Recent Process Improvements in Department of Energy Headquarters Packaging Certification

The U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Licensing (EM-24), certifies the regulatory safety compliance of shipping containers for radioactive materials through a program of technical reviews and confirmatory analyses of Safety Analysis Reports for Packagings (SARPs). Recent initiatives undertaken to improve the speed and efficiency of the certification process include the following: 1) an Improved Packaging Certification Process flowchart that emphasizes early and systematic communication between the applicant and regulator; 2) a SARP Completeness Checklist; 3) guidelines for qualifications, education, and training of SARP Writing Team members; and 4) a training course for certification applicants on Management of SARP Preparation. A primary goal of these initiatives is to improve the quality of the SARP that is submitted with the initial application.