Document: NRC Regulatory Guide
Document ID: 2f74adca-9d44-43cf-ba12-0bb95b927199
Document Type: regulatory_guide
Title: Welder Qualification for Areas of Limited Accessibility + HISTORY - HISTORY 10/2016 – DG-1167 , Proposed Revision 1
Source: NRC Regulatory Guide Division 1
Source URL: https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML0628/ML062840416.pdf
Revision Date: 2023-06
Chapter: 
Section ID: RG-1.71
CFR Part: 
CFR Title: 

Content:
licenses, early site permits, and combined licenses; and (2) submittals from operating reactor licensees who voluntarily propose to initiate system modifications if there is a clear nexus between the proposed modifications and the subject for which guidance is provided herein. DG-1167, Page 5 REGULATORY ANALYSIS 1. Statement of the Problem The NRC initially issued Regulatory Guide 1.71, “Welder Qualification for Areas of Limited Accessibility,” in December 1973. The guidance does not reflect changes in the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code formatting since 1973. All of the ASME paragraphs referenced in the December 1973 version of Regulatory Guide 1.71 have changed in designation. For example, “Section IX, paragraph Q-22,” should now read as “Section IX, paragraph QW-351.” Therefore, revision of this regulatory guidance is necessary to include updates in the ASME Code. 2. Objective The objective of this regulatory action is to update the NRC’s guidance for welder qualification for areas of limited accessibility, consistent with changes in the ASME Code since December 1973. 3. Alternative Approaches The NRC staff considered the following alternative approaches to the problem of outdated guidance regarding welder qualification for areas of limited accessibility: (1) Do not revise Regulatory Guide 1.71. (2) Update Regulatory Guide 1.71. 3.1 Alternative 1: Do Not Revise Regulatory Guide 1.71 Under this alternative, the NRC would not revise this guidance, and licensees would continue to use the original version of this regulatory guide. This alternative is considered the baseline or “no action” alternative and, as such, involves no value/impact considerations. 3.2 Alternative 2: Update Regulatory Guide 1.71 Under this alternative, the NRC would update Regulatory Guide 1.71 to be consistent with changes in the ASME Code, as they relate to paragraph designation formatting. This action would clarify the guidance and references to ASME Code for