§ 72.144 Quality assurance program.

(a) The licensee, applicant for a license, certificate holder, and applicant for a CoC shall establish, at the earliest practicable time consistent with the schedule for accomplishing the activities, a quality assurance program which complies with the requirements of this subpart. The licensee, applicant for a license, certificate holder, and applicant for a CoC shall document the quality assurance program by written procedures or instructions and shall carry out the program in accordance with these procedures throughout the period during which the ISFSI or MRS is licensed or the spent fuel storage cask is certified. The licensee, applicant for a license, certificate holder, and applicant for a CoC shall identify the structures, systems, and components to be covered by the quality assurance program, the major organizations participating in the program, and the designated functions of these organizations.

(b) The licensee, applicant for a license, certificate holder, and applicant for a CoC, through their quality assurance program(s), shall provide control over activities affecting the quality of the identified structures, systems, and components to an extent commensurate with the importance to safety and, as necessary, to ensure conformance with the approved design of each ISFSI, MRS, or spent fuel storage cask. The licensee, applicant for a license, certificate holder, and applicant for a CoC shall ensure that activities affecting quality are accomplished under suitably controlled conditions. Controlled conditions include the use of appropriate equipment; suitable environmental conditions for accomplishing the activity, such as adequate cleanliness; and assurance that all prerequisites for the given activity have been satisfied. The licensee, applicant for a license, certificate holder, and applicant for a CoC shall take into account the need for special controls, processes, test equipment, tools and skills to attain the required quality and the need for verification of quality by inspection and test.

(c) The licensee, applicant for a license, certificate holder, and applicant for a CoC shall base the requirements and procedures of their quality assurance program(s) on the following considerations concerning the complexity and proposed use of the structures, systems, or components:

(1) The impact of malfunction or failure of the item on safety;

(2) The design and fabrication complexity or uniqueness of the item;

(3) The need for special controls and surveillance over processes and equipment;

(4) The degree to which functional compliance can be demonstrated by inspection or test; and

(5) The quality history and degree of standardization of the item.

(d) The licensee, applicant for a license, certificate holder, and applicant for a CoC shall provide for indoctrination and training of personnel performing activities affecting quality as necessary to ensure that suitable proficiency is achieved and maintained.

(e) The licensee, applicant for a license, certificate holder, and applicant for a CoC shall review the status and adequacy of the quality assurance program at established intervals. Management of other organizations participating in the quality assurance program must regularly review the status and adequacy of that part of the quality assurance program which they are executing.