General Design Considerations - doe-std-1128-98

DOE-STD-1128-98

in considering the requirements for decontamination, decommissioning, and dismantling

(discussed in Section 10.0) of the facility when it no longer is needed.

C.2.1

General Design Considerations

It is DOE's policy to design, construct and operate its facilities such that the

exposure of employees and the public to hazardous materials is maintained

ALARA. Detailed guidance for implementing ALARA and the application of the

optimization process to facility design is provided in PNL-6577, Health Physics

Manual of Good Practices for Reducing Radiation Exposure to Levels That Are As

Low As Reasonably Achievable (Munson et al., 1988). Additional guidance is

provided in ICRP Publication 55, Optimization and Decision Making in

Radiological Protection (ICRP, 1989), and CONF-920468, Proceedings of the

Department of Energy ALARA Workshop (Dionne and Baum, 1992).

Equipment reliability and human-factors engineering should be considered in the

design of plutonium facilities. Both of these factors may significantly affect

radiation doses and the effectiveness of personnel response to abnormal conditions.

Reliability data may be available for much of the equipment that will be used. If

industry information is not available, reliability analyses should be conducted. The

degree of reliability that is justified may require an evaluation of the cost of the

reliability versus the expected dose reduction.

The equipment should be designed such that the failure of a single component does

not result in the loss of capability of a safety class system to accomplish its

required safety function. Analyses of hazards and assessments of risks should be

made during conceptual and preliminary design activities and further developed

during the detailed design phase. The safety analyses should be performed in

accordance with 10 CFR 830, Nuclear Safety Management (DOE, 2001e).

In the planning and designing of buildings, other structures, and their operating

components and systems, all aspects of operation and maintenance should be

considered. This includes accessibility, dismantling, replacement, repair, frequency

of preventive maintenance, inspection requirements, personnel safety, and daily

operations. Facility planning and design should use the knowledge and experience

of those persons who will be responsible for operating and maintaining the

completed facility. The "lessons learned" from the operation and maintenance of

existing facilities should be used to avoid repeating mistakes made in past designs.

If possible, equipment that requires periodic inspection, maintenance, and testing

should be located in the areas that have the lowest possible radiation and

contamination levels. For equipment that is expected to be contaminated during

operation, provisions should be made for both in-place maintenance and for

removal to an area of low dose rate for repair. Maintenance areas for repair of

contaminated equipment should include provisions for containment or confinement

of radioactive materials.

Engineered safety and control systems should be designed so that they continue to

function during and following an accident or emergency condition. The need for

emergency systems and facilities should be determined and incorporated in the

facility design. Facilities should be designed to facilitate the arrival and entry of

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