Background - hdbk116320030034

DOE-HDBK-1163-2003

Background

A problem often encountered in facilities handling radioactive and hazardous materials is the lack

of both a consistent understanding and a consistent analysis of the many hazards affecting the

environment, public, workers, and property. This can happen for a variety of reasons. It may be

due to individuals with different academic backgrounds (scientific, engineering, legal) and

professional experiences (operators, regulators, management, enforcement personnel). All of

these individuals may interpret a vast array of Department of Energy (DOE) requirements in

disparate ways1. One area where analysts, managers, and engineering professionals often find

inconsistencies is in the development and understanding of fundamental fire hazards that may be

encountered in a nuclear facility.

DOE nuclear facilities to demonstrate that the objectives of the DOE fire protection program are

being met by these facilities requires a comprehensive fire hazard analysis. These objectives

include

Providing fire protection features so as to minimize the potential for the occurrence of a fire

or fire-related event;

Ensuring that a fire does not cause an unacceptable on-site or off-site release of hazardous or

radiological material that will threaten the environment, the public, or the health and safety of

employees;

Ensuring that there will not be unacceptable interruptions as a result of fire and related

hazards in vital DOE programs;

Ensuring that property losses from a fire and related events will not exceed defined limits

established by DOE; and

Ensuring that critical process controls and safety class systems will not be damaged as a

result of a fire and related events.2

Similarly there are objectives for safety authorization basis documentation for DOE nuclear

facilities. These objectives include

Providing DOE a basis for approval of design, construction, operation, decontamination, or

decommissioning of the facility;

Providing the defining and controlling safety bases and commitments;

Providing support to DOE and contractor management safety oversight of the facility and

operations; and

Providing the analytical rationale for the facility to operate safely in terms of health, safety,

and other potential radiological impacts to on-site workers and the public.3

Certainly there are commonalties between the objectives of both the safety analysis

documentation and the fire hazard analysis documentation. In terms of safety both are interested

in describing the hazards and risks. Both are interested in determining engineering and

administrative practices necessary to protect the environment, public, workers, and property.

Both must be meticulously interested in

Preventing exposure to certain hazards (in this case fire);

Preserving functions associated with structures, systems, and components;

Mitigating the release of hazardous or radiological materials; and

Determining functions necessary to execute these safety functions.

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