NRC Inspections: Risk-Informed and Performance-Based

NRC inspections: risk-informed and performance-based.

In 2002, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) revised its regulations governing the use of byproduct materials for medical purposes (10 CFR Part 35). These changes were the result of a detailed, 4-year examination of the issues surrounding the medical use program of the NRC and are stated in the latest revision to its medical policy statement, published in the Federal Register on August...

Safety goals in 'risk-informed, performance-based' regulation

The recent overall improvement in key operational safety indices in the United States, combined with ‘risk-informed, performance-based’ regulation by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), has indicated that ‘safety goals’ are indispensable; thereby both licensee and regulator can share common objectives and common indicators of safety performance. Recognizing these, the author proposes a ...

Simulation-Based Risk Reduction for Planning Inspections

Organizations that develop software have recognized that software process models are particularly useful for maintaining a high standard of quality. In the last decade, simulations of software processes were used in several settings and environments. This paper gives a short overview of the benefits of software process simulation and describes the development of a discrete-event model, a techni...

Predicting perioperative risk and informed consent.

Risk-Informed Safety Margin Characterization

The concept of safety margins has served as a fundamental principle in the design and operation of commercial nuclear power plants (NPPs). Defined as the minimum distance between a system’s “loading” and its “capacity”, plant design and operation is predicated on ensuring an adequate safety margin for safety-significant parameters (e.g., fuel cladding temperature, containment pressure, etc.) is...