ML20198A699

Summarizes Osha,Ocaw & NRC Inspections of Kerr-McGee Cimarron Facility.Unsafe Allegations from Ocaw Come Prior to Contract Bargaining.No Evidence That Ocaw or Employees Attempted to Resolve Alleged Unsafe Practices

ML20198A699
Person / Time
Site:	07001193
Issue date:	03/20/1975
From:	Ridgeway K NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION III)
To:	Hind J NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION III)
Shared Package
ML20198A623	List: ML20198A618 ML20198A651 ML20198A657 ML20198A669 ML20198A686 ML20198A699 ML20198A708
References
FOIA-85-647 NUDOCS 8605210194
Download: ML20198A699 (3)

Text

• s ,

~

, e UNITEo STATES , . ,

j '

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COP SSION

• DIRECTORATE OF REGULt. TORY OF., .ATIONS REGION lit <

799 RooSLVELT ROAD CLEN ELLYN ILLtNOIS 60137 March 20, 1975 ,

1q 1

J. A. Hind, Chief, Materials and Plant Protection Branch -l

[. f -

Ws virm K-M INSPECTIONS OSHA AND NRC AND OCAW ,

During the inspection of February 3-7, 1975 we noted that OHSA had ,

inspected Kerr-McGee January 8-13, 1975 and had reported violations.

du I called Jim Knorrp of OSIM in Tulsa to determine their opinion of PM 4 Kerr-McGee and their inspection history.

! 4# '

c..

1 OSIW s first investigation of Kerr-McGee Cimarron was in 1971 following l

the accidental death of an employee from a compressor accident.

1, , -

2 (C.O. Inquiry Report No. 1193/71-03)

.In July and August 1972 Ray Stillwell, OCAW local committeeman, sent

f. j written letters of complaints to 0S1% on unsafe practices i.e. acid and lL' NH[ fumes,hightemperatures,improperpipeidentificatioh,leakingpipes and poor ventilation. OSHA inspected Kerr-licCee Cimarron in August 1972.

They did not substantiate the unsafe conditions but found 13 nonscrious violations of OSHA regulations.

] ,,

k1

%p

,Mr. Knorrp stated that the January 1975 inspection was initiated because OSHA was asking questions about some of the previous inspection areas that f% they didn't have a good handle on. The January inspection resulted in 52 M~ 1 nonscrious items, 3 of which we're repeats from the previous inspection.

In general, he stated that Kerr-licGee'Cimarron was "a pretty clean facility" c g i and this number of items in a facility of this size was not unusual. The M '\_. citation included such items as covers left off of junction boxes, masks

• p left lying in weather, covers off electrical outlets etc.

4 M A brief history of our Kerr-McGee Cimarron investigations shows the following:

On September 27,1975 OSHA presented allegations on unsafe working conditions v ..

- which were investigated in the most part by RO:iV personnel and regardless p of the statements in the news media, the allegation of unsafe practices were for the most part found to be untrue, although many of the happenings g were substantiated. (R0 Investigation Report No. 070/1193/74-10)i .

~

O OTio

$f

% C 'y o $! .

. g 2 g 4 860411 ,

iris.gb JOHNSON 05-647 PDR .

f

.z . - _--._

" e -

e --

J. A. Hind. .hief ,

on August 29, 1973, ChairmanRayr$ceivedcomplaintsfromtwoanonymousOn c=ployees of Kerr-McGee via Mrs. Gaylord Youngheir. of Oklahoma City.

c ty,o wnonymobs per.r-Me, Gee employees contacted Mrs.

,. September 9, 1973, tly, ,fcrred to a van leaking plutonium and a number of

[i Younghcin again aiid're 6 These allegations were reviewed and none of them

~

f other unsafe conditions.

were substantiated as being health or safety violations (R0 Investigation Report No. 070-1193/73-01) v

. .7 .

OCAW2Kerr-M. Gee ,Cimarron union contracts were as follows:

( .- A five year contract expired November, 23, 1972. Negotiation for a ncv ll ,

E) contract started October 17, 1972, but was unsuccessful and OCAW Local No. 5-283 went out on strike November 20, 1972. Kerr-McGee continued 1

0d operations until an agreement was reached on February 9, 1973 for a contract Q.l expiring December 1,, 1974. Nego::iations for a new contract started Novem-gW ber 6,1974 and a new one-year agreement was reached on December 1,1974, y -

tc ,

M

• Prior to the 1974 negotiations NLRB notified Kerr McGee on September 5, 1974 that a petition had been-approved for decertifying the OCAW local h ,

representing Kerr-McGee employees at Cimarron.

On October 16, 1974 an

{ election maintained OCAW as the employees union by a vote of 80 to 61.

(Unofficially we learned that well over 80 people had signed the petition.)

During the manaa,cment meeting'on the OCAW allegations investigation the

, '~~"I C

Morgan Moore, Manager of the Cimarron Facility, pointed out that

., allegations and other problems that Kerr-McGee had been experiencing preceed He also

[1 >

or coincided with OCAW Local - Kerr-McGee contract negotiations.

stated that all employees were required to report unsafe conditions Kerr-McGee made a atstudy any c g.,

] time and particularly at conthly safety ncetings. 1974 (145 recorded all safety meetings held between March 1974 and November-gq

-i meeting ruinutes which gave the department, number attending, date,There were items discussed, any unsafe conditions or work practices brought up)".

N> several safety items listed in these meeting minutes but none of then were

% related to the unsafe allegations brought out in the OCAW - NRC meeting of 0

September 27, 1974.

h:1. d In addition, any employee of Kerr-McGee who cannot resolve an unsafe condit at first level has the rigt ; to use the Grievance No and Arbitration safety Procedure related items have set out in the OCAW - Kerr-McGee agreement.

been processed in the grievance ' procedure in 1974 or 1973.

'se(f.9 6

9 e

~

7 , .

a * -

' J. A. Illnd. . , Jef ,

P ,

It has been my experience during the 2 yaarc of inspecting Kerr-McGee that they are concerned about the safety of the employees and have a good job safety attitude. ,

8 There are other indications that employees were trying For to embarrass instance on July 3-4, e

[.3 Ketr-McGee management or put them in bad light.

1973,7 hiFh . air filte'rs in the Plutonium Laboratory were found to be contaminated by a finger or thumb print shapped area and not by the normal

, uniform distribution. This resulted in temporary restriction and biosampling k'

10 employees in the 11.boratory. (R0 Inspection Report No. 070-1193/73-06) w' '

This same type of what appears to be deliberate contamination occurred S

{/ ',

again on July 31, 1974 to two airsamplesj as a result (R0Silkwood and another Investigation Report employee were restricted and put on biosamples.

f$/{ ,

No. 070-1193/74-09). .

& 's'

,a P p. . Pellets have been found in allen bolts of the UO2 Pellet shipping p ,

UO 2 containers. UO 2 Pellets were scattered around outside the U Plant.

4:j ,

V;2: It doesn't take long to see that the unsafe allegations from OCAW to both OSHA & NRC seem to come right before contract, bargaining begins and

b. I believe them to be motivated as bargaining tool and not as a real concern for safety,or all reasonable means of resolving unsafe conditions' would be taken through normal Kerr-McGee employee ur Kerr-McGee union negotiations before contacting Federal agencies. There is no evidence 7 that OCAW or individual employees have taken Any action with Kerr-McGee y to resolve these alleged unsafe practices.

6 'N t K. R. Ridg y k- .!

Fuel Fa9111ty Inspector lime

~

l e

L 1

t I

l l

_+