Document: NRC Regulatory Guide
Document ID: 1ac32162-97f5-4f31-bb0b-e39d7e0e70ca
Document Type: regulatory_guide
Title: Assessing and Managing Risk Before Maintenance Activities at Nuclear Power Plants
Source: NRC Regulatory Guide Division 1
Source URL: https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML0037/ML003740117.pdf
Revision Date: 2023-06
Chapter: 
Section ID: RG-1.182
CFR Part: 
CFR Title: 

Content:
U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION REGULATORY GUIDE 44C• OFFICE OF NUCLEAR REGULATORY RESEARCH REGULATORY GUIDE 1.182 (Draft was issued as DG-1 082) ASSESSING AND MANAGING RISK BEFORE MAINTENANCE ACTIVITIES AT NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS A. INTRODUCTION The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has amended the Maintenance Rule, 10 CFR 50.65, by adding a new paragraph (a)(4): Before performing maintenance activities (including but not limited to surveillances, post-maintenance testing, and corrective and preventive maintenance), the licensee shall assess and manage the increase in risk that may result from the proposed maintenance activities. The scope of the assessment may be limited to structures, systems, and components that a risk-informed evaluation process has shown to be significant to public health and safety. [64 FR 38551, July 19, 1999, "Monitoring the Effectiveness of Maintenance at Nuclear Power Plants"] As of July 1998, Maintenance Rule Baseline Inspections at all U.S. nuclear power plant sites were complete. NRC staff experience during the baseline inspections indicated that all licensees have developed programs to implement the recommended pre-maintenance assessment provision of the original paragraph (a)(3). However, the baseline inspections identified a number of instances in which these assessments were not performed (including some that caused a significant increase in risk) and identified weaknesses in licensees' programs that could result in failures to perform adequate assessments prior to maintenance activities. Partly because of these inspection findings, the Commission approved the Regulatory guides are issued to describe and make available to the public such information as methods acceptable to the NRC staff for implementing specific parts of the NRC's regulations, techniques used by the staff in evaluating specific problems or postulated accidents, and data needed by the NRC staff in its review of applications for permits and licenses.