The Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s Office of the Inspector General recommended in a new report that the agency update fitness-for-duty requirements to improve security at nuclear reactors undergoing decommissioning.
Fitness for duty activities include drug and fatigue testing for plant employees. The IG recently conducted an audit of the NRC’s security oversight for decommissioning reactors, completing its exit conference on Feb. 9.
“NRC’s oversight of security at decommissioning reactors provides for adequate protection of radioactive structures, systems, and components,” according to the report, made public Monday. “However, NRC can improve its oversight by clarifying regulatory requirements related to the insider mitigation program and fatigue management. NRC is currently taking steps to address both issues.”
There were two specific areas for improvement, the IG found: inadequate clarity in NRC regulations on which aspects of fitness-for-duty must be enacted by decommissioning licensees; and insufficient NRC regulatory mandates for fatigue management programs at those licensees.
Agency management agreed with the recommendations, the report says. Among its efforts to address these vulnerabilities, the NRC is conducting decommissioning rulemaking and has complete a report on lessons learned from power reactor closures from 2013 to 2016, the IG said.
The NRC currently has regulatory oversight of 20 reactors that are being decommissioned.
