ML092170312
| ML092170312 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Nuclear Energy Institute |
| Issue date: | 08/12/2009 |
| From: | Michael Cheok NRC/NRR/DIRS/IPAB |
| To: | Houghton T Nuclear Energy Institute |
| Klett A., NRR/DIRS, 415-0489 | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML092170336 | List: |
| References | |
| Download: ML092170312 (3) | |
Text
August 12, 2009 Mr. Thomas C. Houghton Director of Safety-Focused Regulation Nuclear Generation Division Nuclear Energy Institute Suite 400 1776 I Street, NW Washington, DC 20006-3708
Dear Mr. Houghton:
This letter acknowledges receipt of your letter dated June 29, 2009, Submittal of Nuclear Safety Culture Assessment Manual, which you provided as a supplement to your letter dated June 2, 2009, Submittal of NEI 09-07, Fostering a Strong Nuclear Safety Culture, Draft Revision 0. You indicated an interest in meeting with NRC staff in the near future to discuss NEI 09-07 and the Nuclear Safety Culture Assessment (NSCA) manual. We acknowledge your request and will contact you to discuss these items.
As we have indicated during previous meetings, NRC is supportive of industry initiatives to address safety culture at commercial power facilities. The NRC staff agrees with NEI that the primary responsibility for establishing and maintaining a positive safety culture at these facilities rests with the site management team. In addition, NRC acknowledges that licensees have access to informational resources that could provide valuable insights into organizational safety culture. As such, NRC strongly encourages NEI and the industry to proactively leverage those resources to monitor and promote a culture that strives for enhancing safe plant operation.
Should the NEI 09-07 process prove to be an effective and transparent means to cultivate and sustain positive safety culture at the plants, the number of substantive cross-cutting issues (SCCIs) identified under the reactor oversight process (ROP) should decline across the industry. NRCs application of the SCCI process will continue to provide insights into licensees operations and may show that the NEI 09-07 initiative is working as intended. Should this be the case, we may consider adjustments to the ROP to acknowledge the positive outcomes of the NEI 09-07 process, while still maintaining our independent oversight of licensee safety culture.
In addition, NEIs proposed NSCA process presents potential opportunities for gaining efficiencies in NRCs review and industrys performance of safety culture assessments. To the extent that NRC can establish confidence in the validity and reliability of the NSCA process and methodology, we will be able to use the results of an assessment conducted in accordance with the NEIs NSCA process in our follow-up inspection and oversight processes. In addition, the staff plans to observe and evaluate the application of the NEI process during the pilot.
In a related note, NRC recognizes that NEI 09-07 makes use of the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (INPOs) Principles for a Strong Nuclear Safety Culture. In parallel, the staff has opened a dialogue with INPO and other stakeholders to explore opportunities to develop complementary concepts and common terminology for safety culture that would be applicable to
all NRC licensees and stakeholders. As with any significant initiative that results in improved safety and security at licensed facilities, NRC will continue to consider and assess potential changes to its regulatory oversight processes to enhance the agencys effectiveness and efficiency in achieving its safety and security mission.
The NRC staff looks forward to continued discussions of the proposed NEI 09-07 and the NSCA process with NEI and other stakeholders.
Sincerely,
/RA/
Michael Cheok, Deputy Director Division of Inspection and Regional Support Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
all NRC licensees and stakeholders. As with any significant initiative that results in improved safety and security at licensed facilities, NRC will continue to consider and assess potential changes to its regulatory oversight processes to enhance the agencys effectiveness and efficiency in achieving its safety and security mission.
The NRC staff looks forward to continued discussions of the proposed NEI 09-07 and the NSCA process with NEI and other stakeholders.
Sincerely, Michael Cheok, Deputy Director Division of Inspection and Regional Support Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation DISTRIBUTION:
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