ML20140E531

Partially Released Inquiry Rept Q4-84-028.Major Areas Investigated:Allegations Concerning Pipe Hangers,Improper Heat Application to Stainless Steel Piping & Falsification of Heat Numbers on Pipe Hangers.Investigation Proceeding

ML20140E531
Person / Time
Site:	Wolf Creek
Issue date:	06/14/1984
From:	Driskill D, Herr R NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION IV)
To:
Shared Package
ML20140E503	List: ML20140E499 ML20140E510 ML20140E521 ML20140E528 ML20140E531
References
FOIA-85-101 Q4-84-028, Q4-84-28, NUDOCS 8603280034
Download: ML20140E531 (5)

Text

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UNITED STATES

[, r g NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMIS , Y e g OFFICE OF INVESTIGATIONS FIELD OFFICE. RE DYlf "

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• "IEiNoS. TENS 7EITJJN i 9 Mi ll: 35

f. REPORT OF INQUIRY " '~

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June 14, 1984

SUBJECT:

WOLF CREEK NUCLEAR POWER STATION, BURLINGTON, KANSAS:

ALLEGED FALSIFICATION OF HEAT NUMBERS ON PIPE HANGERS REPORT NUMBER: Q4-84-028 1.

On May 11, 1984, the NRC Region IV Regional Administrator requested an inquiry / investigation of allegations telephonically received by John JAUDON, Section Chief, Reactor Projects Section A, Project Branch 1, Division of Reactor Safety and Projects, Region IV, from William RUDOLPH, Site Quality Assurance Manager, Kansas Gas & Electric (KG&E), Wolf Creek Nuclear Power Station, Burlington, Kansas. The reflects that Rudolph told JAUD0N that itten request, Exhibit (1),

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at Wolf Creek, had reported to KG&E allbgations concerning pipe a ers at Wolf Cre_ek, improper heat application to stainless _ steel piping at Nuclear Pow _er Station,' and falsification of heat numbers on pi han 'rs '

Nuclear Power Station. The memorandum states that at@uested req confidentiality.

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2. O Wolf Creek, Was interv1 NR ~

D. D. DRISKILL and D. M. GALANTI at ors I

'Repor declined confidenti ty relative to the interview.

job at Wolf Interview with6fs. Exhibit (2).Mrelated that his hangers in Creek entaileT conTucting walk-down Hispections of pipe .g rpus" hangers w He stated he identified '

id not have heat' numb hib stated he reported this fact tom supe,ers stamaed on them.ision identified in (2)] on walk-down reports he pr red.

" believes" these supervisors instructed stated he falsified heat numbers on these hangers. onne to " vibro-etch" ". #

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specificforknowledge except his personal that belief. the alleged falsif cations actually occurred,was unable toi; provide a 3.

MIadditionally alleged that while employed at theE nuclear ~

power station he was ordered by his su heat numbers on RCB pipe hangers. isor to "vibr'-etch" o falsified employed a't . additionally alleged that he'was l Nuclear Power Station during construction of that 'l U '

facility, and o served stainless steel piping being heated in order that  !

it could be bent to facilitate installation. Additional information relative to these allegations is contained in Exhibit (2).

4. On was interviewed b Investigator KG8E, Wolf Creek, '

newled llegations. DRISKILL co erning .

stated he interviewed on g

stated an investigation of Mallegations

. ;, i Report Number: Q4-84-028 reTative to Wolf Creek is already underway. He estimated ~

investigation will be complete in approximately 30 days. advised he ./ Jj would provide NRC with a copy of his completed investigative report, with the consenti of William RUDOLPH, supra.

5. 1 On May 14,.1984, NRC Region IV received a memorandum prepared by C. H. WEIL,  !

Investigation and Complaiance Specialist, Region II, NRC, which is appended as Exhibit (3). WEIL's memorandum r,eports_ details of his /"

telephonic interview of concerning N.P .

relative tog allegations

6. Upon receipt by the Office of Ivestigations Field Office (0IF0),

Region IV, of KG&E's investigation report, it will be evaluated by OIFO and/or Region IV. If the evaluation determines that additional investigative effort is necessary, the 01F0 and/or Region IV will initiate appropriate action.

Exhibit (1) Inquiry / Investigation eauest 5-11-84 Exhibit (2) Report of Interview of 5-16-84 Exhibit (3) C. H. WEIL Memorandum 5-09-84 REPORTED BY: C(jb [ yO[ '

Donald D. DRISKitL, InvestigaYor 01 Field Office, Region IV l

APPROVED BY: bi ,,c u <- 10 0 J Richard K.71efr, Di~Pector -

OI Field Office, Region IV cc: . fE. C. Gilbert, 01:HQ _

w/Cxhibits J. T. Collins, RIV w/ Exhibits T. F. Westerman, RIV w/o Ezhibits J. Y. Vorse w/ Exhibits E. T. Pawlik w/ Exhibits ' -

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Report Number: Q4-84-028-REPORT OF INTERVIEW

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On May 16, 1984,- a former night shift Wolf Creek nuclear power station, Burlington, Kansas, was interviewed by NRC Investigators D. D. DRISKILL and D. M. GALANTI at stated he was employed by t Wolf Creek from tated he was ~

tenninated bygn

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for his refusal to perform assigned work which he conside' red to be unsafe.

When questioned regarding his concerns relative to work done at Wolf Creek, stated he " believes" that heat numbers were falsified on numerous pipe -

hanger's in the Wolf Creek Reactor Containment Building (RCB). E} stated he

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had, during his employment at Wolf Creek, perfonned walk-down inspections and recorded what work needed to be done to complete hangers in the RCB. E stated he prepared " walk-down reports" which identified incomplete w'ork or .

deficiencies on hangers he observed. stated his walk-down reports were provided to .

who wo~ld u assign the necessary repair work to a piping foreman, tated he believes that craft personnel were utilizing heat numbers on hangers in the same general locations to " vibro-etch" heat numbers on deficient hangers. Estated he ,

never personally observed this being done. Ewas unableio provide. any . e-specific information relative to the identification of hangers on which false ,

h, eat numbers were allegedly placed. ,

stat,ed that o Quality Assurance (QA) Inv stigator, Kansas Gas & Electric (KG&E) at WolfCreE. fstated15pr'ov'ided with copies of all walk-down *

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r,cports he had prepared during his employment at Wolf Creek.

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..-g, Report Number: Q4-84-02S

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l stated that he was formerly employed by 2

was layed off. at which time he stated he was involved in the falsification of heat numbers of pihe ' hangers while working at He stated that the hangers were constructed in a hurry and quantity was a more important concern that quality. stated that GC inspectors a would not approve hangers without heat numbers, so craft supervisors ordered pipefitters to falsify heat numbers on hangers which did not have a heat number stamped on them at the time of fabrication. Mstated this false heat number was also copied onto the documentation for those respective hangers. pointed out that the hangers fabricated in the fabrication shop had heat numbers applied using stamps, whereas heat numbers applied in the field were " vibro-etched" on ~'

the hanger. %, stated his general forema.7, whose last name was not further identified) and his superintendent, this practice.

were knowledgeable of as unable to recall the names of co-workers who would have knowledge concerning this practice.

stated that many of the * '

hangers on which false heat numbers were applie were located in the u Reactor Building at elevations 2,000 and 2,015.

He was unable to provide any ,

additional information relative to piping systems or specific locations.

stated that he was involved in the falsification of heat numbers on hangers approximately 25 times, .and felt sure that that the practice occurred -

in excess of 100 times by various individuals.

stated that during 1980 and 1981 he was employed as a during construction at theE uclear power plant. stated that on , , . .y ..

approximately 20 occasions he observed stainless steel tubing being heated ir.'

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order that it could be bent to facil.itate its installation. stated that Wstated the tubing was being prepared for installa was the general foreman who ordered the tubing be bent in this manner?

Reactor Containment Building.

stated he could'not recall specific l ,{}

locations where these particular pieces' of pipe were installed; however.1 s'tated he could show an investigator where they are if allowed to visit the plant / h .7 l 5

practice.

was unable to provide any additional information relative to jthfi ,

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Q4-84-028 01 FIELD OFFICE OIR4-84-A-0039 1 * 'ESEnYCE" REGION IV

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v .v..oo. .o asssGa. s 70 susJtCT DRISKILL WOLF CREEK NUCLEAR POWER STATION: Alleged F21 c i f 4 r 2 & 4 nn af_uns+

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On May 18, 1984, the NRC Region IV administrator requested investigative assistance concerning allegations received that Daniel International Corp. (DIC) supervisors at Wolf Creek NPS have ordered pipefitters to place falsified heat numbers on safety-related pipe hangers in the React Containment Building. The alleger also related o knowledge _of similar practices at ECD: 7-16-84

)J DATE: June 30, 1984 - The Report of Inquiry was CLOSED and mailed to 01:HQ on June 14, 1984.

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GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABlUTY PROJECT 1555 Connecticut Awnue, N.W., Suite 202 Washington, D.C. 20036 (202)2324550 February 6, 1985 Director p OF INFORMATION ggi Office of Administration Nuclear Regulatory Commission v)

Washington, D.C. 20555 hQ1 To Whom It May Concern: $ h I Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C.

E552, the Government Accountability Project (GAP) requests copies of any and all agency records and information, including but not limited to notes, inter-office memoranda, letters, memoranda, drafts, minutes, diaries, logs, calendars, tapes, transcripts, summaries, interview reports, procedures, instructions, engineering analyses, drawings, files, graphs, maps, photographs, agreements, handwritten notes, studies, data sheets, notebooks, telephone messages, books, computations, voice recordings, computer run-offs, representative records, interim and/or final reports, status reports, and any and all other records relevant to and/or generated in connection with the Wolf Creek Generating Station STN-50-482 in the following areas:

Institute of Nuclear Power Operations 1983 (INPO) Report on Wolf Creek. This report, referred to in an October 9, 1984 letter from Darrel G. Eisenhut, Director of the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, to Michele Varricchio of the Government Accountability Project, was received on the Wolf Creek site by NRC Office of Inspection and Enforcement and NRC Region IV representatives, Investigations conducted during construction and licensing of the Wolf Creek Generating Station by the NRC Office of Investigations,

• NRC meeting of January 15, 1985 with Kansas Gas and Electric to discuss the operational readiness of Wolf Creek and a February 6, 1985 meeting held for the same purpose, NRC meeting held in Bethesda Maryland on November 28, 1984 to discuss the status of completion and future schedule for licensing of Wolf Creek, r 2pP-(

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Director Page two Office of Administration February 6, 1985

• ~ NRC investigations and inspections regarding the allegations of James Wells, employee at Wolf Creek.

NRC Region IV meeting October 29, 1984, Enforcement Conference.

If any records as defined in 10 CFR 59.3(b) and the NRC Manual, supra, and covered by this request have been destroyed and/or removed after this request, please provide all records which have been or are destroyed and/or removed, a description of the action (s) taken relevant to, generated in connection with, and/or issued in order to implement the action (s).

GAP requests that fees be. waived, because providing the requested information "can be considered as primarily benefitting the general public," 5 U.S.C. 552 (a) (4) (A) . GAP is a non-profit, non-partisan public interest organization concerned with honest and open government. Through legal representation, advice, national conferences, films, publications, and public outreach, Cc./

promotes whistle-blowers as agents of governmental accountability.

GAP is currently working with citizens groups in the Kansas area concerning the Wolf Creek Generating Station.

For any documents or portions of documents that you deny access to, please provide an index, as required by Vaughn v. Rosen, 484 F.2d 820 (D.C.Cir. 1973), cert. denied, 415 U.S. 977 (1977),

itemizing and describing the documents or portions of documents withheld, and providing a detailed justification of your grounds for claiming each exemption.

Thank you for your prompt response to this request. We look forward to such a response within ten days.

Sinc rely, j f ( LCAT Michele Varricchio Law Clerk e -

Thomas Devine Legal Director