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Report File
Date Issued
Submitting OIG
Tennessee Valley Authority OIG
Other Participating OIGs
Tennessee Valley Authority OIG
Agencies Reviewed/Investigated
Tennessee Valley Authority
Report Number
2016-15396
Report Description

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 Sequoyah Nuclear Plant 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. However, 11 percent indicated there could be retaliation when expressing concerns. Even though the potential for retaliation may not currently impact an employee's decision to report concerns, it could in the long term. Our interviews with the operators identified other issues that could impact an employee's willingness to report concerns in the future, including (1) the Outage Control Center and management overriding and pressuring employees, (2) employee distrust of management, and (3) a lack of confidence in the effectiveness of the Corrective Action Program and Employee Concerns Program.

Report Type
Inspection / Evaluation
Location

Soddy Daisy, TN
United States

Number of Recommendations
3
Questioned Costs
$0
Funds for Better Use
$0

Tennessee Valley Authority OIG