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No. 97-031
February 26, 1997
NRC SEEKS PUBLIC COMMENT ON STRATEGIES TO HELP ITS LICENSEES ESTABLISH AND MAINTAIN A SAFETY-CONSCIOUS WORK ENVIRONMENT
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is seeking public comment on several strategies it is considering for assuring that its licensees establish and maintain a safety-conscious work environment.
The Commission is evaluating the development of a standardized approach that would:
1) Require licensees to establish and maintain a safety-conscious work environment with clearly defined attributes.
2) Establish certain indicators that may be monitored and that, when considered collectively, may provide evidence of an emerging adverse trend.
3) Outline specific remedial actions that the Commission may require when it determines that a particular licensee has failed to establish or maintain a safety-conscious work environment.
NRC now has a policy statement, "Freedom of Employees in the Nuclear Industry to Raise Safety Concerns Without Fear of Retaliation." Published last May, it was based on modified recommendations of a team that reviewed the agency's program for handling allegations of safety problems. But experience at the Millstone nuclear power plant site in Waterford, Connecticut, as well as at other regulated facilities suggests that additional regulatory actions may be warranted when there is evidence that the licensee may not be maintaining a safety-conscious work environment.
Before proceeding further, the NRC is seeking comments and suggestions on the various strategies being considered. Comments should be mailed to: David Meyer, Chief, Rules Review and Directives Branch, Division of Freedom of Information and Publication Services, office of Administration, Mail Stop: T6D59, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, D.C. 20555, Written comments may also be hand-delivered to 11545 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland, between 7:45 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. on Federal workdays.
Comments may also be submitted electronically through the NRC Electronic Bulletin Board on FedWorld. The request for public comment has been published in the February 26 edition of the Federal Register and has been posted on the NRC Homepage under the Office of Enforcement (www.nrc.gov/oe/). Any proposed rule developed as a result of comments received and deliberations by NRC staff will be published in the Federal Register for public comment before adoption in final form.
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