[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 179 (Friday, September 13, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Page 48513]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-23514]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
NUREG-0700, Rev. 1; Issuance, Availability
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has developed guidance for
the review of advanced control room designs and advanced human-system
interfaces that may be located within conventional control rooms. This
is being issued as Revision 1 to NUREG-0700, ``Human-System Interface
Design Review Guideline,'' which is the successor to, and integrates
relevant sections of, the previous guidance used by the NRC staff,
NUREG-0700 (1981), ``Guidelines for Control Room Design Reviews.''
NUREG-0700, Revision 1 provides human factors engineering (HFE)
guidance to the NRC staff for its: (1) review of the human system
interface (HSI) design submittals prepared by licensees or applicants
for a license or design certification of commercial nuclear power
plants, and (2) performance of HSI reviews that could be undertaken as
part of an inspection or other type of regulatory review involving HSI
design or incidents involving human performance. The guidance consists
of a review process and HFE guidelines. It describes those aspects of
the HSI design review process that are important to the identification
and resolution of human engineering discrepancies that could adversely
affect plant safety. It provides guidance for the NRC staff to use in
their review of an applicant's HSI design review process or to guide
the NRC staff development of a review or inspection plan. It also
provides detailed HFE guidelines for the assessment of HSI design
implementations.
NUREG-0700, Revision 1 consists of three stand-alone volumes.
Volume 1, ``Process and Guidelines,'' is the principal technical
document and includes a detailed discussion of both the review
procedures and the HFE guidelines. In Volume 2, ``Reviewer's
Checklist,'' the HFE guidelines are in a checklist format. Volume 3,
``Review Software and User's Guide,'' is an interactive software
application to support design reviews.
Revision 1 to NUREG-0700 is not a backfit and does not impose new
requirements on current plants. It is not a generic communication that
proposes a new NRC staff position or seeks additional licensee
commitments. This document would not apply to licensees under 10 CFR
Part 50 for the review of human-system interfaces unless the licensee
initiated a voluntary upgrade.
Revision 1 to NUREG-0700 was developed to apply primarily to
advanced reactors. New plant designs submitted to the NRC for review
and approval under 10 CFR 52.47(a)(1)(ii) must meet 10 CFR
50.34(f)(2)(iii), which requires a ``control room design that reflects
state-of-the-art human factors principles.'' Revision 1 to NUREG-0700
will be used by the NRC staff as part of the comprehensive human
factors engineering review process for advanced reactors described in
the ``Human Factors Engineering Program Review Model,'' NUREG-0711
(July 1994).
Revision 1 to NUREG-0700 is consistent with a previously
established Commission position in that it does not include generic
design certification communications or generic decisions for future
plants (see SECY-92-224, June 22, 1992). The NUREG itself is not
mandatory. Rather, the guidelines contained within it represent good
human factors engineering practice based upon state-of-the-art research
and validated review criteria developed in the nuclear industry as well
as in other fields, primarily military and aerospace. The guidelines
have been subjected to extensive independent peer review by subject
matter experts as part of their development.
When this document was issued as a draft for comment in March 1995,
the Commission encouraged comment ``from all interested parties, and
specifically from facilities licensed under 10 CFR Part 50, with regard
to the NRC staff's contention that no backfitting is intended for
current licensees with the issuance of this guidance document unless a
licensee initiates a voluntary upgrade to its human-system interface.''
No such comments were received.
Four sets of written comments were received during the comment
period, of which two were essentially identical. One additional set of
comments was received after the expiration of the comment period. All
comments were considered by the NRC staff in its preparation of the
final NUREG. Copies of the submitted comments, together with a copy of
the NRC staff's ``Response to Public Comments on Draft NUREG-0700,
Revision 1'' (September 21, 1995), are available for inspection at the
Commission's Public Document Room, 2120 L Street NW. (Lower Level),
Washington, DC. Requests for single copies of NUREGs (which may be
reproduced) should be made in writing to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission, Washington, DC 20555, Attention: Distribution and Mail
Services Section. Telephone requests cannot be accommodated. NUREGs are
not copyrighted, and Commission approval is not required to reproduce
them.
In accordance with the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement
Fairness Act of 1996, the NRC has determined that this action is not a
major rule and has verified this determination with the Office of
Information and Regulatory Affairs of OMB.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jerry Wachtel, Office of Nuclear
Regulatory Research, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC
20555, telephone (301) 415-6498; e-mail [email protected]
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 30th day of August 1996.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Franklin D. Coffman, Jr.,
Chief, Control, Instrumentation & Human Factors Branch, Division of
Systems Technology, Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research.
[FR Doc. 96-23514 Filed 9-12-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P
