NRC cites Limerick station for work violation

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued a notice of violation to the Limerick Generating Station in Montgomery County after determining that an employee had unqualified contractors do equipment work, then falsified the records by forging the initials of qualified workers.

The NRC said the violations involved the reactor building crane. They occurred between January and July 2007 and in February 2008. According to an investigation by the plant, it happened about 20 times. Neil Sheehan, a spokesman for the commission, said the worker's actions had no safety consequences but "increased the likelihood of errors."

Elizabeth Archer, a spokeswoman for Exelon Nuclear, which runs the plant, said the company "took prompt, corrective action." After an internal investigation, the employee was given the opportunity to retire, and he did. "We have 850 people who work at Limerick, and this violation was the result of a single individual and does not reflect the behavior of our larger workforce," Archer said.

According to the violation report, the employee cited "time pressure and a lack of availability of qualified workers." - Sandy Bauers