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Complaint filed with NRC

By April Charlton/Senior Staff Writer

Allegations of retaliation against workers for reporting safety concerns and violations at Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant has prompted a complaint being filed with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Longtime Diablo watchdog group San Luis Obispo Mothers for Peace sent a letter to the NRC’s regional office in Texas last week urging an investigation into the allegations.

The letter, written by Morgan Rafferty, a Mothers for Peace member, cites an alleged incident where a Diablo worker received a poor performance evaluation after raising safety concerns.

The complaint — a differing professional opinion (DPO) — stemmed from the recent refueling outage and steam generator replacement project at the plant that was completed earlier this month.

The DPO alleges that Pacific Gas & Electric Co., which operates Diablo, once again violated safety standards at the plant by “failing to promptly correct known deficiencies in the containment fan cooler units.”

Diablo workers approached Mothers for Peace with their concerns of retaliation for reporting safety violations, which prompted the group’s letter to the NRC.

“We’ve heard of this in the past, which is why we thought it was important to file the letter and go public with it,” Rafferty said. “We also wanted the workers to see that their concerns are being taken very seriously.”

In the letter, Rafferty wrote, “Workers perceive that raising safety concerns carries a high likelihood of retaliation by management” and that there’s a chilling effect at the plant keeping workers from voicing such concerns.

Emily Christensen, PG&E spokeswoman for Diablo Canyon, said PG&E received the Mothers for Peace letter Tuesday and is “investigating the allegations.”

“We take any safety allegation very seriously,” she said, adding the electric company will fully cooperate with any future investigation by the NRC.

Christensen added that PG&E has a program — Employee Concerns group — independent of plant leadership allowing workers to raise safety issues without having to go through their direct supervisor. The group reports to the chief nuclear officer.

“We really do look to maintain an environment where workers can raise concerns without the fear of retaliation,” she said, adding PG&E even encourages third parties to report safety issues at Diablo.

However, Rafferty’s letter alleges Diablo workers have lost trust and confidence in the Employees Concerns group, believing it conducts unfair, biased and inappropriate inquiries of workers’ concerns.

acharlton@timespressrecorder.com