Document: NRC Regulatory Guide
Document ID: a5ee4c78-1135-4bb6-8d54-e974a3402f87
Document Type: regulatory_guide
Title: An Approach for Plant-Specific, Risk-Informed Decisionmaking: Graded Quality Assurance
Source: NRC Regulatory Guide Division 1
Source URL: https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML1221/ML12216A017.pdf
Revision Date: 2023-06
Chapter: 
Section ID: RG-1.176
CFR Part: 
CFR Title: 

Content:
controls provides reasonable confidence that the reliability assumed in the risk analysis, or the associated qualitative decisionmaking process, remains valid. Licensees may voluntarily select certain Appendix B QA program controls as augmented quality provisions. However, a licensee may determine that the amount of QA controls currently being applied to these high safety- significant, non-safety-related SSCs are appropriate. If there is reasonable assurance that the SSC will perform its intended function, there may be no need to apply augmented QA controls. The licensee should be able to provide a documented basis concerning the adequacy of the QA controls applied to these high safety-significant, non-safety-related SSCs. The discussion that QA controls will be applied to high safety-significant, non-safety-related SSCs, and the delineation of the augmented quality controls that will be applied to those SSCs must be documented by the licensee in the QA program. In the above manner, risk insights will be used in an integrated manner to identify areas in which improvements should be implemented. If the PRA analysis assumed that certain non- safety-related SSCs would perform particular func- tions under postulated design basis conditions (for example, seismic, harsh environment, or fire), and these SSCs are categorized as high safety-significant, then GQA controls that address the equipment characteristics that support the credited function should be considered. 3.2 Potential Areas for Implementing GQA Program Controls Low safety-significant SSCs that are safety- related, to which the QA program controls, in Appendix B to 10 CFR Part 50 have previously been applied, are candidates for grading subject to the guidance discussed earlier. In addition, for high safety- significant SSCs. that are non-safety-related, licensee evaluation should be performed to identify proposed augmented quality controls. Some areas that may be appropriate for applying GQA program controls