Year
1996
Abstract
Exterior intrusion, detection, and assessment systems are among the wide variety of technologies employed at the Y-12 Plant in Oak Ridge Tennessee for the protection of nuclear material. Resource scarcity to find additional layers of system coverage or for personnel to maintain existing systems requires that resources are directed where they are most effective in maintaining a high level of system quality. Im~ortance: Operability and quality of security systems is vitaI to national security. In the context of nuclear material protection, quality means that probability of detection is maximized while false and nuisance alarm rates are minimized. Description: This paper will describe how system management teams at Y-12 have strategically selected a number of statistical process control tools to assure quality operation. Control charts allow the manager to establish a statistical signature for a system operating in control and take preventative action when trends indicate system instability. Pareto analyses are used to identify areas where resources can be concentrated to have the most benefit. Process flow charts are used to identi~ how maintenance, operations, and other personnel function, so that duplication of effort can be eliminated and adherence to requirements assured.