Federal Reports

The Office of the Inspector General conducted a review of Sequoyah Nuclear Plant’s (SQN) Site Security (SS) organization to identify operational and cultural strengths and risks that could impact SQN SS’s organizational effectiveness. Our report identified strengths within SQN SS related to (1) organizational alignment, (2) teamwork, and (3) frontline management support. However, we also identified risks that could impact the effectiveness of SQN SS to achieve its responsibilities in support of the Nuclear mission. These risks included (1) ineffective senior management support related to communication, accountability, behaviors, and resources; and (2) perceptions of unethical actions.

We evaluated Nuclear Oversight to determine if the work environment was conducive to raising concerns without fear of retaliation. We found the work environment within Nuclear Oversight is not always conducive to raising concerns without fear of retaliation. Specifically, while all Nuclear Oversight employees indicated that they would report nuclear safety or quality problems and concerns, some expressed fear of retaliation for raising issues. We also found some aspects of the work environment within Nuclear Oversight have improved or stayed about the same, while others have declined since our previous evaluation. TVA has also taken steps to address employee concerns regarding how the use of rotational positions might negatively affect the independent performance of nuclear oversight roles. However, some employees continued to express concerns regarding rotational positions.

U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General Investigations Report Volume XVII: June 1 - July 31, 2018.

Due to concerns with the high number of hearing loss claims filed by employees, we performed an evaluation of the actions taken to minimize TVA’s financial exposure for hearing loss claims. We determined some Hearing Conservation Program requirements were not met, including: (1) personal noise monitoring and noise surveys in nuclear and (2) annual audiograms and training. Additionally, we identified opportunities for improvement related to (1) hearing loss claims documentation provided to DOL, (2) management statements provided to DOL, and (3) documentation of disciplinary actions for hearing protection violations. In addition, we determined that TVA did not verify the accuracy of the amounts billed by DOL.