May 16, 2016 

MEMORANDUM TO: Chairman Burns 

 Commissioner Svinicki 

 Commissioner Ostendorff 

 Commissioner Baran 

FROM: Victor M. McCree /RA Michael R. Johnson Acting for/ 

 Executive Director for Operations 

SUBJECT: REQUEST APPROVAL TO SUNSET ANNUAL UPDATE ON THE 

PROGRESS OF MATERIALS LICENSEES IN ADDRESSING 

SAFETY CULTURE 

The purpose of this memorandum is to request Commission approval to sunset the annual 

requirement of informing the Commission through a Commissioners’ Assistants (CA) note on 

the progress of materials licensees in addressing safety culture. 

As part of the staff’s efforts to develop a strategy to increase the attention to safety culture in the 

materials area, in SRM [Staff Requirements Memorandum]-M090527A, “Briefing on External 

Safety Culture (SECY-09-0075),” dated June 8, 2009 (Agencywide Document Access and 

Management System (ADAMS) Accession No. ML091590021), the Commission directed the 

staff to propose a mechanism for periodically informing the Commission on the progress of 

materials licensees in addressing safety culture. The most recent update was provided to the 

Commission in a CA note dated March 22, 2016 (ADAMS Accession No. ML16067A278). 

The staff has made significant progress in this area since 2009. In addition to numerous 

educational tools developed in the past several years, a new educational tool, “An Educational 

Resource about the Safety Culture Policy Statement,” was developed by the Office of 

Enforcement in coordination with program offices, and endorsed by the Organization of 

Agreement States for use by its members and licensees. In addition, the Safety Culture Policy 

and traits were incorporated into the revision of the Inspection Manual Chapter 1246, “Formal 

Qualification Programs in the Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards Program Area.” Details 

of these safety culture initiatives and outreach activities for material users are available on the 

safety culture Web page of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (NRC) Web site. The 

Safety Culture Outreach Matrix, which provides a list of all safety culture outreach activities, is 

updated biannually and is publicly available on the safety culture Web page 

at http://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/safety-culture/sc-outreach-edu-materials.html. The Safety 

Culture Policy Statement Implementation Plan Update, which provides details of outreach 

CONTACT: Catherine Thompson, OE/CRB 

 (301) 415-3409

COMSECY-16-0009

PLEASE RESPOND BY:

June 2, 2016 
The Commissioners 2 

activities as well as revisions to procedures and guidance documents to incorporate safety 

culture, is updated periodically. The most recent update from June 2015 is available on the 

safety culture Web page of the NRC’s Web site at http://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/safetyculture/sc-policy-statement.html. Because these two mechanisms are updated periodically and 

publically available on the Web page, the staff believes the need for annual updates to the 

Commission through a CA note will no longer be necessary. 

The staff will continue to update this information on the NRC's safety culture Web page in a 

timely, effective, and efficient manner, which is available to the public. The staff believes this 

request will result in process efficiencies that will save the agency resources, in accordance with 

the goals of Project AIM. 

Consistent with the SRM, staff will continue to inform the Commission of any new safety culture 

initiatives, beyond outreach and education.

SECY, please track 

cc: SECY 

 OGC 

 OCA 

 OPA 

 CFO 
The Commissioners 2 

activities as well as revisions to procedures and guidance documents to incorporate safety 

culture, is updated periodically. The most recent update from June 2015 is available on the 

safety culture Web page of the NRC’s Web site at http://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/safetyculture/sc-policy-statement.html. Because these two mechanisms are updated periodically and 

publically available on the Web page, the staff believes the need for annual updates to the 

Commission through a CA note will no longer be necessary. 

The staff will continue to update this information on the NRC's safety culture Web page in a 

timely, effective, and efficient manner, which is available to the public. The staff believes this 

request will result in process efficiencies that will save the agency resources, in accordance with 

the goals of Project AIM. 

Consistent with the SRM, staff will continue to inform the Commission of any new safety culture 

initiatives, beyond outreach and education.

SECY, please track 

cc: SECY 

 OGC 

 OCA 

 OPA 

 CFO 

Distribution: 

Public 

CAraguas, EDO 

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ADAMS Accession No.: ML16097A568 

OFFICE OE:CRB OE/CRB: BC OE: D EDO:DEDO EDO 

NAME CThompson DSolorio PHolahan GTracy(Ddorman for) VMcCree 

DATE 5/ 11 /2016 5/ 11 /2016 5/ 11 /2016 5/13 /2016 5/ 16 /2016 

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