Provision of human factors technical support

ONR is seeking to engage one of the Technical Support Contractors (TSC) appointed on Lot 2 of its Technical Support Framework.

A high-level outline of the activities that may be required under each of these areas is provided below.

It is important to note that these are given as an illustration of the types of HF support that may be requested during the call-off contract and are not intended to form a definitive list of activities required.

Inspection Activities 1.2 Licence Compliance Inspection - Individual Licence Condition (LC) compliance is inspected through planned inspections, on a sample basis according to information derived from Safety Cases and other operational intelligence.

These may be combined into themed inspections as detailed below, or be combined with inspections of other relevant statutory provisions.

HF SQEPs can be required to support a variety of LC Compliance Inspections, most commonly Incidents on Site (LC7), Training (LC10), Operating Rules (LC23), Operating Instructions (LC24), Control and Supervision (LC 26), Safety Mechanisms (LC 27), Examination, Inspection, Maintenance and Testing EMIT (LC 28) and Organisational Capability (LC36).

1.3 Themed Compliance Inspections - LC compliance may be evaluated under the framework of an over-arching themed or cross-cutting inspection, particularly where a subject of regulatory interest reads across more than a single LC.

Such inspections may be cross functional in nature, drawing upon Site Inspector and specialist resource where relevant.

For example, HF SQEPs can be required to support Conduct of Operations, Organisational Learning and Engineering Governance inspections.

1.4 System Based Inspections (SBIs) - SBIs are an essential element of ONR's overall intervention strategy on a nuclear site and consist of a series of inspections which are intended to establish that the basic elements of a site/facility safety case as implemented in Safety Systems and Structures (SSS) are fit for purpose and that they will deliver their defined safety functional requirements.

HF SQEPs can be required to provide HF support to a variety of SBIs on Safety Systems such as Reactor Post-Trip Systems, Data Processing Systems or Fuelling Machine and Decay Store.

1.5 For all Inspection activities the Technical Support Contractor (TSC) HF SQEP will be accompanied on site by an ONR Site Inspector, Project Inspector, Human Factors Inspector or other Specialist Inspector.

The HF TSC will be expected to provide evidence, both verbally and in written form, to support inspection ratings and associated regulatory judgements.

Assessment Activities 1.6 Before ONR can permission key activities, we assess licensee Safety Cases, on a sample basis, targeting the areas of greatest risks or where hazards are least well controlled, to ensure that the licensee has demonstrated that the risks arising from these activities are reduced So Far As Is Reasonably Practicable (SFAIRP).