Administrative Control Factors - doe-std-1128-98

DOE-STD-1128-98

7.2.3

Administrative Control Factors

Administrative control factors are the combination of personnel, programs, plans,

procedures, training, audits and reviews, and quality assurance practices which are

used to administer a nuclear criticality safety program. Administrative controls are

used in addition to engineered controls or design features to ensure nuclear criticality

safety of facility operations. Administrative control factors are outlined in

ANSI/ANS-8.19 (ANSI, 1984). An effective nuclear criticality safety program

requires a joint effort by managers, supervisors, plutonium workers, and nuclear

criticality safety staff and relies upon conformance with operating procedures by all

involved personnel. The following sections describe the key requirements of a

nuclear criticality safety program from ANSI/ANS-8.19.

7.2.3.1

Nuclear Criticality Safety Program

Management shall develop a nuclear criticality safety policy and ensure

that it is distributed to fissile material workers. They also delegate authority

to implement the policy, monitor the nuclear criticality safety program, and

periodically participate in audits of the program. Supervisory staff shall

ensure that nuclear criticality safety procedures are written and that staff is

trained in those procedures. The nuclear criticality safety staff shall provide

technical guidance for the design of equipment and processes and for the

development of operating procedures. A nuclear criticality safety

evaluation shall be performed by the nuclear criticality safety staff before

starting a new operation with fissile materials or before an existing

operation is changed. An independent evaluation of the technical adequacy

of the nuclear criticality safety program shall also be performed

periodically.

7.2.3.2

Nuclear Criticality Safety Organization

Like the radiation protection program, the nuclear criticality safety

organization should have a reporting line to the highest level of facility

management independent of operations. The nuclear criticality safety

organization shall have the responsibilities and authorities of its staff

clearly delineated and communicated to the other facility personnel. Lines

of interaction and interfaces with other facility organizational components

should be clearly defined, both organizationally and procedurally. In any

case, the responsibility for nuclear criticality safety should be assigned in a

manner that is compatible and consistent with the other safety disciplines.

The organization should also contain an independent nuclear criticality

safety review committee and have access to consultants to assist in the

conduct of the criticality safety program.

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