CMRR QA Application and Graded Approach

The Los Alamos National Laboratory Chemical-Metallurgical Research Replacement (CMRR) Project Quality Assurance (QA) Program was developed to ensure that ASME/NQA-1 is applied as necessary to ensure quality work using a graded approach. Using this systematic application and the graded approach method ensure that nuclear safety is achieved in the most cost-effective manner for CMRR. The CMRR Project QA Program embodies two levels of application. First, the general nature of the work determines the general applicability of requirements. Second, the Program provides for the determination of the applicability of requirements based on the importance of the work, defined by whether or not it is quality-affecting work. Once the general and specific applicability of requirements are determined, then grading is performed. Grading is the process of ensuring that levels of analyses, documentation, and actions used to comply with requirements are commensurate with (a) the relative importance to safety, safeguards, and security; (b) the magnitude of any hazard involved; (c) the life-cycle stage of a facility or item; (d) the programmatic mission of a facility; (e) the particular characteristics of a facility or item; (f) the relative importance to radiological and nonradiological hazards; and (g) any other relevant factors. The CMRR Project implements grading by identifying critical items, and specifying critical characteristics and related controls in design output documents. For safety software, a grading process is also used and levels are used to select and implement applicable software quality work activities to ensure that safety software performs its intended functions.