Generic Lessons Learned that Apply to the Design, Construction, Construction, Operation, and Decommissioning of DOE Facilities

DOE-HDBK-3012-2003

Select the Team Leader carefully. The Team Leader should be senior to the team members. He or

she should not be a peer or a co-worker of the team members. Selection of the appropriate Team

Leader is important in that he/she must exercise some degree of control over the team.

Evaluate on-the-job-training, drills, and other training evaluation against the established guidance in

DOE Orders, standards, guides, and handbooks. This helps eliminate the subjective aspects of the

review. Additionally, this intention should be communicated to the contractor for the conduct of the

contractor ORR/RA.

6.11 GENERIC LESSONS LEARNED THATAPPLY TO THE DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION,

OPERATION, AND DECOMMISSIONING OF DOE FACILITIES

During startup of new facilities, numerous cases have been observed in which the surveillance

requirement supporting the safety basis could not be completed, or if completed, did not properly

verify the safety basis requirement. Surveillance procedures should be completed, validated, and

executed as part of the startup program, prior to the implementation of the supported Technical

Safety Requirements (TSRs). Actually executing the surveillance will reveal such problems as: test

points that are not installed; test points that are inaccessible; and other interfering interlocks or

functions. These problems have occurred repeatedly in previous ORR/RAs.

Additionally, determination must be made that the surveillance actually tests the function or

protective action upon which the safety basis depends. Previous ORR/RAs have revealed numerous

occasions in which surveillances have been conducted and through either invalid acceptance criteria

or a misunderstanding of the as-built configuration, the surveillance did not test the required

functions.