Guess you wouldn't want to report a y2k problem (or any other safety issue) if you valued your job...

Workers filed most complaints, but none upheld report

WATERFORD, Conn. (AP) Workers at the Millstone Nuclear Power plant filed more harassment complaints than employees at any other power plant in the country, according to a federal report.

However, none of the complaints were substantiated and the number of complaints was down from previous years.

The three-reactor complex has a troubled history. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission at one time ordered the plant shut down, but said last year that conditions had improved markedly from previous years.

One of the reactors is permanently out of service, but Units 2 and 3 have been allowed to resume generating power.

During fiscal 1999, which ended in October, there were 22 allegations of inappropriate conduct or inadequate performance filed by Millstone employees, according to the NRC's annual survey. The number is down from 32 allegations in 1998, 37 allegations in 1997 and 41 in 1996.

While the overall number of allegations declined, allegations involving claims of discrimination or harassment increased to 11 in 1999, up from seven the year before and the highest since 16 were filed in 1996.

Federal law prohibits utilities from disciplining or harassing a nuclear worker because he or she speaks up about plant problems, regardless of whether the worker's concerns prove valid.

Paul Blanch, an employee relations consultant at Millstone, said his review of enforcement records showed that the NRC has substantiated only about 2 percent of discrimination allegations in the last few years, and many of those were at Millstone.

Such statistics indicate that the NRC's standard for discrimination is unreasonable, Blanch said. ''It discourages people from coming forward,'' Blanch said. ''If I have only a 1 percent chance, why should I risk my career by coming forward and speaking up about a safety problem?''

John Carlin, Northeast Utilities' vice president of human services, said a shrinking work force and a pending change in ownership under the electric utility deregulation program will likely contribute to worker anxiety in the coming year.

NU officials did not return a phone call seeking additional comment

Link to story:

http://courant.ctnow.com/news/apwire/Feb3-APwire_25588.stm

-- Carl Jenkins (Somewherepress@aol.com), February 03, 2000

Answers

---check out the covered up deaths that have occured there. Big scandal. Two employyees.

-- dangerous (talking@threats.nuke), February 03, 2000.

hi Dangerous, do you have any leads, newspaper reports, dates, and so on. I'll be happy to see what I can find out if you give me a little nudge in the right direction...

-- Carl Jenkins (Somewherepress@aol.com), February 03, 2000.

---I will see if I can get permission and consensus to release an approximate time frame, and it might not happen. There was no local periodical or electronic coverage of the events, that I will verify now. The threats are real. Unfortunately, this will happen to fall into the "rumor" and "alledged" and "unverifiable" categories, but it's no "accident" it occured at that instituion. Bad history there. I will do what I can do.

TPTB have a lot invested in the "no deaths" record (alledged) of nuclear generating facilities.

-- not (glowing@here.now), February 03, 2000.

This whole Nuclear Business will eventually backfire on us,just like the Poison Gas Storage Facilities in Anniston,AL and other Places.We(our Boneplated Air Heads)just do not seem to get the Message..once again "NO Nukes is GOOD Nukes"

-- Especially Our Own (Thoushalt@not.kill), February 05, 2000.