Authorization Of Nuclear Power Plant Control Room Personnel

Authorization of control room personnel is a normal practice in all IAEA Member States operating nuclear power plants (NPPs). The authorization of personnel is based on whether personnel has a direct impact on safety in accordance with IAEA Safety Guide No. NS-G-2.8 : Recruitment, Qualification and Training of Personnel for NPPs. The methods and practices for this authorization, however, are not identical, and the organization granting the authorization may be different. The various authorization processes are usually based on written and/or oral examinations and in many cases also on the testing of practical skills. Differences in the authorization processes also exist in the examination methodology and in the scope of the practical examinations (e.g., plant walkthrough, use of simulators). The recent increase in the availability of full-scope simulators, in particular full-scope plant-referenced control room simulators, provides an additional, efficient tool for testing the practical skills of the candidates for authorization. Information contained in this document and on the accompanying CD-ROM provides useful guidance and a wide range of practical examples that will be helpful for both NPP operating organizations and regulatory bodies in developing and improving the processes of authorization of control room personnel.--Résumé de l'éditeur.

Provides guidance and a wide range of practical examples that will be helpful for both nuclear power plant (NPP) operating organisations and regulatory bodies in developing and improving the processes of authorization of control room personnel.

This guide outlines the factors to be considered to ensure that the operating organization has a sufficient number of qualified site personnel who are aware of their duties and responsibilities. It covers the organization for the nuclear power plant, the educational qualifications and experience of the persons recruited, the recruitment and training schedule, the training of operating personnel, the authorization of persons whose duties have an immediate bearing on safety, and re-training of personnel.

This Safety Guide provides recommendations on the recruitment, selection, qualification, training and authorization of personnel working in all safety related functions and at all levels of nuclear power plants. It supplements Safety Standards Series No. NS-R-2, Safety of Nuclear Power Plants: Operation (2000), and is related to Safety Standards Series No. NS-G-2.4, The Operating Organization for Nuclear Power Plants: Safety Guide. It supersedes Safety Series No. 50-SG-01 (Rev. 1), Staffing of Nuclear Power Plants and the Recruitment, Training and Authorization of Operating Personnel (1991).

In cases where a "replica" plant-referenced full scope simulator is not available, it may be necessary for operators to receive their training with a computer simulation or to travel to another plant that has a simulator. This publication provides information and guidance on various aspects of the use of control room simulators.

On the basis of the principles included in the Fundamental Safety Principles, IAEA Safety Standards Series No. SF-1, this Safety Requirements publication establishes requirements applicable to the design of nuclear power plants. It covers the design phase and provides input for the safe operation of the power plant. It elaborates on the safety objective, safety principles and concepts that provide the basis for deriving the safety requirements that must be met for the design of a nuclear power plant. Contents: 1. Introduction; 2. Applying the safety principles and concepts; 3. Management of safety in design; 4. Principal technical requirements; 5. General plant design; 6. Design of specific plant systems.

"The use of simulators for the training and qualification of nuclear power plant (NPP) control room operating personnel has become a standard practice throughout the world to develop and reinforce knowledge of plant systems and their relationships. It is an approach to increase the ability to apply plant procedures, to advance practical skills in operating the plant in normal, abnormal and emergency conditions, and to build supervisory skills and teamwork. Simulators are also utilized to conduct the authorization or licensing examinations of control room operating personnel, and there is an increasing trend in the use of simulators for non-training purposes. This publication provides Member States with comprehensive guidance on NPP operator training and describes the use of simulators in training and qualification programmes for the personnel. Current trends in the use of simulators in training programmes, as well as approaches to maintaining and upgrading simulators, are also presented."--Publisher's description.

The present report is a revision of Safety Series No. 75-INSAG-3 (1988), updating the statements made on the objectives and principles of safe design and operation for electricity generating nuclear power plants. It includes the improvements made in the safety of operating nuclear power plants and identifies the principles underlying the best current safety policies to be applied in future plants. It presents INSAG's understanding of the principles underlying the best current safety policies and practices of the nuclear power industry.