Dresden Nuclear Power Station, Unit 2 issued the following announcement on Feb. 5.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has proposed a civil penalty of $7,250 to the
U.S. Geological Survey for violations associated with staffing and training requirements at its research
reactor facility in Denver.
The violations stem from two separate NRC investigations. One determined that a USGS
reactor supervisor deliberately falsified documentation showing that reactor operators had completed
required training, when in fact the training never took place. The supervisor then presented the false
documentation to an NRC inspector. The second investigation determined that the same supervisor
violated staffing requirements by performing certain reactor tests without a second qualified person
present, as required by NRC regulations.
The civil penalty was proposed in relation to the falsified documentation, reflecting the NRC’s
concern that licensees provide complete and accurate information, the agency said in its letter to USGS
notifying it of the penalty.
The USGS implemented corrective actions, including new training procedures that require
employees to sign a record indicating their presence at training sessions, re-assigning the reactor
supervisor and revoking his access to the reactor facility, and pausing reactor operations to allow for an
assessment of the violations and the operational culture of the reactor organization.
The USGS can dispute the violation and penalty, or could agree to third-party mediation
through the NRC’s alternative dispute program.
Separately, the NRC issued a Notice of Violation to the reactor supervisor for his deliberate
falsification of operator training records.
Original source can be found here.
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