Fatigue ManagementRule

Russell Smith

Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI)

Implementation of the Rule

The rule was published in the Federal Register on March 31, 2008

Fatigue rule portion of rule (Subpart I) will be required to be implemented prior to October 1, 2009

Implementation Guidance

NEI 06-11, Managing Personnel Fatigue at Nuclear Power Reactor Sites

NRC Regulatory Guide 5.73

Purpose of the Rule

To establish requirements for managing worker fatigue at operating power plants.

Fatigue is defined in the rule as the degradation in an individual’s cognitive and motor functioning resulting from inadequate rest.

Applicability for Fatigue Management

All persons who are granted unescorted access to nuclear power reactor protected areas, and

All persons who are required to physically report to the Technical Support Center or Emergency Operations Facility, in accordance with the site Emergency Plan and procedures.

Fatigue management requirements, with exception of work hour controls, apply to the following individuals:

Applicability for Work Hour Restrictions

Operating personnel operating (or directing operations for) systems and components that are risk significant

Maintenance personnel working on (or directing activities for) systems and components that are risk significant

Health Physics or Chemistry personnel performing duties which are part of the on-site emergency response organization minimum shift complement

Fire Brigade Leader Security personnel

Policy and Procedure

The licensee program shall establish a policy for the management of fatigue for all individuals who are subject to the licensee’s Fitness-For-Duty (FFD) program and incorporate the guidance into the site or corporate written FFD policy

The licensee program shall develop, implement, and maintain procedures for subpart I requirements

Covered Work means the following:

Operating or on-site directing of the operation of systems and components that a risk-informed evaluation process has shown to be significant to public health and safety,

Performing maintenance or on-site directing of the maintenance of structures, systems, and components (SSCs) that a risk-informed evaluation process has shown to be significant to public health and safety,

Covered work (continued):

Performing Health Physics or Chemistry duties required as a member of the on-site emergency response organization minimum shift complement,

Performing the duties of a Fire Brigade member who is responsible for understanding the effects of fire and fire suppressants on safe shutdown capability, and

Performing security duties as an armed security force officer, alarm station operator, response team leader, or watchperson, hereinafter referred to as Security personnel.

Work hours means the amount of time an individual performs duties for the licensee. This includes all work hours, with the following exceptions:

• Shift turnover time.

• Within-shift break and rest periods in which there is reasonable opportunity and accommodations for restorative sleep (e.g., a nap) may be excluded.

• Incidental duties performed off-site provided the total duration of the work does not exceed a nominal 30 minutes during any single break period may be excluded.

Day-off means a calendar day in which an individual does not start a work shift.

On-site means within the owner-controlled area of the nuclear power plant.

Maintenance means the following on-site maintenance activities: modification, surveillance, post-maintenance testing, and corrective and preventive maintenance.

DEFINITIONS:

Shift Cycle means a series of consecutive work shifts and days off that is planned by the licensee to repeat regularly, thereby constituting a continuous shift schedule. A shift cycle cannot exceed 6 weeks for the purposes of calculating days off.

Unit outage means that the reactor unit is disconnected from the electrical grid.

DEFINITIONS:

Work Hours Restrictions

Ceilings Breaks Minimum Days Off

Ceilings – Online and Outages

• 16 work hours in any 24-hour period

• 26 work hours in any 48-hour period

• 72 work hours in any 7-day period

Breaks – Online and Outages

• 10-hour break between work periods

• One 34-hour break every 9 days

Activity 8- hour shift Days off*

10- hour shift Days off*

12- hour shift Days off*

Maintenance 1 day off per week

2 days off per week

2 days off per week

Operations, HP, Chemistry, Fire Brigade

1 day off per week

2 days off per week

2.5 days off per week

Security 1 day off per week

2 days off per week

3 days off per week

Minimum Days Off - Online

Activity 8- hour shift Days off

10- hour shift Days off

12- hour shift Days off

Maintenance 1 day off per week

1 day off per week

1 day off per week

Operations, HP, Chemistry, Fire Brigade

3 days off in each successive (i.e., non-rolling) 15-day period

3 days off in each successive (i.e., non-rolling) 15-day period

3 days off in each successive (i.e., non-rolling) 15-day period

Security 4 days off in each successive (i.e., non-rolling) 15-day period

4 days off in each successive (i.e., non-rolling) 15-day period

4 days off in each successive (i.e., non-rolling) 15-day period

Minimum Days Off - Outage

Waivers A licensee may grant waivers to the individual work

hour limits provided:

• A Security Shift Manager determines that a waiver is necessary to maintain site security; or

• An Operations Shift Manager determines that a waiver is necessary to mitigate or prevent a condition adverse to safety; or

• A senior level manager with requisite signature authority makes either determination

AdministrativeRequirements

Proposed Rule – Self Declaration

If an individual declares he/she is too fatigued to safely perform their duties during any part of the working tour, a fatigue assessment must be performed– May forego the fatigue assessment if a 10-

hour rest break is given before the individual returns to work

If an individual is working under a waiver, and declares he/she is too fatigued to safely perform their duties, they MUST be removed from risk significant duty

Fatigue Assessments

Required For:– FOR CAUSE

– SELF DECLARATION

– POST EVENT

– FOLLOW UP

Fatigue Assessments– IDENTIFICATION OF CONDITIONS

– SUPERVISORY ASSESSMENT

Training Requirements

• General Employee

• Supervisor – Waivers

• Supervisors and FFD Personnel – Fatigue Assessments

REVIEWS

Licensees shall evaluate the effectiveness of their control of work hours of individuals who are subject to this section.

At a minimum, licensees shall conduct the reviews once per calendar year.

REPORTING

Licensees shall report on work hours in the annual FFD program performance report.

• The number of instances in which each work hour control was waived for individuals not working on outage activities.

• The number of instances in which each work hour control was waived for individuals working on outage activities.

REPORTING

Licensees shall report on work hours in the annual FFD program performance report.

• A summary that shows the distribution of waiver use among the individuals within each category.

• A summary of corrective actions, if any, resulting from the analyses of these data, including fatigue assessments.

RECORDS and AUDITS Licensees shall retain the records for

at least three years or until the completion of all related legal proceedings, whichever is later.

Licensees shall audit the fatigue management program every 24 months.