ML20135A834

Investigation Case 5-82-005 on 820608-830126.No Violations Noted.Major Areas Investigated:Allegations Re Tendon Installation in Containment Bldgs.Case Closed

ML20135A834
Person / Time
Site:	Palo Verde
Issue date:	07/09/1983
From:	Hayes B, Power E, Shackleton O NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION V), NRC OFFICE OF INVESTIGATIONS (OI)
To:
Shared Package
ML20135A816	List: ML20135A813 ML20135A822 ML20135A834 ML20135A845 ML20135A856 ML20135A869
References
5-82-005, 5-82-5, NUDOCS 8509100287
Download: ML20135A834 (5)

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4 f2 NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

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OFFICE OF INVESTIGATIONS FIELD OFFICE. REGION V

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1450 MARIA LANE. SUITE 210 WALNUT CREEK. CALIFORNIA 9459S

_ REPORT OF INVESTICATION TITLE:

Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station Allegations Regarding Tendon Installation SUPPLEMENTAL:

DN 50-528 and 50-529 CASE NUMBER:

5-82-005

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N CONTROL OFFICE:

Office of Investigations STATUS: CLOSED Field Office, Region V PERIOD OF INVESTICATION:

June 8, 1982 - January 26, 1983 REPORTING INVESTICATOR: [t<f_g-Eugepti J.g W

PejNir Investigator Office of Investigations Field Office, Region V PARTICIPATING PERSONNEL:

Owen C. Shackleton Jr., Director Office of Investigations Field Office, Region V Philip V..Toukoff. Investigator Office of Investigations Field Office, Region V L. B. Vorderbrueggen Senior Resident Station, NRC, Region VInspector, Palo Verde. Nu REVIEWED BY:

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Office of Investigations FieldOwen C. Shacklet Of ce, Reg @n V

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41'111am J. Ward, Director Divisinn of Fic.1d Operations

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Nr*h Y L Lil C.i Rogy A Torttina,' Deputy Director Offic, f Investiga n

APPROVED BY:

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IenB. Hayes, Director /

Office of Investig,ations

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t SUmiARY This investigation was initiated to determine the validity and the circumstances inv :"ing concerns expressed by a former Quality Control (QC) Superviser for Western Concrete Struccures Incorporated (WCS). WCS is a subcontractor of the Bechtel Power Corporation (BPC) and WCS is responsible for the installation of tendons in the containment buildings of Units 1, 2 and 3 at the Palo Verde Nuclear Cencrating Station (PVNCS),-Maricopa County, Arizona. The alleger had worked for WCS for ten months from about June 1981 until March 11, 1982 when he was terminated. After his termination, the alleger contacted TV Channel 3, Phoenix, Arizona, regarding his concerns, and Channel 3 referred the alleger to the US NRC on June 2, 1982. As a result, the alleger was interviewed under oath by two NRC investigators on June 3, 1982 in Scottsdale, Arizona.

In his statement, the alleger indicated that he had performed the duties of a QC Inspector as well as being the QC Supervisor over two subordinate QC Inspectors during his period of employment with WCS.

The alleger was terminated in March 1982 by the President of WCS, but he was not given a written tc:aination notite. The president simply infor=ed him that his termination was nothing personal and he wanted new people at the work s,ite.

The alleger, however, believes he was terminated because the Production Superintendent for the WCS Palo Verde operations did not like the alleger imposing any QC controls on the installation activities.

It was also the alleger's opinion that the WCS overall QC program was not adequate. His reason for contacting the NRC was that he had concerns regarding the Quality Control program, and he wanted to bring his concerns to the attention of the NRC for action, if deemed necessary. The alleger's concerns, which are hereinafter referred to as allegations, were as follows:

Allegation No. 1.

There was a lack of adequate training records for the post tension crew, i

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Allegation No. 2.

(ht a few occasions, excessive tension had been placed on a tendon during the installation of the field anchor head.

Allegation No. 3.

There was an attempt by the WCS Superintendent

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to submit improper Welding Operator Qualification Test Records for the ironworkers who welded on the job.

Allegation No. 4.

The 1000T Stressing Jack, which was used to stress tendons, fell to the gallery floor in December 1981 af ter which it was not c.

recalibrated prior to use.

Allegation No. 5.

There was a lack of independence between the QA/QC program and the production activities of WCS.

Allegation No. 6.

The WCS Superintendent attempted to have a QC representative prepare false tendon installation records. By submitting false records, WCS could fraudulently charge costs to the Bechtel Corporation for additional work.

Allegation No. 7.

The shim packs which are placed at the end of a stressed tendon were possibly unsafely installed.

Allegation numbers 1, 2, 4, 5, and 7 were determined to be issues of a technical nature, and they were referred to the Regional Administrator, Region V, USNRC, for their evaluation and possible inspection and enforcement action.

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The' investigation disclosed that four Welder and Welding Operator Qualificetion Test Records had been incorrectly prepared by WCS in February 1982 on the basis of questionably conducted welding tests.

Information obtained through inttrviews indicated that the disregarding of the initial qualification test records wt.ich were prepared on February 9,1982 was as a direct result of the alleger who questioned the welding tests and the welding test records.

The welders were subsequen"

• retested in an independent welding laboratory in Phoenix on March 18 and 2?

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The investigation established the fact that the actual welding on the imbed plates on the outside of the containment building of Unit

2. began on February 18, 1982 which was prior to the retesting of the welders.

The actual welding was also performed prior to the final determination by c

Arizona Public Service (APS) and Bechtel that the welding was not requ' ired to meet Quality Class Q or nuclear safety-related criteria.

There was no evidence i

developed during the investigation to substantiate that a WCS employee had

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knowingly or willfully attempted to circumvent any code, standard, or regulatory i

requirement in the testing of the welders and the subsequent preparation of the welders qualification forms.

Regarding Allegation No. 6, the alleger cited Saturday, January 1982 as the specific day on which WCS performed its own contractual work yet charged additional costs to Bechtel. The alleger claimed to have witnessed, as a QC inspector, the pulling of four tendons on that ' Saturday following which the WCS superintende'nt asked the alleger to indicate on the records -(Tendon Pulling Cards) as those fcur tendons being installed on the following Monday, February 1, 1982. The pulling of a tendon was a specific function under the terms of the contract, and therefore no additional costs were charged to the Bechtel Corporatio> for such work. The allegation of fraud in business relationships, to include the possibility of overcharging between the centractor and the subcontractor, is not within the jurisdiction of the USNRC. The NRC investi-gative effort therefore was directed toward substantiating or-1

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rcfuting the preparation of suspicious or false records or other

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?l documentation. The investigation revealed that only one tendon,

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H 32-003, was pulled on Saturday, January 30, 1982. Tendon H 32-003 was

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the last tendon pulled on Unit 1.

The WCS records therefore did not t'

reveal any tendons as being pull'ed on Monday, February 1,1982.

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investigator conducted a review of other available records which are d

1 separately prepared by the Bechtel Field Contract Coordinator and by the j1 Bechtel QC Engineer. These two separate record systems substantiated the 1

WCS installation work as contained in the existing WCS records. The 5'

review did not identify any suspicious or false WCS records or j

documentation. The alleger was recentacted en August 25, 1982 regarding

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the details of the allegation. The alleger however could offer no k'

additional details or explanation for the situation. The alleger

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reiterated his original contention that he had observed four tendons pulled on January 30, 1982. During the interview of the WCS president in j

January 1983, the president stated there had been one Saturday on which

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four tendons had been pulled. Further, the WCS Tendon Pulling Cards i

reflected that four tendons were pulled on Saturday, September 26, 1981.

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s The president stated there were no attempts to overcharge Bechtel

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Corporation for additional work, and he expected the Bechtel Corporation j

would question or object to any charge which was not considered proper.

The president also stated that four tendons were not pulled on Saturday, b);

January 30, 1982.

In further resolving Allegation No. 6, 15 individuals, i

in addition to the WCS President, were interviewed to include the former r*

h QA Manager, the WCS Superintendent, the WCS Foreman, six WCS ironworkers, 3,

a WCS QC inspector, a former QC inspector, a Senior QA Engineer with APS, j!

a WCS Engineer with Bechtel, the Contract Administrator with Bechtel, and A'

4 the Field Contract Coordinator with Bechtcl. This investigation did not i

reveal any indications that a WCS form, record, or document was changed

}; l or altered in order to provide a falsified document.

Further, there was 4

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nothing developed during the investigation to substantiate any attempt by n

a WCS employee to knowingly and willfully alter, change, or falsify any l

records.

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