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NRC Regulatory Issue Summary 2002-01
Changes to NRC Participation in the International Nuclear Event Scale
January 14, 2002
Addresses
All holders of operating licenses for nuclear power reactors, except
those who have permanently ceased operations and have certified that fuel
has been permanently removed from the reactor vessel.
Intent
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing this regulatory
issue summary (RIS) to inform addressees of impending changes in the NRC's
level of participation in the International Nuclear Event Scale (INES).
This RIS does not transmit any new requirements or staff positions and
does not require any specific action or written response.
Background Information
The INES promotes prompt and consistent communication regarding the safety
significance of reported events at nuclear installations by defining a
consistent framework and common terminology for describing events to the
nuclear community, the media, and the public. The INES was designed and
developed by an international group of experts convened jointly by the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Nuclear Energy Agency
(NEA) of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
The group was guided in its work by the findings of a series of international
meetings held to discuss general principles underlying such a scale. The
INES also reflects the experience gained from the use of similar scales
in France and Japan, as well as consideration of possible scales in several
other countries.
The INES classifies events at several levels. Events of greater safety
significance (levels 4-7) are termed "accidents," while events
of lesser safety significance (levels 1-3) are termed "incidents,"
and those of no safety significance (level 0 or below) are termed "
deviations." A description of the INES, including an explanation
of the various classification levels, can be found at <http://www.iaea.org/worldatom/Periodicals/Factsheets/English/emergency.html> .
The NRC has participated in the INES in a limited fashion since 1993.
The NRC issued Generic Letter 92-09, "Limited Participation by NRC
in the IAEA International Events Scale", dated December 12, 1992,
to inform licensees that the agency had agreed to use the INES to rate
all reactor events that result in the declaration of an "Alert"
or higher emergency classification. Pursuant to that decision, from February
1993 through September 2001, the NRC transmitted a total of 32 reactor-related
INES reports to the IAEA.
In order to be even more responsive to international stakeholders, the
NRC has elected to increase its participation by evaluating all reported
nuclear events (reactor, fuel cycle, materials, and transportation events)
for possible rating on the INES. Medical misadministrations are outside
the scope of the INES and will not be reviewed by the NRC for possible
rating. Only events rated at Level 2 or higher will be reported to the
IAEA, unless another member country specially requests the rating of a
particular event. The NRC estimates that this reporting threshold will
result in approximately one reactor report and fewer than five materials
reports being filed per year. The NRC staff is unaware of any negative
impact upon licensees as a result of the NRC's participation in the INES
to date, and the agency expects that its increased level of participation
in the INES will have a negligible effect on licensees or State and local
governments.
Licensees should continue to report events in accordance with the regulations.
The change in policy regarding the NRC's level of participation in the
INES is merely a response to increasing interest by foreign government
agencies and media in events occurring at facilities in the United States.
The INES is not intended to supersede the existing four-tiered emergency
classification system described in NUREG-0654, Revision 1,"Criteria
for Preparation and Evaluation of Radiological Emergency Response Plans
and Preparedness in Support of Nuclear Power Plants", February 2001.
Nonetheless, many countries throughout the world have adopted the INES
as a consistent framework for communicating the significance of events
involving nuclear facilities.
Backfit Discussion
This RIS does not require any action or written response, or any modification
to plant structures, systems, components, or facility design; therefore,
the staff did not perform a backfit analysis.
Federal Register Notification
This RIS is informational and pertains to a staff position that does
not represent a departure from current regulatory requirements and practice.
Consequently, the staff did not publish a notice of opportunity for public
comment in the Federal Register.
Paperwork Reduction Act Statement
This RIS does not request addressees to collect any information and therefore
is not subject to the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act.
If you have any questions about this matter, please telephone or e-mail
the technical contact listed below.
/RA/
Donald A. Cool, Director
Division of Industrial and Medical Nuclear Safety
Office of Nuclear Materials Safety and Safeguards
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/RA/
David B. Matthews, Director
Division of Regulatory Improvement Programs
Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
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ADAMS Accession Number ML013200502
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