Types of Procedures

DOE-STD-1029-92

Types of Procedures

Because procedures must address how all operations and processes are to be performed,

from the administrative to the technical, several types of procedures must be part of a

facility's safety envelope:

Management control procedures define the communication and coordination

activities necessary to carry out the facility's technical programs, management

control programs, and design control programs. These procedures describe the

processes to be followed to ensure that all of the various programs' functions are

effectively integrated and that the programs' requirements are applied appropriately

throughout the facility's lifetime.

Technical procedures prescribe precisely how to accomplish the various technical

tasks associated with starting up, testing, operating, and maintaining the facility's

equipment and systems. These procedures specify fixed tasks and define activities

in a way that ensures operations are safe, efficient, and practiced within the

appropriate margins of safety.

Emergency and alarm response procedures define the action steps to take when an

abnormal condition exists. Emergency procedures address conditions that require

immediate and absolute attention to mitigate problems, reestablish safety

boundaries, and bring operations and equipment back within established operating

parameters. Alarm response procedures address the actions to be performed in

response to annunciators and other types of facility displays that indicate an off-

normal condition.

Each of these procedure types is slightly different owing to the intended purpose and use

of the procedures; the considerations in effect at the time of use; the level of detail

required to allow the task to be accomplished; the typical user of the procedure; and the

degree to which compliance with the procedure must be documented.

The DOE Procedures Program

Because the development of sound procedures and on-going procedure management are

complex and new activities for some DOE facilities, and because of the key role that

procedures play in ensuring safe, deliberate, and controlled operations, the DOE has

initiated a program to define requirements for procedure system management and to

provide guidance in certain areas that have not previously been addressed in detail within

the DOE literature. As part of this program, a series of DOE procedures documents is

currently under development. The intent of these documents is to provide a

knowledgeable and reasonable approach to all aspects of procedure management that will

ensure the availability and use of sound procedures at DOE facilities.

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