Items to Notice Before Proceeding with a DOE ORR

DOE-HDBK-3012-96

Lack of understanding by assigned counterparts of their responsibility to support the ORR

TM. The counterpart must present the information and documentation requested. The

counterpart must accept responsibility for gaining information and resolving questions. The

counterparts should be fully dedicated to a single ORR TM for the duration of the ORR

field work. This expectation should be clearly defined during the previsit.

Lack of experience on the part of line management as to the expectations of the ORR team

in the areas of drills and evolutions expected to occur during the ORR will lead to difficulty

in completing established objectives. The TL and TM must devote considerable attention to

communicating expectations to responsible line management at the facility level.

Inadequate validation and verification of operational or maintenance/surveillance

procedures which are newly prepared or recently modified will result in readiness not being

achieved when the ORR starts. The adequacy and maturity of these procedures should be

evaluated during the previsit. If problems are apparent, they should be identified to senior

management at the end of the previsit.

Lack of formal, structured preparation by DOE line management of the personnel,

programs, and documentation to be evaluated during the ORR will delay completion of

required activities. DOE line management should be encouraged to conduct a Management

Self-Assessment to ensure that prerequisite conditions for which they are responsible have

been met. Potential problems in this area should be apparent during the pre-visit and if

noted, pointed out to senior DOE management at that time.

Note: It will usually be apparent to the observant team leader during the previsits and other ORR

preparations when the problems with achieving readiness will become a problem during the ORR.

Although the ORR TL will not be able to deal with the problems directly, his identification of the

problems to the appropriate DOE or contractor line manager should be considered.

ITEMS TO NOTE BEFORE PROCEEDING WITH A DOE ORR:

Thoroughly review the ORR Plan of Action (POA) which, among other things, defines the

scope of the ORR and lists the prerequisites for the ORR. The success of the ORR will be

enhanced if the POA provides specific detail as to the scope of each core requirement, and

defines the prerequisites in sufficient detail. Prerequisites should be specific and define

measurable conditions. If the ORR TL is identified prior to final approval of the POA, he

should be included in the POA review and approval process and should ensure that the POA

contains adequate detail to support a successful ORR. The POA should be approved as

early as possible in the startup/restart process.

Gain familiarity with the facility and the project programs prior to the start of the ORR.

Site access training, facility walkthroughs, and document reviews are essential for team