Initial Radiological Hazards Screening

DOE-STD-1027-92

3.1.1

Initial Radiological Hazards Screening

The radiological hazards screening enables facility managers to determine quickly the

likely facility categorization required in paragraph 8.c. This process is to provide an

initial screening of the potential hazards represented by a facility. It should be used for

preliminary assessment of facility hazards in "plans and schedules" for proposed

upgrades to SARs when a Hazards Analysis (see Section 4) has not been performed.

An overview of the radiological hazards screening is provided in Table 3.1 and Figure

3.1.2

Final Hazard Categorization

Once a Hazards Analysis has been performed as defined in Section 4, the hazard

categorization can be finalized. The final categorization is based on an "unmitigated

release" of available hazardous material. For the purposes of hazard categorization,

"unmitigated" is meant to consider material quantity, form, location, dispersibility and

interaction with available energy sources, but not to consider safety features (e.g.,

ventilation system, fire suppression, etc.) which will prevent or mitigate a release.

The Hazards Analysis (or other existing safety analyses) provides an understanding of

the material which can physically be released from the facility. This inventory should be

compared against the Threshold Quantities (TQs) identified in Attachment 1. The

airborne release fractions used in generating the TQ values for Category 2 in Table A.1

are provided on Page A-9 of Attachment 1. As discussed in the attachment, these are

intended to be generally conservative for a broad range of possible situations.

Therefore, the inventory values of Table A.1 may be used directly for determination as

to whether a facility exceeds Category 2. Alternatively, for final Categorization, for

facilities initially classified as Hazard Category 2, if the credible release fractions can be

shown to be significantly different than these values based on physical and chemical

form and available dispersive energy sources, the threshold inventory values for

Category 2 in Table A.1 may be divided by the ratio of the maximum potential release

fraction to that found on Page A-9. All assumptions which are used to reduce the

inventory at risk should be supported in the Hazards Analysis. This also applies to

ground rules identified in Attachment 1, to demonstrate that the ground rule conditions

exist.

3.2

Occupational and Nonradiological Hazards

DOE Order 5480.23 places new emphasis on already existing requirements concerning

the protection of workers, the public, and the environment against all hazards. The

order not only requires the analysis of radiological hazards, but also requires that the

analysis and safety basis of occupational and nonradiological hazards be documented in

the SAR.