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NRC NEWS U. S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS, REGION IV 611 Ryan Plaza Drive, Suite 400, Arlington TX 76011

NRC TO HOLD PUBLIC WORKSHOP IN SAN LUIS OBISPO ON HANDLING OF DISCRIMINATION COMPLAINTS

The U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission will hold the third in a series of workshops to review with the public its handling of complaints by nuclear industry workers who allege they have been discriminated against by their employer after raising safety concerns.

The workshop will be held on Thursday, September 14, beginning at 7 p.m., at the Embassy Suites Hotel, 333 Madonna Rd., San Luis Obispo, Calif.

The agency's procedures for handling discrimination allegations and complaints are described in various parts of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations, the NRC enforcement policy, and other agency guidelines. The overall objective of the employee protection regulations is to promote an atmosphere in which employees feel comfortable raising safety concerns without fear of reprisal. Thus, effective and consistent NRC handling of discrimination cases is an important element in insuring a safety-conscious work environment.

The NRC has formed a Discrimination Task Group to review the way the agency handles discrimination complaints filed by nuclear industry workers and recommend possible changes to the agency's regulations, enforcement policy or other agency guidelines. The Task Group also will consider issues raised in a petition for rulemaking filed by the Union of Concerned Scientists filed in October 1999. The petition asks the Commission to require that nuclear plant operators provide training for their management on implementing employee protection regulations.

The public workshops are being held to help evaluate agency policies and to develop recommendations to enhance employee protection. Draft recommendations from the Task Group will be published about middle of next year for public comment.

The workshop will not be transcribed, but summaries will be available from the NRC Public Document Room, telephone: 202/634-3273. The group's charter and other pertinent documents related to its activities will be periodically posted at: http://www.nrc.gov/OE on the agency's web site. Additional information about upcoming meetings can be obtained by calling Barry Westreich at (301) 415-3456 or via e-mail: BCW@nrc.gov.

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