Purpose - std115820020009

DOE-STD-1158-2002

SELF-ASSESSMENT STANDARD FOR DOE CONTRACTOR CRITICALITY SAFETY

PROGRAMS

PURPOSE

The purpose of this document is to provide an assessment tool for review of DOE Contractor

criticality safety programs. Assessment of elements as indicated in this Standard will evaluate

whether the program meets the requirements of ANSI/ANS-8.19-1996, Administrative Practices

for Nuclear Criticality Safety, as well as related ANSI/ANS-8 series standards. These standards

represent the best practices for criticality safety programs.

SCOPE

This document encompasses all elements of the Contractor criticality safety program at DOE

facilities. The effectiveness of the criticality safety program is dependent upon management

implementing its roles and responsibilities to integrate criticality safety into work practices as

stated below:

An effective nuclear criticality safety program includes cooperation among management,

supervision, and the criticality safety staff; for each employee, the program relies upon

conformance with operating procedures. (Introduction to ANSI/ANS-8.19-1996)

In May of 1997 the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (Board) issued Recommendation

97-2 dealing with criticality safety. Among the nine specific recommendations made were: 1)

the need for DOE Sites to maintain a formally trained and qualified nuclear criticality safety staff

including hands on experience at critical mass laboratories; 2) the use of simplified bounding

methods of setting subcritical limits with priority given to existing experimental data; 3) line

management ownership of criticality safety; and, 4) the formation of a core group of criticality

safety experts available to assist the DOE with criticality safety related issues.

This self-assessment tool was first developed as part of the Department's Criticality Safety Self-

Improvement Initiative. The guidance was introduced and distributed at the Criticality Safety

Self-Improvement Workshop, "Your Mission and Nuclear Criticality Safety," held in Las Vegas,

Nevada in August 1999. The Department's Criticality Safety Support Group reviewed and