[DOE LETTERHEAD]
January 23,
2006
The Honorable A. J. Eggenberger
Chairman
Defense Nuclear Facilities
Safety Board
625
Indiana Avenue, N
W, Suite 700
Washington, D.C. 20004
Dear Mr. Chairman:
Your letter of November 23,
2005 to Secretary
Bodman, requested a report from the Department of Energy (DOE) “providing the
details of a more aggressive plan for developing and implementing an
appropriate DOE-level policy, along with the necessary implementing guidance,
to ensure the appropriate use of risk assessment methodologies at defense
nuclear facilities.” You noted a concern
that in the absence of DOE policy and guidance on the use of risk assessment,
“individual program elements and field entities continue to apply various
approaches on an ad hoc basis.” On
behalf of Secretary Bodman, I am
pleased to respond to your request for a plan to develop DOE policy and guidance
on the use of risk assessment methodologies.
Attached is a revised draft
Department of Energy Risk Assessment Policy. You provided comments on a previous draft and
this revision responds to your comments and other input. Also attached is a draft Risk Management
Planning and Execution Guidance document (draft DOE G 421.1-2).
This draft guidance provides DOE expectations on appropriate
processes to plan and execute risk assessment methodologies for nuclear applications.
This guidance document is based
on the review of other risk assessment methodologies and techniques used in
other government agencies and industries as tools to aid safety decision-making.
References to some of these other
methodologies are provided in this document. We recognize, however, that DOE hazards and
work environments are unique and evolving, and safety decisions inherently
involve some assumption of risk. To properly
assess and use risk-insights, we agree that DOE should provide a more formalized
and disciplined structure and process for risk assessment and management so that
important safety decisions are credible and defensible.
The Office of Nuclear and Facility
Safety Policy developed the attached draft policy and guidance. I requested
that it lead a DOE-wide effort to finalize this policy and guidance. A team will be formed to (a) further review
DOE applications of risk assessment tools, (b) collaborate with other
government agencies, particularly the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the
National Aeronautical Space Agency, on processes, (c) evaluate industries
standards for probabilistic risk assessments, (d) involve risk assessment
experts in our National Laboratories, and (e) involve appropriate working
groups from the Energy Facility Contractors Group (EFCOG).
I
believe that the
draft policy and guidance documents are good starting points for this collaborative
effort. DOE will form a review team and
hold the first planning meeting within 45 days. Your staff will be invited to this meeting. This meeting will occur after the EFCOG Safety
Basis Workshop in Albuquerque on February 14 and 15, 2006. This Workshop will provide more details on
expected actions, schedules and responsibilities that are necessary for the
review team. We will provide those
details to you after the first team meeting. I expect
the next version of the policy and guidance documents within 6 months based on
the broader team input. The final policy
and guidance documents should be available for DOE-wide review within I2 months.
This effort will be coordinated with
your staff and periodic meetings and briefings will be provided.
Sincerely,
John Spitaleri Shaw
Assistant Environment,
Safety and Health
cc:
C. Sell, S-2
L. Brooks, NA-1
D. Garman, ESE-1
J. Rispoli, EM-1
S.
Johnson, NE-1
M. Whitaker, DR-1