Authority to Operate Equipment

DOE-STD-1041-93

This Appendix contains noteworthy additional guidance pertaining to shift routines and operating

practices at DOE nuclear facilities.

1. Authority to Operate Equipment

The shift manager directs overall operation of the plant. Control room operators and shift

managers need to be aware of all activities affecting plant equipment. Some activities that do not

affect safety, regulatory requirements, or operating capability may be performed without the

control room operator or shift manager being informed. However, the operations manager

determines, defines, and documents these activities. The operations manager defines the operator

areas of responsibility for each of these activities. Such activities include pumping certain

uncontaminated sumps and making routine minor adjustments to systems in manual control.

These activities are documented in a log that shift supervisory personnel and control room

operators review. During emergencies, operators take immediate actions necessary for personnel

and plant safety without having prior approval; however, they promptly inform the appropriate

supervisors of these actions. Shift supervisory personnel and shift technical advisors in the

control room refrain from manipulating plant equipment.

Clear expectations should be established for the conduct of system operation by groups other than

operations. System or component manipulations that can directly affect core reactivity are only

performed under the licensed (senior reactor operator or reactor operator) supervision of the

operating crew. Station standards and practices for system and component operation by other

groups are the same as those of the operations department. Nonoperations personnel who

operate important facility systems should be trained to a level commensurate with that provided to

operations personnel.

2. Crew Resource Management

Operating crew resources should be periodically reviewed to verify that they sufficiently support

crew responsibilities and assigned tasks during normal, abnormal, and emergency plant conditions.

Include the following aspects in this review:

Sufficient staff should be provided to handle expected normal plant evolutions as well as

reasonable abnormal occurrences. A minimum of two senior reactor operators (SROs)

and two control board operators (reactor operator licensed or above) are needed at all

times on each unit to respond to emergencies. One SRO is qualified as a shift manager

and provides oversight during emergencies. The other SRO directs the crew's response to

the emergency.

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