Preparing to Assess Notifications

DOE-EM-STD-5505-96

The final purpose of a prompt notification system is to demonstrate responsiveness to the health

and safety of the public. Since notifications is one of the first steps following a reportable incident

or event, assessment of this chapter can be accomplished in conjunction with Investigation of

Abnormal Events.

6.7.2 Preparing to Assess Notifications. To develop an assessment plan to assess

Notifications, assessors should first review the activity-specific graded-approach document for

conduct of operations and determine which guidelines are applicable at the activity. This will

allow them to determine the scope of the assessment and which applicable activity policies and

procedures to review when developing the assessment plan. Sections 5.4 and 5.8 provide a

detailed explanation of assessment planning and the use of assessment techniques.

6.7.3 Observation. Assessment of notifications could be performed in conjunction with a pre-

planned activity drill. If, however, a drill is not performed during the course of the assessment, a

walkthrough of an activity's notifications procedure could be an adequate substitute.

To observe the notification process, an assessor should observe an activity drill or actual event.

During these situations, the following items might be observed:

The use of a procedure or checklist by the person responsible for making the notification

Notification timeliness as required by DOE O 232.1

The accuracy of the notification contact list

Once the observation has been completed, compare what was observed to the requirements

contained in activity policies and procedures to identify any apparent deviations from

requirements. Pursue these leads using additional observations, interviews, and document reviews

to confirm or disprove them and determine if programmatic breakdowns or widespread problems

exist.