Classification of Emergencies and Graded Response

DOE-STD-1136-2004

Guide of Good Practices for Occupational Radiation Protection in Uranium Facilities

emergency planning requirements. Rather than meet these requirements piecemeal through separate

programs, DOE has combined, under the EMS, all planning and preparedness activities for emergency

events having health, safety, or environmental significance.

9.1.1.3 Classification of Emergencies and Graded Response

Operational emergencies involving hazardous materials are grouped into one of three classes

according to magnitude or severity. Classification of events is intended to promote more timely and

effective response by triggering planned response actions appropriate to all events of a given class. This

principle, termed "graded response," is embodied in DOE Order requirements and is important to the

management of response resources.

9.1.1.4 Tiers of Emergency Management Responsibility

Within the EMS, responsibility for emergency management extends from the individual facility

level to the cognizant DOE field element and culminates at the cognizant Headquarters Program Office.

The responsibilit ies vested at each level of the hierarchy are specified in the applicable Orders. The

responsibility and authority for recognizing, classifying, and mitigating emergencies always rests with the

facility staff. The head of the cognizant field element oversees the response of contractors and supports the

response with communications, notifications, logistics, and coordination with other DOE elements. The

DOE Headquarters (HQ) Emergency Operations Center (EOC) receives, coordinates, and disseminates

emergency information to HQ elements, the cognizant Program Office, Congressional offices, the White

House, and other Federal Agencies.

9.1.2 Requirements Pertaining to All DOE Operations

DOE Orders identify 13 standard program elements that compose each DOE facility emergency

management program. The 13 elements form a standard framework, with the details of each program

element varying according to the nature and magnitude of the facility hazards and other factors. The

Orders require that a facility-specific hazards assessment be conducted and the results used as the technical

basis for the program element content. Using the results of an objective, quantitative, and rigorous hazards

assessment as its basis, each program is configured to the specific hazards and response needs of the

facility.

Detailed guidance on the implementation of the Order requirements has been published by the

DOE Office of Emergency Management. The Emergency Management Guides (EMGs) specify

acceptable methods for meeting the Order requirements. Individual guides have been published for the

hazards assessment process and for each of the 13 program elements.

9.2 SPECIFIC GUIDANCE ON EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT FOR URANIUM

FACILITIES

This section provides technical guidance that is specifically applicable to the development and

implementation of emergency management programs for uranium facilities. It is intended to supplement,

not replace, the more general recommendations provided in the EMGs.

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