UNITED STATES

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

OFFICE OF NUCLEAR REACTOR REGULATION

WASHINGTON, DC 20555-0001

June 13, 2003

NRC REGULATORY ISSUE SUMMARY 2003-10

LICENSED OPERATOR REQUALIFICATION TRAINING:

WRITTEN EXAMINATION FREQUENCY

ADDRESSEES

All holders of operating licenses for nuclear power reactors and test and research reactors,

except those who have permanently ceased operations and have certified that fuel has been

permanently removed from the reactor vessel. 

INTENT

The NRC is issuing this regulatory issue summary (RIS) to clarify the NRC staff’s expectations

regarding the frequency of licensed operator comprehensive requalification written

examinations required per Part 55 of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR

Part 55). This RIS requires no action or written response on the part of an addressee.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Three subparagraphs in 10 CFR 55.59 specify the requalification periodicity requirements for

licensed operators and for the associated requalification training programs administered by

facility licensees.

• Per 10 CFR 55.59(a)(1) each licensed operator must successfully complete a

requalification program developed by the facility licensee and approved by the

Commission. This program shall be conducted for a continuous period not to exceed 24

months in duration.

• Per 10 CFR 55.59(a)(2) each licensed operator must pass a comprehensive

requalification written examination and an annual operating test.

• Per 10 CFR 55.59(c)(1) licensed operator requalification training programs must be

conducted for a continuous period not to exceed two years, and upon conclusion must

be promptly followed, pursuant to a continuous schedule, by successive requalification

programs. 

ML031560628
RIS 2003-10

Page 2 of 3

SUMMARY OF ISSUE

There has been some confusion regarding the required frequency for licensed operator

comprehensive requalification written examinations. Two common questions are:

1. Can the comprehensive requalification written examination be administered after the

completion of a 24-month requalification training program? In other words, can the

requalification training program (lectures, simulator training, etc.) be conducted for

24-months, followed by the administration of the comprehensive requalification written

examination? 

The answer to this question is no. The comprehensive requalification written

examination is considered a part of each 24-month requalification training program. 

Therefore, the comprehensive requalification written examination must occur during

(and, consistent with the definition of comprehensive, preferably at or near the end of)

each 24-month requalification training program and not after a 24-month program has

been completed.

2. Does each licensed operator have to complete a comprehensive requalification written

examination at a frequency no greater than 24-months?

The answer to this question is no. Although comprehensive requalification written

examinations are generally conducted on 24-month intervals, their timing can be

adjusted somewhat near the end of each 24-month requalification program to

accommodate outages and other events. For certain individual licensed operators, the

adjustments may cause the testing interval between successive comprehensive

requalification written examinations to exceed 24 months. This is acceptable, as long as

each licensed operator takes a comprehensive requalification written examination during

each 24-month requalification program. No request for a rule exemption per 10 CFR

55.11 is required.

For example, suppose a licensed operator was in two consecutive requalification

programs. The first program ran from January 1, 1998, to December 31, 1999, and the

second program from January 1, 2000, to December 31, 2001. The licensed operator

took the comprehensive written examination for the first program on November 15,

1999, and took the comprehensive written examination for the second program on

December 12, 2001. Although this individual has exceeded 24 months between

comprehensive requalification written examinations, the facility licensee and the

individual are still in compliance with the regulations because (1) each successive

requalification training program did not exceed 24 months, (2) during each 24-month

requalification training program there was a comprehensive requalification written

examination, taken by the operator and (3) the requalification programs were conducted

on a continuous schedule. 

BACKFIT DISCUSSION

This RIS requires no action or written response and, therefore, does not constitute a backfit

under 10 CFR 50.109. Consequently, the staff did not perform a backfit analysis.
RIS 2003-10

Page 3 of 3

FEDERAL REGISTER NOTIFICATION

A notice of opportunity for public comment on this RIS was not published in the Federal

Register because it is informational. 

PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT STATEMENT

This RIS does not require any specific action or written response and, therefore, is not subject

to the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act. 

If you have any questions about this matter, contact the individual listed below. 

/RA/

William D. Beckner, Program Director

Operating Reactor Improvements Program

Division of Regulatory Improvement Programs

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Technical Contact: David S. Muller, NRR

301-415-1412

E-mail: dsm3@nrc.gov

Attachment: List of Recently Issued NRC Regulatory Issue Summaries
RIS 2003-10

Page 3 of 3

FEDERAL REGISTER NOTIFICATION

A notice of opportunity for public comment on this RIS was not published in the Federal

Register because it is informational. 

PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT STATEMENT

This RIS does not require any specific action or written response and, therefore, is not subject

to the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act. 

If you have any questions about this matter, contact the individual listed below. 

/RA/

William D. Beckner, Program Director

Operating Reactor Improvements Program

Division of Regulatory Improvement Programs

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Technical Contact: David S. Muller, NRR

301-415-1412

E-mail: dsm3@nrc.gov

Attachment: List of Recently Issued NRC Regulatory Issue Summaries

DISTRIBUTION:

ADAMS

RIS File

DOCUMENT NAME: G:\RORP\OES\Staff Folders\Petrone\MB7996\041703-CDP-dRIS-RIS24monthrequal.wpd

Adams Accession No.: ML

OFFICE DIPM/IEHB/IOHS Tech Editor SC: IOHS BC: IEHB:DIPM OES:RORP:DRIP

NAME DSMuller CP for PKleene DCTrimble TRQuay CDPetrone

DATE 04/30/2003 04/21/2003 05/01/2003 05/05/2003 04/30/2003

OFFICE SC:RORP:DRIP OGC D: DIPM SC:RORP:DRIP PD:RORP:DRIP

NAME PMMadden SLUttal BABoger TReis WDBeckner

DATE 04/30/2003 05/13/2003 05/08/2003 06/12/2003 06/13/2003

OFFICIAL RECORD COPY
______________________________________________________________________________________

OL = Operating License

CP = Construction Permit

Attachment

RIS 2003-10

Page 1 of 1

LIST OF RECENTLY ISSUED

NRC REGULATORY ISSUE SUMMARIES

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Regulatory Issue Date of 

 Summary No. Subject Issuance Issued to

_____________________________________________________________________________________

2003-09 Environmental Qualification of

Low-Voltage Instrumentation and

Control Cables

05/02/2003 All holders of operating licenses

for nuclear power reactors, except

those who have permanently

ceased operations and have

certified that fuel has been

permanently removed from the

reactor vessel.

2003-08 Protection of Safeguards

Information From Unauthorized

Disclosure

04/30/2003 All holders of operating licenses

for nuclear power reactors,

decommissioning reactor facilities,

independent spent fuel storage

installations, research and test

reactors, large panoramic and

underwater irradiators, and fuel

cycle facilities.

2003-07 Issuance of Regulations Revising

Filing Requirements for Advance

Notification of the Shipment of

Spent Nuclear Fuel and Special

Nuclear Material

04/23/2003 All U.S. Nuclear Regulatory

Commission (NRC) power reactor

licensees, research and test

reactor licensees, independent

spent fuel storage installation

licensees, and special nuclear

material licensees who ship spent

nuclear fuel and special nuclear

material.

2003-06 High Security Protected and Vital

Area Barrier/Equipment

Penetration Manual

03/20/2003 All power reactor (including

decommissioning reactor)

licensees, independent spent fuel

storage installation licensees, the

conversion facility licensee,

gaseous diffusion plant licensees, 

and Category I fuel cycle facility

licensees. 

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