NUREG-0700, Rev. 1; Issuance, Availability

[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 JXW4@NRC.GOV.

    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]
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