Regulations, Standard Review Plan, SECY Paper, and NUREG-1055 Regarding Quality Assurance for New Reactors

The "Quality Assurance Criteria for Nuclear Plants and Fuel Reprocessing Plants," set forth in Appendix B to Title 10, Part 50, of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR Part 50), must be implemented for activities affecting safety-related plant equipment. Licensees are also required to develop, and control changes to, their quality assurance (QA) programs, as stated in 10 CFR 50.54(a)(1). In addition, 10 CFR 50.34(b)(6)(ii) requires that a licensees description of its QA program for a nuclear power plant must include a discussion of how the applicable requirements of Appendix B will be satisfied. For detail, see the following topics:

Code of Federal Regulations

Part Subject
Appendix A to 10 CFR Part 50 General Design Criteria
Appendix B to 10 CFR Part 50 Main QA Regulation
10 CFR Part 21 Reporting of Defects and Noncompliance (Last updated July 6, 2012)
10 CFR 50.4(b)(7) Written Communications - Quality Assurance Related Submittals
10 CFR 50.34(b)(6)(ii) QA Program Description
10 CFR 50.34(f)(3)(ii) and 10 CFR 50.34(f)(3)(iii) Requirements Related to the Incident at Three Mile Island (TMI) (I.F.1 and I.F.2)
10 CFR 50.36(c)(5) Administrative Controls
10 CFR 50.54(a)(1) QA Program Requirement
10 CFR 50.54(a)(2) Submittal of QA Program Description
10 CFR 50.54(a)(3) QA Program Description Change Control
10 CFR 50.54(a)(4) Reductions in Commitments in QA Program
10 CFR 50.55(e) Evaluation of Defects and Failures To Comply Associated with a Substantial Safety Hazard
10 CFR 50.55a Codes and Standards
10 CFR 50.71(e) Maintenance of Records
10 CFR 52.17(a)(xi) QA Program Description (Early Site Permits)
10 CFR 52.47(a)(8) TMI-Related Requirements (Design Certifications)
10 CFR 52.47(a)(19) QA Program Description (Design Certifications)
10 CFR 52.79(a)(17) TMI-Related Requirements (Combined Licenses)
10 CFR 52.79(a)(25) QA Program Description (Combined Licenses)

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Standard Review Plan (NUREG-800)

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Section Title Rev. Date Updated
17.1 Quality Assurance During the Design and Construction Phases Rev. 2 07/1981
17.2 Quality Assurance During the Operations Phase Rev. 2 07/1981
17.3 Quality Assurance Program Description Rev. 0 08/1990
17.5 Quality Assurance Program Description - Design Certification, Early Site Permit, and New License Applicants Rev. 1 08/2015

SECY Paper

The staff of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) performed a review of international QA standards (ISO 9001-2000) against the existing framework of Appendix B to 10 CFR Part 50, and assessed approaches for adopting international quality standards for safety-related components in nuclear power plants into the existing regulatory framework. This review is documented in SECY-03-0117.

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NUREG-1055

At the request of Congress, NRC conducted a study of existing and alternative programs for improving quality and the assurance of quality in the design and construction of commercial nuclear power plants. The study concluded that the root cause for major quality-related problems was the failure or inability of some utility managements to effectively implement a management system that ensured adequate control over all aspects of the project. In addition, NRC's past licensing and inspection practices did not adequately screen construction permit applicants for overall capability to manage or provide effective management oversight over the construction project. NUREG-1055 documents the results of the study.

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Page Last Reviewed/Updated Monday, December 11, 2023