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NRC recently released its annual report on trends in the allegation program. The report analyzes regional, national and site-specific trends in allegations for the 2020 calendar year. Initial figures in the report show that the number of allegations has decreased by approximately 10% compared to 2019. This reduction continues the decline in allegations observed since 2016; and the number of allegations has decreased by more than 50% over the past five years. But as the overall number of allegations continued to decline in 2020, the rate of decline has slowed.
The decline in allegations in 2020 was driven by a reduction in allegations involving reactor licensees. But the reason for the decline is unclear, and the reduction does not appear to be linked to the COVID-19 public health emergency. The NRC acknowledged that remote working and less face-to-face interactions may have helped reduce claims from reactor licensees, but found no conclusive data to show that this was, in fact. , the case.
The highest percentage of allegations received by the NRC regarding reactor licensees related to concerns about retaliation. The NRC noted that the number of retaliation concerns it received in 2020 followed 2019, but the rate at which it received those concerns declined over the year. This somewhat follows trends seen at the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which saw a decrease in retaliatory complaints under the Energy Reorganization Act in fiscal year 2020. And the NRC did found no clear trend in the works department (eg maintenance, operations, etc.) where workers felt victimized. The NRC also wrote that when it released the report, it had not substantiated any discrimination issue raised in 2020, but that around 30% of those issues remained open and were under investigation or review. NRC pre-investigation dispute resolution process.
The second highest percentage of allegations received by the NRC regarding reactor licensees related to the cooling effect / icy working environment issues. The number of such concerns has decreased significantly compared to 2019, when it was the first category. In 2020, licensee employees raised twice as many concerns about crippling effects / frigid work environment as subcontractors. And the most frequently cited behavior that would have chilled the workforce was that concerns were not documented in a status report, not addressed if documented, or that employees were discouraged from writing job reports. state.
While the NRC received fewer allegations overall, the number of allegations from material licensees increased by 9% in 2020. This corresponds to the increase in investigations of material licensees, which have increased by 73% over the past year. This increase was driven by claims for exempt distribution products, which saw a 45% increase from 2019. The NRC saw a smaller increase in concerns about reactor decommissioning, while the number of claims regarding fuel cycle facilities declined slightly.
Morgan Lewis will continue to closely monitor developments in the NRC allegation program.
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