Assessment 03
Assessment 03 : (1) The process, and the result, of analysing systematically and evaluating the hazards associated with sources and practices, and associated protection and safety measures. Assessment is often aimed at quantifying performance measures for comparison with criteria. In Agency publications, assessment should be distinguished from analysis. Assessment is aimed at providing information that forms the basis of a decision on whether or not something is satisfactory. Various kinds of analysis may be used as tools in doing this. Hence an assessment may include a number of analyses. Consequence Assessment: Assessment of the radiological consequences (e.g. doses, activity concentrations) 6 of normal operation and possible accidents associated with an authorized facility or part thereof. This differs from risk assessment in that probabilities are not included in the assessment. Dose Assessment: Assessment of the dose(s) to an individual or group of people. For example, assessment of the dose received or committed by an individual on the basis of results from workplace monitoring or bioassay. The term exposure assessment is also sometimes used. Exposure Assessment: See: Assessment (1), Dose Assessment. Performance Assessment: Assessment of the performance of a system or subsystem and its implications for protection and safety at an authorized facility. Care should be taken when discussing 'consequences' in this context to distinguish between radiological consequences of events causing exposure, such as doses, and the health consequences, such as cancers, that could result from doses. 'Consequences' of the former type generally imply a probability of experiencing 'consequences' of the latter type. See: End Point. This differs from safety assessment in that it can be applied to parts of an authorized facility (and its environment), and does not necessarily require the assessment of radiological impacts. Risk Assessment: Assessment of the radiological risks associated with normal operation and possible accidents involving a source or practice. This will normally include consequence assessment, together with some assessment of the probability of those consequences arising. Safety Assessment: (1) Assessment of all aspects of a practice that are relevant to protection and safety; for an authorized facility, this includes siting, design and operation of the facility. This will normally include risk assessment. See also: Probabilistic Safety Assessment (PSA). (2) Analysis to predict the performance of an overall system and its impact, where the performance measure is the radiological impact or some other global measure of the impact on safety. (3) The systematic process that is carried out throughout the design process to ensure that all the relevant safety requirements are met by the proposed (or actual) design. Safety assessment includes, but is not limited to, the formal safety analysis. See: Safety Assessment and Verification for Nuclear Power Plants, Safety Standards Series No. NS-G-1.2 (2002). Threat Assessment: The process of analysing systematically the hazards associated with facilities, activities or sources within or beyond the borders of a State in order to identify: (a) those events and the associated areas for which protective actions may be required within the State; (b) the actions that would be effective in mitigating the consequences of such events. The term threat assessment does not imply that any threat, in the sense of an intention and capability to cause harm, has been made in relation to such facilities, activities or sources. (2) Activities carried out to determine that requirements are met and that processes are adequate and effective, and to encourage managers to implement improvements, including safety improvements. This usage originated in quality assurance and related fields. The IAEA is revising the requirements and guidance in the subject area of quality assurance as established in Safety Series No. 50-C/SG-Q (1996) for new safety standards on management systems for the safety of nuclear facilities and activities involving the use of ionizing radiation. The term 'management system' has been adopted in the revised standards instead of the terms 'quality assurance' and 'quality assurance programme'. Assessment activities may include reviewing, checking, inspecting, testing, surveillance, auditing, peer evaluation and technical review. These activities can be divided into two broad categories: independent assessment and self-assessment. Independent Assessment: Assessments such as audits or surveillances carried out to determine the extent to which the requirements for the management system are fulfilled, to evaluate the effectiveness of the management system and to identify opportunities for improvement. They can be conducted by or on behalf of the organization itself for internal purposes, by interested parties such as customers and regulators (or by other persons on their behalf), or by external independent organizations.[DD22] This definition applies in management systems and related fields. Persons conducting independent assessments do not participate directly in the work being assessed. Independent assessment activities include internal and external audit, surveillance, peer evaluation and technical review, which are focused on safety aspects and areas where problems have been found. An audit is used in the sense of a documented activity performed to determine by investigation, examination and evaluation of objective evidence the adequacy of, and adherence to, established procedures, instructions, specifications, codes, standards, administrative or operational programmes and other applicable documents, and the effectiveness of their implementation. Self-Assessment: A routine and continuing process conducted by senior management and management at other levels to evaluate the effectiveness of performance in all areas of their responsibility. This definition applies in management systems and related fields. Self-assessment activities include review, surveillance and discrete checks, which are focused on preventing, or identifying and correcting, management problems that hinder the achievement of the organization's objectives, particularly safety objectives. Self-assessment provides an overall view of the performance of the organization and the degree of maturity of the management system. It also helps to identify areas for improvement in the organization, to determine priorities, and to set a baseline for further improvement. Senior management means the person who, or group of people which, directs, controls and assesses an organization at the highest level. The term management self-assessment is also used, notably in the Agency's safety standards on quality assurance in nuclear power plants
No records Found