DOE requires that nuclear/criticality safety programs are designed, constructed, developed, and implemented to protect the public, workers, and the environment from nuclear hazards and unplanned criticality at DOE Facilities.

In response to DOE requirements, this subject area was developed to provide guidance and procedures for the design, operation, and administration of nuclear/criticality safety controls for facilities at BNL. This subject area establishes the physical and administrative controls for nuclear/criticality safety programs at facilities. Controls include the following:

  • Threshold limit values for exempt facilities;
  • Nuclear/criticality safety evaluations;
  • Implementation of limits and controls imposed by nuclear/criticality safety evaluations;
  • Reviews, inspections, and audits or assessments to confirm that limits or controls imposed by nuclear/criticality safety evaluations have not been compromised;
  • Processes that ensure design and construction are in compliance with DOE Authorization Agreements.

Accelerators are specifically excluded from the definition of a nonreactor nuclear facility, and as such, are excluded from the provisions of 10 CFR 830 (and therefore DOE-STD-1027-92). The only exception from this exclusion is when accelerators and their operations involve or produce a sufficient inventory of fissionable materials to create the potential for criticality. For information on accelerators, see the Accelerator Safety Subject Area.

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Last Modified: March 16, 2012
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DOE, Office of Science One of ten national laboratories overseen and primarily funded by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Brookhaven National Laboratory conducts research in the physical, biomedical, and environmental sciences, as well as in energy technologies and national security. Brookhaven Lab also builds and operates major scientific facilities available to university, industry and government researchers. Brookhaven is operated and managed for DOE's Office of Science by Brookhaven Science Associates, a limited-liability company founded by the Research Foundation for the State University of New York on behalf of Stony Brook University, the largest academic user of Laboratory facilities, and Battelle, a nonprofit, applied science and technology organization.

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