Work Environment for Operators at Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant

In March 2016, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) issued a Chilled Work Environment Letter for Watts Bar Nuclear Plant. The NRC concluded a chilled work environment existed in the Operations Department because of a perception that operators were not free to raise safety concerns using all available avenues without fear of retaliation. According to the NRC Policy Statement for Nuclear Employees Raising Safety Concerns Without Fear of Retaliation, "A reluctance on the part of employees to raise concerns is detrimental to nuclear safety." Employees interviewed by the OIG in the Operations Department at the Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant (BFN) generally felt free to raise concerns without fear of retaliation. All but one employee reported feeling free to report nuclear safety, quality, or technical concerns without fear of retaliation. Also, most employees were comfortable reporting nuclear safety or quality concerns through multiple avenues. A few employees were aware of retaliation, mostly citing events dating back several years. However, several employees relayed a perception there could be retaliation for raising concerns. Interviews of Operations Department employees at BFN identified issues that could impact an employee's willingness to report concerns in the future, including (1) inadequate resolution of concerns, (2) employee distrust of management, (3) the Outage Control Center and management pressuring employees, and (4) limited awareness and understanding of the Employee Concerns Program.