Regulatory Guide 1.134
| ML13038A107 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 03/31/1979 |
| From: | Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research, NRC/OSD |
| To: | |
| References | |
| RG-1.134, Rev. 1 | |
| Download: ML13038A107 (2) | |
Revision 1 o-"EC, *U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION March 1979 REG ULATORY GUIDE
OFFICE OF STANDARDS DEVELOPMENT
REGULATORY GUIDE 1.134 MEDICAL EVALUATION OF NUCLEAR POWER PLANT
PERSONNEL REQUIRING OPERATOR LICENSES
A. INTRODUCTION
Working Group ANS-3.4 of Subcommittee ANS-3, Reactor Operations, of the American Section 55.10, "Contents of Applications," Nuclear Society has developed a standard pre- and § 55.33, "Renewal of Licenses," of 10 CFR scribing minimum requirements necessary to Part 55, "Operators' Licenses," require that determine that the physical condition and each application for an initial or renewal opera- general health of nuclear reactor operators are tor or senior operator license contain a report not such as might cause operational errors.
of medical examination by a licensed medical This standard was approved by the American practitioner in the form prescribed in § 55.60, National Standards Committee N18, Nuclear
"Examination Form." Section 55.11, "Require- Design Criteria, and was subsequently ap- ments for the Approval of Applications," and proved by the American National Standards In-
§ 55.33 of 10 CFR Part 55 state that an appli- stitute (ANSI) on April 12, 1976. The criteria cation for an initial or renewal operator or presented in ANSI N546-1976,1 "Medical Certi- senior operator license will be approved if, fication and Monitoring of Personnel Requiring among other things, the physical condition and Operator Licenses for Nuclear Power Plants,"
general health of the applicant are not such as should provide an examining lidensed medical might cause operational errors endangering practitioner with a basis for determining if an public health and safety. This guide describes abnormal health condition exists and if that a method acceptable to the NRC staff for pro- condition is potentially disqualifying. Estab- viding the information needed by the Commis- lishing minimum health requirements should aid sion for its evaluation of the medical qualifica- in the more uniform and complete preparation tions of applicants for initial or renewal opera- of Form NRC-396 and should reduce instances tor or senior operator licenses for nuclear when the NRC has to request additional medical
- power plants. The Advisory Committee on information. However, it should be recognized Reactor Safeguards has been consulted con- that, although it is the licensed medical practi- cerning this guide and has concurred in the tioner's responsibility to identify and evaluate regulatory position. potentially disqualifying physical conditions, the final determination of the applicant's medi-
B. DISCUSSION
cal qualification is made by the NRC.
Section 55.60 of 10 CFR Part 55 requires the Section 3.2 of ANSI N546-1976 requires that licensed medical practitioner and the applicant the facility operator forward to the designated for an initial or renewal operator or senior op- medical examiner a report on each employee erator license to complete and sign Form NRC- referred for a reactor operator medical exami-
396, "Certificate of Medical Examination." The nation prior to the examination. This section examination form is then sent to the NRC and goes on to recommend that the report address becomes part of the license application. The such areas as work performance, attendance, NRC often has to request additional information and behavioral changes noted since the pre- because the licensed medical practitioner's vious evaluation. It is recognized that the re- evaluation of the applicant's medical history or porting of pertinent observations to a licensed physical condition is not sufficiently detailed to medical practitioner by facility supervisory determine an applicant's qualification.
'Copies may be obtained from the American Nuclear Society,
- Lines indicate substantive changes from previous issue. 555 North Kensington Avenue, La Grange Park. Illinois 60525.
USNRC REGULATORY GUIDES Comments should be sent to the Secretary of the Commission, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, D.C. 20555, Attention: Docketing and Regulatory Guides are issued to describe and make available to the oublic Service Branch.
methods acceptable to the NRC staff of implementing specific parts of the Commission's reguletions, to delineate techniques used by the staff in evalu- The guides are issued in the following ten broad divisions:
ating specific problems or postulated accidents, or to provide guidance to applicants. Regulatory Guides are not substitutes for regulations, and com- 1. Power Reactors 6. Products pliance with them is not required. Methods and solutions different from those 2. Research and Test Reactors 7. Transportation set out in the guides will be acceptable If they provide a basis for the findings 3. Fuels and Materials Facilities 8. Occupational Health requisite to the issuance or continuance of a permit or licerse by the 4. Environmental and Siting 9. Antitrust and Financial Review Commission. 5. Materials and Plant Protection 10. General Requests for single copies of issued guides (which may be reproduced) or for Comments and suggestions for improvements in these guides are encouraged at placement on an automatic distribution list for single copies of future guides all times, and guides will be revised, as appropriate, to accommodate comments in specific divisions should be made in writing to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory and to reflect new information or experience. This guide was revised as a result Commission, Washington, D.C. 20565, Attention: Director, Division of of substantive comments received from the public and additional staff review. Technical Information and Document Control.
personnel can provide valuable background in- tions of applicants for initial or renewal opera- formation to support the medical evaluation. tor or senior operator licenses for nuclear However, there is a concern for potential power plants, subject to the following:
abuse, in that observations by supervisory personnel may be biased and extend into areas 1. Section 3.2 of ANSI N546-1976 requires not pertinent to the evaluation. In regard to that the facility operator forward to the the provisions of Section 3.2 of ANSI N546- designated medical examiner a report on each
1976, responsible facility supervisory personnel employee referred for a reactor operator medi- should determine from the licensed medical cal examination piior to the examination and practitioner what information, including such that the report include information specified by items as those identified in Section 3.2, is the designated medical examiner. ANSI N546- needed to make the judgments required by 1976 further presents recommendations as to Form NRC-396 and should forward only the in- what other type of information is to be formation specified or requested. Information addressed. The facility operator should deter- provided by the facility operator should be mine from the licensed medical practitioner used only as background information and what information, including such items as those should be subject to evaluation. identified in Section 3.2 of the standard are needed to make the judgments required by Paragraph 55.11(a)(1) specifies, in part, Form NRC-396, "Certificate of Medical Examina- that any mental or physical condition that tion," and should forward only the information might cause impaired judgment or motor specified or requested. Information submitted coordination may constitute sufficient cause for by the facility operator should be used only as denial of an operator license application. While background information and should be subject ANSI N546-1976 addresses in some detail the to evaluation.
physical conditions that may be cause for denial of an application, the standard is more 2. If, in the medical evaluation of the reactor general in, identifying the mental conditions operator, there is an indication of a potentially that may be cause for denial. Because of disqualifying condition in areas such as those inherent difficulties in evaluating mental condi- specified in Sections 5.3.8 and 5.4.15 of ANSI
tions and because of the broad nature of po- N546-1976, evaluation of the condition should tentially disqualifying mental conditions pre- be conducted by a licensed psychologist, psy- sented in ANSI N546-1976, potentially disquali- chiatrist, or physician professionally trained to fying mental conditions should be evaluated by identify and evaluate such conditions.
a licensed psychologist, psychiatrist, or physi- cian professionally trained to identify the con- ditio
n.
D. IMPLEMENTATION
None of the provisions of ANSI N546-1976 or The purpose of this section is to provide in- this guide should be construed to mean that formation to applicants and licensees regarding the reading habits, political or religious the staff's plans for utilizing this regulatory beliefs, or attitudes on social, economic, or guide.
political issues of an individual should be investigated or judged. Except in those cases in which an acceptable alternative method for complying with specified C. REGULATORY POSITION portions of the Commission's regulations is pro- posed, the method described herein will be The requirements contained in ANSI N546- used in the evaluation of Form NRC-396,
1976, "Medical Certification and Monitoring of "Certificate of Medical Examination," submittals Personnel Requiring Operator Licenses for in connection with applications for initial or re- Nuclear Power Plants," 1 provide an acceptable newal operator or senior operator licenses method for determining the medical qualifica- received after June 1979.
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