GRADED APPROACH FOR ESTABLISHMENT OF QA REQUIREMENTS FOR TYPE B PACKAGING OF RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL*

A study that was conducted by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for the U.S. Congress to assess the effectiveness of quality assurance (QA) activities has demonstrated a need to modify and improve the application of QA requirements for the nuclear industry. As a result, the packaging community, along with the nuclear industry as a whole, has taken action to increase the efficacy of the QA function. The results of the study indicate that a graded approach for establishing QA requirements is the preferred method. The essence of the graded approach is the establishment of applicable QA requirements to an extent consistent with the importance to safety of an item, component, system, or activity. This paper describes the process that is used to develop the graded approach for QA requirements pertaining to Type B packaging.