ML22080A084

COVID-19 Lessons Learned Public Meeting Questions Session 2

ML22080A084
Person / Time
Issue date:	03/21/2022
From:	Jeffrey Bream NRC/NRR/DRO/IRIB
To:
Jeffrey Bream, NRR/DRO/IRIB 610-337-5212
References
Download: ML22080A084 (1)

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Effective and Efficient Hybrid Inspections:

1. There has been a lot of discussion about making hybrid inspections a routine NRC inspection practice. However, there has not been a discussion of how a routine hybrid inspection might be structured. What does an efficient and effective hybrid inspection look like?

2. Prior to the public health emergency (PHE), a traditional onsite NRC inspection was typically scheduled in three-to five-week blocks to account for inoffice preparation and documentation in addition to the one-to two-weeks of onsite inspection. All direct inspection effort, including observations, staff interviews, equipment walkdowns, and licensee document and record review, was performed at the licensee site by NRC inspectors. What would be the impact of the NRC not performing routine hybrid inspections and returning to the traditional inspection practices the existed prior to the PHE.

NRC Access to Licensee Information Resources:

3. The NRC is limited by the Code of Federal Regulations in what plant data and records are required to be made available to NRC inspectors. Although there is no regulatory requirement for NRC inspectors to be granted access to licensee computer networks, the NRC and licensees agree that it is mutually beneficial for resident inspectors to have direct access to licensee information resources from the resident office. This agreement is documented in Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) with each licensee facility. Much of the information resources provided to resident inspectors during the PHE exceeded these agreements and were significantly advantageous to the efficient and effective implementation of the Reactor Oversight Process. Should the NRC engage each licensee to revise the MOU at each site to include the information resources provided to residents during the PHE?

4. NRC regional inspectors have traditionally relied on many different methods to obtain licensee documents and records for their inspections. For example, inspection records have been provided to regional inspectors physically, through third-party file sharing, and electronically through email or compact disk. Should the NRC consider adoption or development of an official third-party platform for inspection document and record sharing that would standardize inspection requests, questions, and document review?

Long-term Impact of the Public Health Emergency:

5. At this time, there is insufficient information for the NRC to make a determination of the long-term impact of the PHE on licensee facilities. The working group is recommending that resident inspectors utilize baseline inspection samples to monitor for trends at their sites. Additionally, the working group is recommending that the NRR Operating Experience Branch monitor for industrywide trends in human performance and equipment reliability. Should the NRC evaluate any additional programs or processes to monitor for long-term impacts?