ML20318A269
| ML20318A269 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 03/08/2021 |
| From: | Andrea Kock Division of Fuel Management |
| To: | Division of Fuel Management |
| RChang - NMSS/DFM/NARAB - 301.415.5888 | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20318A268 | List: |
| References | |
| Download: ML20318A269 (3) | |
Text
UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20555-0001 March 8, 2021 MEMORANDUM TO: Division of Fuel Management Staff and Management FROM: Andrea Kock, Director /RA/ Andrea byKockAndrea L.
Digitally signed Division of Fuel Management Office of Nuclear Material Safety L. Kock Date: 2021.03.08 16:15:23 -05'00' and Safeguards
SUBJECT:
RISK-INFORMING TECHNICAL REVIEWS OF SPENT FUEL LICENSING ACTION REQUESTS The purpose of this memorandum is to announce the deployment of a new tool to advance the divisions efforts to become a more modern risk-informed regulator. Since the beginning of fiscal year 2019, we have undertaken several initiatives to examine certain aspects of our licensing activities with the goal of promoting efficiency, consistency, and clarity in our reviews of licensing actions for spent fuel dry cask storage systems. One key initiative is the risk-informing of technical reviews for licensing action requests. The purpose of this memorandum is to inform you that we are piloting an application, referred to as the Risk Tool, for estimating the risk significance of individual spent fuel licensing action requests. The risk information provided by the tool will help staff decide on the depth of review appropriate for a licensing action. An associated document, the Risk Tool Job Aid, has been developed to provide instructions on how to use the Risk Tool. Further, all division staff were offered training on the tool and its application. In the training, division staff members walked through real world examples of how the tool can be applied to spent fuel licensing reviews. Future training will be offered providing insights from the implementation of the tool.
The purpose of the Risk Tool and the Risk Tool Job Aid is also to help standardize our practices in the division and help to ensure that we are focusing our efforts on the most important safety issues in our reviews. This purpose aligns with the Be riskSMART initiative in that the staff will have consistent guidance in implementing risk-informed decision-making while accomplishing its mission. Additionally, the Risk Tool will support knowledge management and help new staff quickly come up to speed on the relative risk significance of structures, systems, and components and better understand our safety focused review approach for dry cask storage system designs.
NMSS/DFM Staff Future Plans for Risk Tool Approximate Date Activity Present- FYQ1 2022 Risk tool pilot program Perform an internal evaluation after each Present-FY Q1 2022 piloted use of the job aid and risk tool Revision of risk tool and job aid based on pilot findings and feedback and work to FY Q1-Q2 2022 incorporate enhanced products into DFM procedures I am confident this tool will enhance the quality, efficiency, and risk-informed focus of our licensing review activities. The staff designated to work on the pilot cases are expected to use this tool to help move the division towards becoming a more modern risk-informed regulator while creating a better final tool. To facilitate discussions on risk with the review team and management, as appropriate, the technical reviewers should maintain the Risk Tool Job Aid worksheet with the review. Finally, consistent with the agency values of openness and transparency, these documents will be made publicly available. While internal staff guidance documents are not required to be provided for public comment, the staff finds making this document publicly available will enable productive discussions with external stakeholders.
Following the pilot phase of the tool roll out, the risk tool and job aid will be incorporated into division instructions.
Enclosures:
1 Risk Tool Job Aid
- 2. Risk Tool Report Development of Dry Cask Risk Tools CONTACT: Alexis Sotomayor-Rivera, NMSS/DFM 301-415-7265
NMSS/DFM Staff 3
SUBJECT:
RISK-INFORMING TECHNICAL REVIEWS OF LICENSING ACTION REQUESTS DOCUMENT DATED: March 8, 2021 DISTRIBUTION:
ADAMS Package Accession Nos.: ML20318A268 (Pkg)
- via email OFFICE: NARAB/BC FFLB/LA NARAB/RA MSB/BC NAME: *Richard *Erika Lee *Alexis *Tom Boyce Chang Sotomayor-Rivera DATE: 01/ /2021 01/16/2021 01/ /2021 12/ 3 /2020 OFFICE: STLB/BC CTCFB/BC (Actg) DFM NAME: *John *Marilyn Diaz *Andrea Kock McKirgan DATE: 12/ 9 /2020 12/ 2 /2020 03/08/2021 OFFICIAL RECORD COPY