ML20046D320
| ML20046D320 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 07/26/1993 |
| From: | Murley T Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| To: | Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| References | |
| NRRL-907, NUDOCS 9308170288 | |
| Download: ML20046D320 (6) | |
Text
s r
[Q G't
g UNITED STATES
['
M g
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMibSION g
tg W ASHINGTON, D. C. 20555
\\
/
July 26, 1993 MEMOPANDUM FOR:
All NRR Employees FROM:
Thomas E. Murley, Director Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
SUBJECT:
NRR OFFICE LETTER NO. 907, REVISION 2, "NRR PARTICIPATION IN THE SYSTEMATIC ASSESSMENT OF LICENSEE PERFORMANCE (SALP)
PROCESS" PURPOSE This revised office letter presents the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR) procedures for implementing the SALP program and defines NRR's responsibilities descrited in Management Directive (MR) 8.6, " Systematic Assessment of Licensee Performance" of July 14, 1993.
This revision supersedes NRR Office Letter 907, Revision 1, April 18, 1990.
POLICY The NRC implements the SALP process to obtain an integrated assessment of the licensee's safety performance.
The SALP report and public meeting are used to communicate the agency's observations and insights to licensee management and the public. The NRC considers SALP results when allocating NRC inspection resources at licensee facilities.
RESPONSIBILITIES AND AUTHORITIES The Director. Office of NRR, implements the requirements of this office letter and MD 8.6, within NRR; monitors the SALP process; evaluates and prepares SALP policy, criteria, and methodology; and assesses the uniformity and adequacy of the implementation of the program.
The Associate Director for Projects (ADPR) ensures NRR participation in the SALP boards and SALP meetings with the licensees, as provided for in MD 8.6.
Ensures that SALP inputs are properly integrated and are submitted to the regional office on the established schedules.
Contact:
C. Holden, DRIL, NRR 504-1037 I
930817 BB 9 26 g
PDR O
PDR l,
0
The Associate Director for Inspection and Technical Assessment (ADT) ensures!
that technical staff SALP inputs properly address licensee performance and are submitted on the established schedules to the appropriate NRR Project r
Director.
Provides alternate SALP board members, as requested by the regicnal administrator, in accordance with MD 8.6.
The Director. Division of Reactor Pro.iects assists in the implementation of MD i
8.6 by providing direction to reactor projects staff and through interactions
.l with the regions.
The NRR Proiect Director, in accordance with regional instructions, interacts with the regional staff to coordinate the collection and distribution of performance-related material to board members.
As a member of the board, participates in the SALP board meeting and leads board discussions in assigned-area (s). On the basis of board discussions, prepares the initial written assessment of licensee performance in the assigned area (s). Attends the SALP public meeting with the licensee.
ADT Deputy Division Directors (and abovel, when called on to serve as alternate SALP board members, will fulfill assigned responsibilities in accordance with MD 8.6, Part II, A,1, c., and applicable regional instructions.
The Performance and Ouality Evaluation Branch (RPEB) coordinates oversight of the SALP program and its implementation within.NRR and the regions.
The NRR Proiect Manaaer coordinates NRR inputs for the SALP board discussions.
Interacts with the regional staff and SALP board members.
Provides background information and assessment inputs in accordance with regional instructions for use by SALP board members.
Participates in the SALP board meeting and attends the public meeting with the licensee.
The NRR Technical Staff in the Divisions of Operating Reactor Support, Engineering, Systems Safety and Analysis, Reactor-Inspection and Licensee Performance, Reactor Controls and Human Factors, and Radiation Safety and Safeguards, assesses the licensee's activities and provides information to the cognizant project directorate for integration into the NRR SALP input.
BASIC RE0VIREMENTS A.
SALP Background Information A SALP input from each NRR organization responsible for writing a safety evaluation report (SER) will routinely accompany each SER input that requires more than 20 hours2.314815e-4 days <br />0.00556 hours <br />3.306878e-5 weeks <br />7.61e-6 months <br /> of professional staff time to review.
The SALP inputs for operating power reactors will De supplied as an enclosure to a memorandum forwarding the SER input to the appropriate NRR project directorate, with a copy to the RPEB. The enclosure provides the format for SALP inputs.
SALP inputs will also be submitted for significant NRR staff interactions with licensees that do not necessarily result in SER 2
l inputs.
For example, these inputs could be based on insights gained j
through onsite team inspections, major program reviews of technical or safety issues, and significant meetings with licensees. Topic areas i
could include technical specification relief requests, enforcement discretion actions,_ licensee responses to reportable events, and i
licensing examinations.
If considered significant, an input should be prepared.
The SALP input will include the staff's assessment of these activities.
Inputs should be submitted within 2 weeks of the end of the interaction l
or meeting, or at least 4 weeks before the end of the assessment period.
It should be sent to the responsible project director, unoar the signature of the reviewer's or inspector's branch chief, with a copy to j
RPEB.
A SALP input should be a narrative discussion of the strengths and.
weaknesses identified regarding a licensee's performance, including i
specif'.c examples or details that support the performance assessment.
Comments should pertain to the four functional areas of the SALP program to the extent appropriate information is available.
The SALP input will not include a numerical rating.
The following is a partial list of questions to consider when providing an assessment of a licensee's performance. They should not be used as a blueprint for the assessment, but as a guide to help stimulate consideration of a licensee's performance.
(1) Are licensre programs and procedures sufficient to control the activity reviewed?
?
(2) 1s the licensee sufficiently self-critical to be able to l
identify its own problems?
t (3) Are the licensee's corrective actions technically sound, i
comprehensive and thorough?
(4) Are root cause analyses thorough?
B.
The NRR project manager (PM) will combine the input received from all NRR divisions with the PM's own assessment of the licensee's performance. The PH should evaluate the composite input to find common issues, possible root causes of performance problems, and related current issues that reflect on the licensee's ability to identify and f
correct performance weaknesses. The NRR SALP input should be in bullet format, highlighting strengths and weaknesses in the licensee's
(
performance in each of the functional areas. The NRR SALP input will not include any numerical ratings for the functional areas. This input will be forwarded to the designated regional contact on the schedule established by the region.
It will be under the signature of the NRR PM through the project director, with concurrence by the assistant t
director. A copy will be provided to RPEB.
i 3
C.
Participation in SALP Boards and Public Meetings The NRR staff will participate in SALP boards and licensee SALP management meetings as follows:
(1) The appropriate project director will normally be a board member.
(2) The NRR PM will attend the SALP board and participate in SALP board discussions of licensee performance. The PM will normally present the NRR input; however, other NRR staff members, who are not part of the Senior Executive Service (SES) will participate, as requested by board members, in their areas of expertise.
(3) NRR deputy division directors and above (not from the Division of Reactor Projects) may substitute for one of-the three regional SES members on the board, when requested by the regional administrator.
(4) Board members and the NRR PM will coordinate with the regional office staff and attend the public SALP meeting with the licensee.
a.
Preparation The SALP board chairman will normally appoint each board member as a sponsor for a functional area, as provided for in regional instructions.
The board member will be properly prepared for the SALP board and will lead the discussion for the assigned functional area. This requires that the sponsoring board member understand the licensee's activities in that functional area. This will normally involve a visit to the site during the SALP period to review the licensee's activities and'the results of NRC inspections and other activities. The board member will coordinate with the region to schedule presentations by the leader of a major NRC team inspection at the subject facility, the lead inspector responsible for the various subelements within the functional area, or other regional and NRR staff, as appropriate. The PM will work directly with the designated regional staff and board members to assist in obtaining other information requested for presentation to the SALP
- board, b.
Conduct of the SALP Board Meeting During the SALP board meeting, the board member sponsoring each functional area will lead the discussion of the licensee's performance in that area. The SALP board members will assess the licensee's performance for each functional area on the basis of the information provided and the discussions conducted during the board meeting.
The board members will normally draft the narrative assessments for their respective functional areas. The board will then provide the regional administrator its final written assessment, with appropriate examples of strengths and weaknesses, and its recommendations for category ratings in each of the functional areas.
4
July 26, 1993 c.
SALP Public Meeting The PM and the NRR SES board members should attend the SALP public meeting. The regional administrator or the deputy regional administrator will preside at the meeting.
e EFFECTIVE DATE This revised office letter is effective immediately.
kdJ2b I ti, r
i Thomas
. Murle, Director
<jb Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
Enclosure:
As stated cc:
J. Taylor, ED0 J. Sniezek, DEDR T. Martin, RI S. Ebneter, RII J. Martin, RIII J. Milhoan, RIV R. Faulkenberry, RV SECY OGC PDR i
i 5
1
-i i
l
~
Enclosure SALP INPUT FORMAT Facility Name F-
.i i
Summary of Review / Inspection Activity
[Briefly describe the activity reviewed, the organizational unit (s) that-conducted the review and the date/ time of the review. Also, identify the SALP functional area (s) that the review or activity pertains to.]
I Narrative Discussion of Licensee Performance
[ Characterize licensee performance; was licensee properly focused on safety, r
did licensee programs and procedures provide effective controls / assess the licensee's technical justification of the issue / address the licensee's self-assessments, corrective actions, and root cause analysis if they contribute to theissue.]
i ORIGINATOR:
l DATE:
h P
I
,