ASME NQA.TR:2020 pdf free download – Evolution of Quality Assurance Principles and Requirements in the U.S. Nuclear Industry
In1968,CommissionerRameyaddressedtheAmericanPowerConferenceexpressinghis concernsaboutinsufficiently experienced organizations causingerrors andomissions resultingin startup problems and delays in nuclearpowerplant construction. He emphasizedthatthese problems anddelays demandedmanagementleadership and urgentattentionby the nuclear utilities. 5 He referred to his 1966 definition ofquality assurance and the practices necessary for an effective quality assurance program. Commissioner Ramey’s concerns, when coupled with other unplanned events, led eventually to the development of AEC regulation on nuclear qualityassurance, known as Appendix B to Title 10 ofthe Code ofFederal Regulation, Part50 (10 C.F.R. 50). In response to Appendix B, the ASME-sponsored American National Standards N45 Committee formed a qualityassurancesubcommittee to develop standardsforimplementingqualityassurancestandards. This subcommittee subsequently became the ASME Nuclear Quality Assurance (NQA) Committee. Since their inception, these ASME stan- dardscommitteeshavecarefullypreservedtheearlydefinitionandtheenlightenedconceptsofnuclearqualityassurance. Throughout the late 1960s and 1970s, as nuclear power plant construction projects continued to grow in size and numbers, groups ofpeople were trained to conform theirprograms to ANSI N45.2 and laterto ASME NQA-1. As we know now, the nuclear industrydesigned, constructed, and successfullyoperated over 100 nuclear power plants; however, no newplants have been ordered forover 20 years. Duringthe late 1960s and 1970s, manyofthe skilled workers in the U.S. nuclear industrywho managed, designed, and constructed these plants moved to other careers, retired, or were nearing retirement. Today, the nuclear industry is approaching the same situation it initially faced in the early 1960s: a lack of knowledgeable and skilled management, technical, and quality assurance professionals.
With the prospectemergingagain for newnuclear power plantorders and a newcycle ofgrowth in the nuclear power industry, the ASME NQACommittee believes itis appropriate and timelyto prepare an historical record ofevents for the next generation of managers, technical specialists, and nuclear quality assurance professionals. The ASME NQA Committee intends that this Technical Report will be used to acquaint newly involved management, technical, and quality assurance professional with the what, how, and why of the principles, practices, and requirements that have been defined and documented in ASME NQA-1 and otherstandards, as well as with some ofthe keyqualitymanage- ment issues.
ASME NQA Committee issued ASME NQA-1–2015. In this edition, the committee continued its efforts toenhancetheunderstandingandusabilityoftheStandard(e.g.,PartsII,III, andIV).Of particular note were the consolidation ofthe majority ofsoftware requirements in Subpart 2.7, and guidance on the relationship between the software requirements and guidance. An initialsetofprocess flowdiagramsforthesoftwarerequirements ofASME NQA-1a–2009 was included to assist in the implementation of ASME NQA-1–2008 with the 2009 addenda. A guide on the peer-review process was also developed and included in this edition.
ASME NQA Committee issued ASME NQA-1–2017. The edition was revised to address requirements and guidance for use of electronic quality assurance records and supplier accreditation for calibration and testing services. Guidance for control of nonconforming items was revised, and minor changes were made to the graded approach for applyingASME NQA-1 to research and development projects. Additionally, the full set of process flow diagrams for the software requirements of ASME NQA-1a–2009 was completed to better assist in the implementation of ASME NQA-1–2008 with the 2009 addenda.