Safeguards and Security at OCRWM Facilities

The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management (OCRWM) is responsible for disposing of the nation's high-level radioactive waste in a way that ensures the protection of the public from any unacceptable radiological risks and the maintenance of the national security. To achieve these objectives, OCRWM is required to have in place a Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)-approved safeguards plan at its facilities. This plan will provide for the physical security of the OCRWM facility and its personnel and include a Material Control and Accountability (MC&A) program to account for all nuclear material at the facilities. Using a front-end approach, DOE has proposed a safeguards strategy based upon current NRC guidance related to the applicable regulatory requirements. This approach permits the facility designers to incorporate the safeguards concepts into the design of the facilities early in the development process.