Updated 1/2/2016:
Think of the tough shape Entergy-Louisiana was last year at this time of the year. River Bend just had a complicated scam on Christmas morning in 2014. A whistleblower (me) was going into action later getting a special inspection over poor reactor water level control. Then a month later on Jan 21, 2015 another whistleblower comes to light at Waterford leading to the widespread falsification of documentation over fire watches.Original post
So they most have had issues with having adequate engineered fire protection, that is the reason for the fire watches. Then on top of poor engineering fire protection they have widespread falsification of the fire watches.
I am irritated I can't put the whole informant inspection report on the internet. Its in a form that is not capable...write protected.
I don't like Alternate Disputes Resolution (ADM) program. It allows these guys to go behind closed door. It delays outsiders knowledge with what is going on for years.
Typically a violation level depends how risk full the event is. They look at all the people and equipment that was degraded then come up with a calculation with the probability of the accident within just the specific event they are looking at. This calculation is basically a black box nobody understand least the outsiders. They count just a fraction of the actual risk.
See, I see this as systemic falsification of documentation. We have no idea now if the plant is configured or aligned as per plant licensing and within all NRC regulation. Just don't trust them to tell the trust and cold bloodily lying to us. The worst case of this is all the safety systems are turned off and their is nothing but poor quality equipment throughout the plant. It is a very dangerous accident. When you find a plant in this condition you punish them severely, so other won't go down they wrong path.
You notice how they keep the unbelievably valuable shift supervisor or highest boss at the plant away from fire watch issue. It is his job to make sure the plant stays safe...he makes sure the plant always comports to all plant licensing, corporate rules and NRC rules. He has a tremendous amount of authority to get this job done. You get it, all the senior licensed leadership is implicated in a cover-up and lacking integrity. They all need to get fire. They all had access to uncovered this issue when this started. You wipe out the senior on shift licenses leadership, then you can't operate the plant. This is why the on shift senior management is extremely valuable and why the NRC protects these guys through the political system. Integrity issues, cover-up and widespread falsification issues are the weak link is safety in these nuclear plant and these extraordinarily complex machines and bureaucracy.
Further, according to the NRC, it is extremely hard to accuse senior management with cover-up, integrity and falsification issues. Basically three perfect proof's of falsification and cover-up isn't enough to get some banned from the industry. You need the crook to admit they falsified something, any stupid excuse is acceptable...basically there is very little legal controls with enforcing ethical behavior.
Everyone knows these fire watch employees are low paid, poorly trained and generally come from the bottom dregs of our society. Competent management would assume these guys need to be continuously scrutinized. They pay contractors to provide these fire watch employees. It is not like these are plant employees. So senior management sets up a wall in this system, they can't read the credibility of these fire watch employees. Sometimes these jobs are for loser senior management children and relatives...basically do nothing jobs.
You can do a lookup on temporary fire watches in the nuclear industry. There is NRC findings and violations all over the industry with temporary fire watches gun decking their rounds. It is a extraordinary mind numbing boring and menial job for losers. The industry has a lot of information about these temporary fire watch jobs...these jobs with their loser temportary employees are highly susceptible to fire watch rounds gun decking across the board. It happened many times at nuclear power plant. A senior plant manager should be extraordinarily specious these temp garbage jobs and poor quality employees...if his job is out to protect the reputation of his companies.
A properly engineered fire protection system constantly undated with new tech) with their instrumentation is a lot more reliable than mortal humans.
Here is the inspection report.
Basically it took a whistleblower to bring this to light.
Waterford IR 2015011This is no surprise to me?
So why is this plant even running. They should be shut down for at least 6 months to a year.
The systemic discovery of nuclear plant staff credibility issues should be automatically called a red finding...
Waterford 3 contractors falsified inspection records
Faked fire inspection records for 10 months, NRC says
A U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) investigation found contractors at Entergy Waterford 3 nuclear power plant in Killona failed to perform fire inspections and falsified records for at least 10 months to show the inspections occurred.
The NRC says it even found documentation showing a contract worker admitted to sleeping instead of performing an inspection, but records showed it had been done.
On Tuesday (Dec. 22), Entergy spokeswoman Leanna Weaver said Entergy Nuclear is acting on these violations.
“Although we cannot discuss specific measures taken with individuals beyond the NRC’s release, we can say all involved have faced disciplinary action,” Weaver said. “It is important to note that Entergy identified these issues, notified regulators, fully investigated the issue and took the appropriate actions.”
The NRC’s Dec. 14 letter to Michael Chisum, site vice president of Entergy Operations in Killona, states its 15-month investigation found Entergy’s contract workers who do the inspections and an Entergy Operations supervisor “deliberately failed to identify and take corrective actions upon being provided with information of suspected wrongdoing by contract fire watch individuals.”
Entergy identified the company that provided the fire watch workers as GCA Contractors.
The NRC has given Entergy the option to meet with the federal agency or seek an alternative dispute resolution to discuss corrective actions before it decides enforcement penalties.
Weaver said Entergy is “not able to respond publicly about our decision on how to address the violations.”
But she added, “Entergy Nuclear does not tolerate this form of behavior among employees or contractors in any way, and we have robust systems and processes in place to prevent and uncover inaccuracies, whether intentional or not, in documentation. Trust, honesty and integrity are among the key platforms to which all our employees must commit and adhere to.”
According to the NRC investigation conducted Feb. 3, 2014 to May 19 with contract and licensee personnel, investigators found a manager with the contracting firm that provided the fire inspection workers had “deliberately provided incomplete and inaccurate information to an access authorization reviewing official regarding the trustworthiness and reliability of a contract fire watch individual.”
Investigators also found instances of seven contract workers who “deliberately failed to conduct compensatory hourly fire watches, as required by site procedure, and falsified fire watch tour logs by initialing that fire watches were performed with knowledge that watches had not been performed.”
A fire watch or inspection requires each area or room be assessed to ensure fire doesn’t occur in parts of the large nuclear plant building housing equipment operating the nuclear reactor. The NRC requires the inspections, a fire watch log and record of any fire hazards, as well as requires record of any adverse condition that have been identified.
The letter also states NRC found “one Entergy Operations Inc. supervisor deliberately failed to identify and take corrective actions upon being provided with information of suspected wrongdoing by contract fire watch individuals.” On Jan. 21, 2014, the NRC says it received information indicating an issue with the fire inspections.
Additional information was received that “a Waterford Steam Electric Station security officer questioned fire watch personnel about the absence of a door alarm that is usually received on a security door when rounds are conducted. The security officer’s concern led to the licensee reviewing card reader information for the rounds, which identified numerous instances of the fire watch tours not being conducted; although the surveillance records indicated that the tours had been completed.”
Seven days later, the Office of Investigations initiated an investigation to determine if fire protection personnel had willfully falsified surveillance records.
The investigation was aimed at determining if personnel - contract and company - had deliberately falsified fire watch records and if management was part of this effort.Completed on May 19, the investigation indicated three employees “acknowledged the standard for falsification and admitted to falsifying the records,” according to the NRC.
Another three inspection individuals denied wrongdoing, but door alarm records verified missed inspections by these same three people.
NRC also maintains Entergy Operations personnel failed to implement fire protection procedures.
“Seven fire watch personnel failed to conduct numerous observations and inspections of various fire areas to assess for indications of fires,” states the NRC letter to Entergy.A company superviser “admitted that the condition was not properly documented and addressed when the concern was brought to his attention.
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