Performance Improvement and Quality Assurance Project Manager

Joseph P. Stewart, Performance Improvement Engineer

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

I am a Registered Professional Engineer with over 35 years of engineering, supervisory and oversight experience in Nuclear Power Plants, Manufacturing, Construction and Aerospace Industries. My industry experience includes initial design reviews, vendor selection, manufacturing, onsite construction, commercial grade dedication, commissioning testing, supervising reactor operations, and supervising and performing maintenance on plant equipment. My experience covered many areas including:

Senior NRC Inspector and NRC Project Manager

Engineering Project Lead on several Design Basis Verification Projects

Leading and Performing Audits, Assessments, and Surveillances

Issue and close out Corrective Action and Non-Conformance Reports.

Performing Apparent Cause and Root Cause Analysis

Six years as a Maintenance Supervisor or Engineer

Four years in oversight of Manufacturing

Development and Providing Training Lectures to quality assurance and engineering staff.

Quality Assurance Engineer (Vigor Works Nuclear Division) July 2015 to May 2016

Rewrote the Corrective Action Program (CAP) and Trending Program procedures, performed Root Cause Analysis and completed Corrective Actions for the Structural Steel Fabrication activities for the implementation of ASME, NQA-1, NRC 10CFR50 requirements as applicable for the fabrication of AP1000 steel modules. Provided support to DOD (Ground Based Missile Defense) and DOE (Radiation Glove Boxes) Projects on verifying completion of Corrective Actions on construction and manufacturing nonconformances.

Responsibilities:

Performing root cause analysis of identified problems in the fabrication of steel modules used in AP1000 plants for VC Summer and Vogtle.

Developing Corrective Action Plans for each Root Cause Analysis

Completion of Corrective Actions for identified root cause and contributory causes.

Revising procedures and developing lesson plans for training on the revisions..

Verifying effectiveness of approved corrective actions

Assisting Quality Control Inspectors in promoting quality with production supervisors

Interface with Project Engineers, Fabrication Supervisors, and the Welding Engineer on completion of corrective actions.

Rewriting the CAP, which made supervisors accountable for corrective actions and required Senior Management to actively support the Corrective Action Program.

Developing Configuration Control Procedures for NRC programs.

Completing Process Improvements and Training on Commercial Grade Dedication, Material Receiving, Material Storage Control, and Material Traceability.

Lessons Learned Manager for State Nuclear Power Engineering Corporation (SNPEC), Shanghai, China. (employee of Stone & Webster, Asia (2013 to 2015))

Developed Experience Feed Back User Manual for engineering staff to enter 30,000 documents into the Lessons Learned Data Base. Documents entered into Data Base were manufacturing and construction process problems and included: Corrective Action Reports, Nonconformance Reports, Stop Work Orders, Material Substitution Requests AP1000 Design Changes, Quality Surveillance and Audit Reports and Analysis performed for technical evaluations, root cause and apparent cause investigations.

Developed Root Cause Analysis Training Course (2 day) and Workshops

Provided Root Cause and Causal Factor Training to SNPEC staff

Performed Audits at the Sanmen and Haiyang AP1000 Nuclear Construction Sites and major suppliers, including the Reactor Vessel Manufacturer.

Provided updates on Design Changes at USA AP1000 Power Plants..

Provided updates on ongoing problems on AP1000 components at over twenty suppliers by developing and presented workshops on vendor quality problems.

QA Supervisor Construction Surveillance Stone & Webster Construction (2011-2013)

Supervise/Perform Audits and Surveillances on 10 CFR 50 Appendix B, ASME NQA-1, and ASME III requirements for the V. C. Summer 2 and 3 AP1000 Plant Construction. Areas covered included: Fabrication at Vendor sites, Vendor Selection, Procurement Engineering, Warehousing, Construction, Field Engineering, Design and Configuration Control, Document Control. I performed QA Surveillance activities which verified that requirements for Concrete Placement from material receipt, sampling, testing, moisture barrier installation, rebar assembly and concrete placement and testing were achieved.

Oversite of the Concrete Placement and the Welding of Steel Modules for the two Foundations and Buildings were a continuing focus area. Oversite was performed on the following: Creation of the geological mapping of the foundations prior to any concrete placement.

Verification of Soil Testing Reports, Storage of Soil samples

Interface with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Quality Assurance

Verification of completion of Concrete Mix design, concrete placement, and testing.

Provide Training to Quality Staff on Concrete Placement Engineering Specification

Batch Plant Operations, including material receipt and inspection, material storage, mix control, aggregate moisture, and temperature control.

Oversite of welding activities from welder qualifications, material receipt and control and QC inspections of completed welds.

Frequent verification of material storage requirements for all classes of materials.

Assisting Procurement and Design Engineering in selection of Nuclear Suppliers by auditing of the manufacturing processes and the vendors material testing lab.

Mentoring new engineering graduate interns

Acting Site QA Manager (Sept 2011 to April 2012), which required supporting the clients QA and Licensing Departments and interface with the Site Construction Manager and the clients Vice-Presidents on ongoing problem areas.

Manufacturing Quality Engineer (Parsons/DOE) 2010 (July to October)

Performed verification of the completion of Welding Process Records required for the construction of Stainless-Steel Tanks per the requirements of ASME VIII and NQA-1.

Verified Engineering Drawings, Welding Procedures, Weld Maps and NDE records (VT, DPT, RT and UT records).

Verified Positive Material Traceability for all materials to qualified suppliers including Stainless Steel plates, pipes, forgings, bar stock and weld wire.

Verified NCR Closure for repair of Weld defects.

Completed weekly assessment reports of the ongoing welding process quality problems to Parsons and DOE management.

Performance Improvement Engineer (Construction Services) 2010 (March to July)

Completed San Onofre Business Plan Action Item Closure Packages. Tracked completion of Safety Culture and Cross-cutting Issue Improvement Actions. Assisted the Construction and Maintenance Services Manager in Plant Improvement Actions. Southern California Edison.

Corrective Action Program Evaluator 2009 (August) to March 2010

Evaluated effectiveness of implementation of the San Onofre Engineering Department’s Corrective Action Program. Performed assessments of Apparent Cause and Root Cause evaluations to identify existing vulnerabilities and degradations of plant equipment. Verified completed Corrective Actions. Southern California Edison.

FMEA Engineer 2008 (September-December) (Utility Entergy)

Performed a Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) on the Emergency Notification System (ENS) for Waterford 3 Nuclear Plant. Provided a Reliability Assessment Report of the ENS for submittal to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The report showed the Waterford 3 ENS met FEMA requirements. The report required the following:

Reviewing ENS System Drawings and identified all components and failure modes.

Interviewed ENS Technician on design changes and component failure history.

Reviewed map of ENS Siren locations and supplemental ENS equipment

Verified backup power supplies at the ENS center were operational and tested.

Quality Assurance Program Consultant 2008 (May-August)

Developed a Quality Assurance Program (QAP) for a construction company. The company managed the construction and operation of cogeneration power plants for hotels, manufacturing plants, hospitals, and stand-alone plants. The QAP developed based on 10 CFR 50 Appendix B.

Corrective Action Program Coordinator Maintenance and Construction Department (2007-2008) Performed apparent and common cause analysis, event investigations and developed corrective actions to prevent reoccurrence of maintenance department and construction services human performance errors at Limerick (Exelon).

Verified completion of corrective actions to improve reliability of plant equipment,

Reviewed Problem Condition Reports and assigned cause codes and priority levels.

Initiated Problem Condition Reports for my shift during refueling outages.

Asset Management and Manufacturing Company 2001-2015 (part time projects)

Manage acquisition and construction of investment properties (2003-2007).

Minority Owner of DetectaChem, a manufacturing company of explosive and chemical detectors for U.S. Navy, and government agencies (2005-23).

Consulting Engineer and Management Consultant 1989-2000

Evaluated effectiveness of Corrective Action Program at Indian Point (2000).

Lead Engineer on design validation of Ventilation System for D. C. Cook (1999) Supervised 3 engineers.

Corrective Action Engineer in Clinton Engineering Department. Evaluated completed failure analysis and effectiveness of corrective actions at Clinton. Performed root cause analysis and developed corrective actions. (1998)

Licensing Engineer, QA Auditor and Quality Engineer at Crystal River (1997). Initiated problem reports, approved and verified completion of corrective. Performed 10 CFR 50.59 reviews for FSAR and Technical Specifications changes. Performed QA audits.

Lead Quality Engineer for verifying Millstone 3 Design Basis (1996). Supervised five engineers. Verified As-Built systems met the NRC approved FSAR.

Quality Engineer, Lead Auditor, Operations and Nuclear Engineer at Diablo Canyon

on six construction/engineering projects. Projects averaged 6 months in duration. Qualified as a Lead Auditor (1989-1995). I approved corrective action plans and verified completion of corrective actions. Projects included Digital Feedwater System Control, Environmental Qualification of equipment required by updated FSAR, and verified components in PRA Safety Analysis were in Maintenance Rule Data Base.

Nuclear Engineer at San Onofre in Engineering Department. (1992) Verified that calibration frequency and setpoint drift of instrumentation met FSAR assumptions. \

Management and Consulting engineer for the following short-term projects:

Construction of Instrument Air System at Watts Barr (1993)

Technician Training and Tech Spec Audits at South Texas Nuclear Plant (1989 1993)

Emergency Operating Procedures at Salem and Palo Verde Nuclear Plants (1989)

Corporate Communication Plan at Virginia Power Company (1989)

Nuclear Engineer, Resident Inspector U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 1981-1989

Senior Inspector/Nuclear Project Engineer Region IV Arlington, Texas (1988-89)

Project Manager Emergency Operating Procedures (EOP) Assessment: Assessed reactor operators and emergency response performance. Supervised 7-member assessment teams on six Combustion Engineering PWRs.

Nuclear Engineer on PWR and BWR operating events, AEOD, Washington, DC (1987) and McGuire and Fermi Management Assessments.

Resident Inspector San Onofre 2 and 3 (1983-1986). Inspector assigned to observe Startup Testing prior to initial fuel load required by the FSAR.

System Safety Functional Inspection team member for Diablo Canyon, Palo Verde, and Trojan (1985-1987). Assigned as Electrical System Expert.

Resident Inspector San Onofre 1 Nuclear Plant (1986-1987)

Inspector/Nuclear Engineer Region V (1981-1983) for Trojan, Rancho Seco and Startup Inspector for Diablo Canyon, San Onofre 2, and Palo Verde Unit 1.

1979-1981 System Safety Engineer, Lockheed Missile Company

Safety Engineer on Submarine Launched Trident Missile and MX Missile. Performed Safety Analysis including Failure Mode and Effects Analysis and Fault Tree Analysis.

1976-1979 Nuclear Maintenance Engineer, General Electric

Analyzed maintenance tasks to increase worker efficiency and developed maintenance procedures. Control Rod Drive Maintenance Engineer (Brunswick 1979). Wrote Maintenance Planning Manuals for BWR Refueling.

1971-1976 Naval Officer and Nuclear Engineer, US Navy

Machinery Division Officer on USS Enterprise CVN-65. Supervised 60 men on maintenance of Steam Plant Equipment. Supervised 20 men during reactor operations (EOOW). Qualified as Engineering Duty Officer and Nuclear Weapons Incident Emergency Response Team Leader.

1970-1992 Navy Reserve Officer (Retired)

Nuclear Engineering Officer - 5 years (Active) and Training Officer 10 years in Electronic Engineering.. Instructor on Basic Electronics and System Safety. Nuclear and Chemical Emergency Response Team member.

Education:

OSHA 30 Hour Outreach Training Program Construction 2023

University of Southern California, Master of Science in Safety, 1981

University of California, Berkeley, Graduate Engineering Courses, 1976

Mississippi State University, BSET, Electronic Engineering 1971

Evergreen Valley College, AA in Business, 1980; Mississippi Gulf Coast College, AS 1969

Notre Dame High School, Biloxi, MS (now consolidated) 1967

Licenses and Certifications:

Professional Nuclear Engineer State of California, License Nuclear 2299 Current.

PE Examination 1983 State of California, License issued 1984. EIT Exam 1980

Previous Certifications: Lead Auditor (ANSI) 1993-98. Auditor 2011 -13 (NQA-1/ISO 9000)

Community Service: Dana Point, California, VFW Post 993*-****-****; Post Commander

Resume Brief

Experience in Quality Oversite, Performance Improvement and Cause Analysis

During the last ten years of my career the implementation of the Quality Assurance corrective action program has been at the engineer, auditor, mentor, instructor, and management level positions. My experience in quality engineering has also covered all phases of the product development cycles from design, procurement, manufacturing, installation, and commissioning. Working in the twenty companies as an employee and consultant I have noted that management’s approach to quality is fundamental for ensuring success of the organization and I performed my part to ensure quality whether as a supervisor, an individual contributor, or a team member.

Maintenance Engineering (1973 – 1976): USS Enterprise Machinery Division Officer (Steam Plant): Causal Factors identified in equipment repairs were due to expected wear. Equipment failures were due to human error, environmental events, fabrication induced flaws, and procurement errors.

Maintenance Engineer General Electric Nuclear Division (1976-1979): Causal Factors of Piping failures due to metallurgical technology was ineffective in identifying initial flaws in piping welds and lack of understanding of thermal cycling & chemical stresses which induced corrosion mechanisms.

System Safety Engineer Lockheed Trident Missile Systems (1979- 1981): Performed failure mode and effects analysis (ordnance firing systems), fault tree analysis (battery failures, printed circuit boards), change analysis (battery assembly) and barrier analysis (engineering specifications}.

Nuclear Regulatory Commission Resident Inspector and Engineering Project Manager (1981 – 1989): Performed event investigations and oversight of electric utility plant events caused by human performance errors, management weaknesses and engineering design errors.

Nuclear Quality Engineer (Clinton Nuclear Plant, 1998): Performed apparent and root cause analysis of human performance errors and equipment failures for the Nuclear Engineering Department.

Maintenance Engineer (Limerick Nuclear Plant, 2007 - 2008): Performed Apparent Cause Evaluations of Maintenance and Construction incidents. Causal Factors were human performance and human-machine interface problems for implementing recent technology for the first time. Data entry using TAP ROOT handbook for trending. Mentored first line supervisors on Cause Analysis investigations.

Corrective Action Program Evaluator (2010): Assessed completed Apparent and Root Cause Evaluations. Developed Corrective Actions for inadequate Evaluations and inadequate Extent of Conditions with responsible supervisors.

Construction Quality Supervisor (2011-2012): Verified Quality and Design Testing Requirements from Procurement Phase to Installation Phase for foundation geological mapping and concrete placements were met. Verified engineering analysis and corrective actions for non-conformances were completed.

Quality Manager Lessons Learned Manager (2013-2014). Developed two-day Root and Apparent Cause Training Course. Developed Lessons Learned Workshops for Construction and Manufacturing problems. Developed procedures for identifying causal factors for Corrective Action Reports data. Provided Training on the Courses, Workshops and Department Procedures. Performed apparent and root causes as a team member investigating Manufacturing Process errors.

Quality Engineer, Manufacturing Process Improvement (2015-2016). Performed causal analysis and developed and completed corrective actions to improve steel fabrication processes involving human errors and procedural deficiencies. Corrective Actions primarily involved coordination with Project Engineers, First Line Supervisors, Quality Control Inspectors, Welding Engineers, and Division Managers (DOE, DOD, Commercial). Wrote the Division’s Corrective Action Program Procedure and mentored Corrective Action Coordinators.

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