United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Office of Public Affairs, Region I

475 Allendale Road King of Prussia, PA 19401

Phone: 610/337-5330 Fax: 610/337-5241

Internet: dps@nrc.gov or nas@nrc.gov

I-96-80 December 12, 1996

Contact: Diane Screnci FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Neil A. Sheehan

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION STAFF PROPOSES $180,000 IN FINES

FOR ALLEGED VIOLATIONS AT SALEM AND HOPE CREEK PLANTS

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has proposed

$180,000 in fines against the operator of the Salem and Hope

Creek nuclear power plants, Public Service Electric & Gas (PSE&G)

Company, for three alleged violations of security requirements

and one alleged violation involving harassment, intimidation and

discrimination of workers at the Hancocks Bridge, N.J.,

facilities.

PSE&G also has been cited, but not fined, for three

additional violations dealing with plant security.

The alleged security-related violations were found during

NRC inspections conducted at the plants in August and September,

with three stemming from a failure to control access to the

protected reactor area. For those three violations, a $100,000

fine has been proposed.

One of the violations for which a fine has been proposed was

the discovery that a security force member had taped over a lock

on a door to a room that contained workers' photobadge keycards.

The move was apparently prompted by a problem with the lock, but

the move could have allowed unauthorized individuals to enter,

obtain a keycard from a security desk inside and advance to the

plant's protected area.

Another violation involved a contractor being permitted to

proceed to the protected area, without a required patdown search,

even though the individual had set off metal detectors at the

access control point three times. The NRC also determined that

plant staff follow-up after the event was poor. For instance, a

security supervisor, once notified of the event, began trying to

locate the individual. However, the security supervisor did not

notify the senior nuclear shift supervisor on site, which was

required since the individual should have been considered an

intruder.

The other three alleged security violations, for which no

fines have been proposed, include: a failure to deactivate
photobadge keycards for individuals who no longer required site

access after being terminated; a failure to complete training for

security supervisors prior to assigning them to supervisory

duties; and a failure to test an intrusion detection system in

accordance with procedures.

In a letter to PSE&G, Region I Administrator Hubert J.

Miller said, "These three violations of fundamental access

control requirements at nuclear power plants represent a

significant degradation in the security program at the facility.

..."

The case of alleged harassment, intimidation and

discrimination, which occurred in 1993 and 1994 and was

identified through an inquiry conducted by the NRC Office of

Investigations, involved a former PSE&G Nuclear Safety Review

Group manager. A fine of $80,000 has been proposed.

The NRC found that the ex-manager retaliated against and

harassed an on-site safety review engineer -- through negative

comments in the worker's performance appraisals -- because of the

engineer's involvement with a December 3, 1992, incident. On

that occasion, the engineer supported two subordinates, both of

them safety review engineers, who attempted to raise an safety

concern.

In addition, the agency determined the former manager had

discriminated against one of the safety review engineers by

transferring the worker, against his will, from the Salem Safety

Review Group to the Hope Creek Safety Review Group. Previously,

on April 11, 1995, the NRC had issued an $80,000 civil penalty to

PSE&G for discrimination related to the December 3, 1992 event.

Miller said that although the adverse actions in this case

occurred in the 1993-94 time period and under a different plant

management team, the NRC wanted to emphasize the significance the

NRC attaches to any finding of discrimination, as well as the

importance of current management ensuring a safety-conscious

environment where employees are not discouraged from voicing

safety issue worries.

"Your organization has the responsibility to ensure that a

work environment exists such that employees feel free to raise

safety concerns," Miller wrote in a letter to PSE&G. "The actions

of the former manager. . . in late 1993 and early 1994, did not

adhere to these standards, and did not provide an appropriate

example for management, supervisors, or staff within their line

organizations, nor for the other PSE&G organizations with which

they interfaced."

PSE&G has 30 days either to pay the proposed fines or to

request in writing that part or all of the penalties be

withdrawn.
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