Document: NRC Regulatory Guide
Document ID: f90c4bd2-d0e9-4015-81fc-f2cd85a8f58b
Document Type: regulatory_guide
Title: Guidance to Operators at the Controls and to Senior Operators in the Control Room of a Nuclear Power Unit (Rev. 3)
Source: NRC Regulatory Guide Division 1
Source URL: https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML0802/ML080220459.pdf
Revision Date: 2023-06
Chapter: 
Section ID: RG-1.114
CFR Part: 
CFR Title: 

Content:
l specifications, plant operating procedures, and NRC regulations, (2) reviewing operating data, including data logging and review, to ensure safe operation of the unit, and (3) being able to manually initiate engineered safety features during various transient and accident conditions. For the operator at the controls of a nuclear power unit to be able to carry out these and other responsibilities in a timely fashion, the operator’s attention must be given to the condition of the unit at all times. The operator must be alert to ensure that the unit is operating safely and must be capable of taking action to prevent any progress toward a condition that may be unsafe. This is facilitated by control room design and layout in which all controls, instrumentation displays, and alarms required for the safe operation, shutdown, and cooldown of the unit are readily available to the operator in the control room. 2. Senior Operator in the Control Room A need exists for guidance on acceptable methods of complying with the Commission’s requirement in 10 CFR 50.54(m)(2)(iii) that a senior operator be present in the control room at all times when a nuclear power unit is in an operational mode other than cold shutdown or refueling as defined by the unit’s technical specifications. A senior operator currently assigned to control room duties and within the confines of the control room is expected to be in sight of, or in audible range of, the operator at the controls or be in audible range of the control room annunciators. A senior operator’s technical expertise is required in the control room, in addition to a reactor operator’s technical expertise, because of the differences in their training programs and experience. The staffing rule requires the continuous presence of a senior operator in the control room to ensure that (1) an individual is available who can provide the oversight function of the supervisor so that the probability of correctly detecting abnormal events