OVERVIEW OF MODULE 4: Implementation, Requirements and Infrastructure
Module 4 provides information on the development of SAMG as well as implementation within the emergency response organization of the plant’s operator.
The first step in developing an SAM programme is for the plant management to decide on which SAM programme to select. The plant management can choose to
either adopt one of the available generic programmes or develop its own program from scratch. If a generic programme is chosen, it still must be tailored
to the specific plant where it will be implemented.
The next step involves forming a team consisting of various experts with the mandate to develop the SAM programme. The composition of this team will be highly dependent on the choice of the method,
where a plant-unique approach from scratch will require a substantially higher level of expertise. The reason is that such a program could / would involve laboratory experiments and development of
the associated methods and tools to extrapolate experimental work to the plant at hand. In any case the SAM development team should consist of
  • Safety analysts who are well versed in severe accident phenomenology;
  • Licensed operational staff who are well versed in plant operations;
  • Plant designers who are knowledgeable on plant systems and equipment capabilities potentially beyond their design    intent.
The team then follows the steps described in Module 3 to develop a coherent set of SAMGs. This includes the development of clear criteria for transition from the
preventive to the mitigative phase. The transition should be justified with regard to the design of the plant as well as the interactions between the different organisations (on-site and off-site)
that have been established. A number of actions initiated in the preventive domain, may still be useful in the mitigative domain, and others may not. The team must, hence, develop a proper interface
between existing EOPs and the new SAMG.
The transition to the mitigative domain and the execution of the SAMG may include the need for expert support to the main control room, in view of the large complexity of a severe accident and the
uncertainty of the outcome of mitigative actions. As a consequence, responsibilities for evaluation and decision making may shift to other levels in the plant hierarchy.
The functions and responsibilities which are involved with the transition to and execution of the SAMG should be well organized and well embedded in and interfaced with the plant's
(ERO). A plant specific verification and validation should be set up, including the specific SAMG functions in the various parts of the ERO.
For all functions in the ERO that are involved in the execution of the SAMG, a training program should be set up, comprising of both initial and refresher training.
Finally, a proper maintenance plan of the SAMG should be set up to keep the SAMG up to date with respect to any new severe accident insights, operating experience and possible plant modifications.
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