Regulatory Guide 1.134

(Draft Issued as DG-1068), Medical Evaluation of Licensed Personnel at Nuclear Power Plants

ML003740140
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Issue date:	03/31/1998
From:	Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research
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RG-1.134, Revision 3
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V U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY

COMMISSION

Revision 3 March 1998 REGULATORY

GUIDE OFFICE OF NUCLEAR REGULATORY

RESEARCH REGULATORY

GUIDE 1.134 (Draft issued as DG-1068) MEDICAL EVALUATION

OF LICENSED PERSONNEL

AT NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS

A. INTRODUCTION

In 10 CFR Part 55, "Operators'

Licenses," Sec tions 55.31, "How To Apply," and 55.57, "Renewal of Licenses," require that each initial or renewal applica tion for an operator or senior operator license contain a certification of medical condition and general health as specified in Subpart C, "Medical Requirements," of 10 CFR Part 55. Sections 55.33, "Disposition of an Initial Application," and 55.57 state that the initial or renewal applications for these licenses will be approved if, among other things, the applicant's medical condition and general health will not cause operational errors that endanger public health and safety. In 10 CFR 55.53, "Conditions of Licenses," Paragraph (i) requires the li censee to have a medical examination biennially (i.e., every 2 years). Section 55.25, "Incapacitation Because of Disabil ity or Illness," is concerned with an operator or senior operator who becomes incapacitated because of a men tal or physical condition that might cause impaired judgment or motor coordination.

Section 55.27, "Documentation," requires that the facility licensee document and maintain medical quali fications data, test results, and each operator's medical history for the current license period and provide this documentation to the NRC upon its request. The facili ty licensee must retain this documentation as long as the individual functions as an operator or senior operator.

This guide describes a method acceptable to the NRC staff for providing the information needed by the staff for its evaluation of the medical qualifications of applicants for initial or renewal operator or senior oper ator licenses for nuclear power plants and for providing notification to the NRC of an incapacitating disability or illness.

The information collections contained in this regu latory guide are covered by the requirements of 10 CFR Part 55, which were approved by the Office of Manage ment and Budget, approval number 3150-0018.

The NRC may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information un less it displays a currently valid OMB control number.

B. DISCUSSION

In Subpart C, "Medical Requirements," of 10 CFR Part 55, Section 55.23, "Certification," requires certification that a physician has examined the appli cant in accordance with NRC's regulatory guidance.

Form NRC-396, "Certification of Medical Examina tion by Facility Licensee," must be completed by an USNRC REGULATORY

GUIDES The guides are issued in the following ten broad divisions:

Regulatory Guides are issued to describe and make available to the public such informa tion as methods acceptable to the NRC staff for implementing specific parts of the Com- 1. Power Reactors 6. Products mission's regulations, techniques used bythe staff in evaluating specifioproblems or pos 2. Research and Test Reactors 7. Transportation tulated accidents, and data needed by the NRC staff in its review of applications for per- 3. Fuels and Materials Facilities

8. Occupational Health mits and licenses.

Regulatory guides are not substitutes for regulations, and compliance'

4. Environmental and Siting 9. Antitrust and Financial Review with them is not required.

Methods and solutions different from those set out inthe guides 5. Materials and Plant Protection

10. General will be acceptable if they provide a basis for the findings requisite to the issuance or con tinuance of a permit or license by the Commission.

Single copies of regulatory guides may be obtained free of charge bywriting the Printing, This guide was issued after consideration of comments received from the public. Com- Graphics and Distribution Branch, Office of Administration, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Com ments and suggestions for improvements inthese guides are encouraged at all times, and mission, Washington, DC 20555-0001;

or by fax at (301)415-5272.

guides will be revised, as appropriate, to accommodate comments and to reflect new in formation or experience..

Issued guides may also be purchased from the National Technical Information Service on Written comments may be submitted to the Rules Review and Directives Branch, DFIPS, a standing order basis. Details on this service may be obtained by writing NTIS, 5285 Port ADM, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001.

Royal Road, Springfield, VA 22161.

authorized representative of the facility licensee and must certify that a physician has conducted the medi cal examination of the applicant as required by 10 CFR 55.21. The physician should have determined that the examinee's medical condition and general health will not adversely affect the performance of as signed operator job duties or cause operational errors endangering public health and safety. The intent of these requirements is to have the facility licensee cer tify the health of its operators.

The facility licensee is expected to maintain the records on operators or senior operators that may be requested and reviewed by the NRC. Therefore, 10 CFR 55.27 requires the facility licensee to document and maintain the medical qualifications data, test re sults, and each operator's medical history. In addi tion, 10 CFR 55.27 requires the facility licensee to re tain each operator's medical history for the current license period and provide that information to the NRC on request.

There are two instances in which medical infor mation must be sent to the NRC. One is when a condi tional license based on medical evidence is requested under the provisions of 10 CFR 55.23(b) and 55.33(b).

The second instance is when a licensed in dividual has become mentally or physically unable to perform job duties. In this case, the facility licensee must notify the NRC within 30 days after learning of the diagnosis.

If a conditional license is requested, the facility licensee must forward the medical evi dence on Form NRC-396. This documentation is re quired by 10 CFR 55.27 to be maintained by the facility.

An American National Standard developed by the American Nuclear Society, ANSI/ ANS-3.4-1996, "Medical Certification and Moni toring of Personnel Requiring Operator Licenses for Nuclear Power Plants," 1 prescribes minimum re quirements necessary to determine that the medical condition and general health of nuclear reactor opera tors will not cause operational errors. The criteria presented in this standard provide an examining phy sician a basis for determining whether a potentially disqualifying abnormal health condition exists. Es t Copies may be obtained from the American Nuclear Society, 555 North Kensington Avenue, La Grange Park, Illinois 60525.tablishing minimum health requirements should aid in more uniform medical evaluations.

However, it is necessary to recognize that, although it is the physi cian's responsibility to identify and evaluate any po tentially disqualifying medical conditions, the NRC makes the final determination of the applicant's med ical fitness.

Nothing in ANSI/ANS-3.4-1996 or this guide should be construed to mean that such matters as an individual's reading habits, political or religious be liefs, or attitudes on social, economic, or political is sues should be investigated or judged. C. REGULATORY

POSITION The requirements contained in ANSI/ ANS-3.4-1996, "Medical Certification and Monitor ing of Personnel Requiring Operator Licenses for Nu clear Power Plants," provide methods acceptable to the NRC staff for determining the medical qualifications of applicants for initial or renewal operator or senior oper ator licenses with the following exceptions to the standard.

In regard to criteria 2 and 3 of the standard's Sec tion 5.3.5, "Cardiovascular," the examining physician should have the flexibility to use medical judgment re garding asymmetric peripheral pulses and pulse rates out of the specified range. In regard to the standard's Section 5.3.6, "Labora tory," whether to perform liver function tests should be subject to the medical judgment of the examining physician.

D. IMPLEMENTATION

The purpose of this section is to provide informa tion to applicants and licensees about the NRC staff's plans for using this regulatory guide. Except in those cases in which an applicant or li censee proposes an acceptable alternative method for complying with specified portions of the NRC's regu lations, the methods described in this guide reflecting public comments will be used in evaluating the part of an application for initial or renewal operator or senior operator licenses that is submitted on NRC Form 396, "Certification of Medical Examination by Facility Li censee." 1.134-2 VALUE/IMPACT

ANALYSIS A separate value/impact analysis has not been prepared for this regulatory guide. A value/ impact analysis was included in the regulatory analysis for the amendments to 10 CFR Part 55 that was published on March 25, 1987. A copy of the regulatory analysis was placed in the NRC Public Document Room at that time. This regulatory analysis is also appropriate to Revi sion 3 of Regulatory Guide 1.134. A copy of the regulatory analysis is available for inspection and copying for a fee at the NRC Public Document Room, 2120 L Street NW., Washington, DC; the PDR's mailing address is Mail Stop LL-6, Washington, DC 20555; phone (202)634-3273;

fax (202)634-3343.

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