " direct supervision."

Accordingly, your staff has agreed to meeting with us in the Region I office on

June 29,1998 to discuss the following problems with your licensing operator initial

training (LOIT) program along with corrective actions: (1) root cause for the poor quality of

submitted examination in February 1998;(2) reasons for the poor performance of certain

applicants on portions of examination conducted in February of 1998 and implication on

your LOIT program; (3) LOIT program / procedure adequacy on the conduct of significant

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Mr. Harold W. Keiser

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control manipulations (SCMs); (4) related to SCMs, the adequacy of corrective actions

from Salem related issue and information notice 97-67; (5) LOIT program / procedure

adequacy on how applicants spend time on shift (3 months) and minimum of 520 hours0.00602 days <br />0.144 hours <br />8.597884e-4 weeks <br />1.9786e-4 months <br />

including the meaning of direct supervision; and (6) attention to detail in the completion of

NRC Form 398, Licensed Operator Applications.

In accordance with 10 CFR 2.790 of the NRC's " Rules of Practice, a copy of this letter

and its enclosures will be placed in the NRC Public Document Room (PDR). Should you

have any questions regarding this information, please contact me at

(610)337-5211.

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Sincerely,

Richard Conte, Chief

Operator Licensing

and Human Performance Branch

Division of Reactor Safety

Docket No.: 50-354

Enclosures:

Examination Report 50-354/98-03 (OL)

cc w/ encl:

L. Storz, Senior Vice President - Nuclear Operations

E. Simpson, Senior Vice President - Nuclear Engineering

E. Salowitz, Director - Nuclear Business Support

A. F. Kirby, Ill, External Operations - Nuclear, Delmarva Power & Light Co.

C. Bakken, General Manager - Salem Operations

D. Powell, Director, Licensing, Regulation and Fuels

R. Kankus, Joint Owner Affairs

A. Tapert, Program Administrator

J. J. Keenan, Esquire

M. J. Wetterhahn, Esquire

J. A. Isabella, Manager, Joint Generation

Atlantic Electric

Consumer Advocate, Office of Consumer Advocate

William Conklin, Public Safety Consultant, Lower Alloways Creek Township

Public Service Commission of Maryland

State of New Jersey

State of Delaware

...

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Mr. Harold W. Keiser

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Distribution w/ encl:

Region 1 Docket Room (with concurrences)

PUBLIC

Nuclear Safety Information Center (NSIC)

J. Wiggins, DRS

D. Florek, Chief Examiner, DRS

NRC Resident inspector

DRS OL Facility File

DRS File

H. Miller, RA/W. Axelson, DRA

J. Linville, DRP

S. Barber, DRP

L. Harrison, DRP

C. O'Daniell, DRP

G. Kelly, DRS

N. Della Greca, DRS

Distribution w/ encl: VIA E-Mall

B. McCabe, OEDO

R. Capra, NRR

P. Milano, PDI 2, NRR

M. Callahan, OCA

Inspection Program Branch, NRR (IPAS)

R. Correia, NRR

F. Talbot, NRR

DOCDESK

DOCUMENT NAME: G:\\OLHP\\ CONTE \\HC9803OL.SUP

Ts recehe a copy of this document. Indicate in the box: "C" = Copy without attachrnent/ enclosure T = Copy with attachment / enclosure

• N" = No

copy

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