Document: NRC Regulatory Guide
Document ID: 96ecfd93-e64a-4f35-93fe-d3b95daac61d
Document Type: regulatory_guide
Title: Monitoring the Effectiveness of Maintenance at Nuclear Power Plants + HISTORY –HISTORY 06/2018 – DG-1336 , Proposed Revision 4 09/2011 – DG-1278 , Proposed Revision 3 08/1996 – DG-1051 , Proposed Revision 2 06/1994 – DG-1031, Proposed Revision 1 11/1992 – DG-1020, Proposed Revision 0 (Rev. 4)
Source: NRC Regulatory Guide Division 1
Source URL: https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML1812/ML18129A080.pdf
Revision Date: 2023-06
Chapter: 
Section ID: RG-1.160
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preserve or restore safety, reliability, and availability of plant SSCs. Maintenance includes not only activities traditionally associated with identifying and correcting actual or potential degraded conditions (i.e., repair, surveillance, diagnostic examination, and preventive measures), but extends to all supporting functions for the conduct of these activities. The activities and supporting functions that are included in the definition of “Maintenance” are listed in the policy statement. Development of the Maintenance Rule (10 CFR 50.65) The NRC published 10 CFR 50.65 (commonly referred to as the Maintenance Rule) on July 10, 1991 (Final Rule, Monitoring the Effectiveness of Maintenance at Nuclear Power Plants, 56 FR 31,306 (July 10, 1991)). The NRC determined a Maintenance Rule was needed to help assure proper plant maintenance and enhanced plant safety. As discussed in the Statements of Consideration for the Maintenance Rule, there is a clear link between effective maintenance and safety when considering such factors as the number of transients and challenges to safety systems, and the associated need for operability, availability, and reliability of safety equipment. In addition, good maintenance is also important to ensure that failure of other than safety-related SSCs that could initiate or adversely affect a transient or accident is minimized. Minimizing challenges to safety systems is consistent with the NRC’s defense-in-depth philosophy. Maintenance is also important to ensure that design assumptions and margins in the original design basis are maintained and are not unacceptably degraded. Therefore, nuclear power plant maintenance is important to protecting public health and safety. The 1991 rule required that nuclear power plant licensees evaluate performance and condition monitoring activities and associated goals and preventive maintenance activities at least annually. In 1993, the NRC amended its regulations for monitoring the effectiveness of