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Each year, CNSC publishes an annual Staff Report on the Safety Performance of the Canadian Nuclear Power Industry (Industry Report), a comprehensive report card of the performance of Canada’s five nuclear power reactor sites – Pickering, Darlington, Gentilly, Bruce and Point Lepreau.
CNSC assesses licensee programs and their implementation separately, according to five ratings that range from “A” (exceeds requirements) to “E” (unacceptable). Grades are assigned for both the design of a program and its implementation, as well as for performance in each safety area and for programs within each safety area.
In the 2007 Industry Report, CNSC personnel concluded that overall, the nuclear power plant industry operated safely. The vast majority of safety areas and programs received “B” grades, indicating that licensees met CNSC expectations. CNSC assigned a “C” grade where licensee performance fell below CNSC requirements. Even though a “C” rating does not indicate an unacceptable safety risk, CNSC continues to closely monitor facilities that received “C” grades, to ensure that licensees or applicants are making every effort to mitigate the issues identified throughout the year. No facility received a grade lower than a “C” in 2007.
Legend:
P: Program I: Implementation
A = Exceeds requirements
B = Meets requirements
C = Below requirements
D = Significantly below requirements
E = Unacceptable
Notes:
Safety Area/Program |
P or I |
Bruce |
Darlington |
Pickering |
Gentilly-2 |
Point |
||||
A |
B |
A |
B |
|||||||
Operating Performance |
P |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
||
I |
B |
B |
B |
C |
B |
B |
B |
|||
Organization and Plant Management |
P |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
||
I |
B |
B |
B |
C |
B |
B |
B |
|||
Operations |
P |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
||
I |
B |
B |
B |
C |
B |
B |
B |
|||
Occupational Health and Safety (non-radiological) |
P |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
||
I |
A |
A |
A |
B |
B |
B |
B |
|||
Performance Assurance |
P |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
||
I |
B |
B |
B |
C |
B |
B |
B |
|||
Quality Management |
P |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
||
I |
B |
B |
B |
C |
B |
C |
B |
|||
Human Factors |
P |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
||
I |
B |
B |
B |
C |
B |
B |
C |
|||
Training, Examination, and Certification |
P |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
||
I |
C |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
|||
Design and Analysis |
P |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
||
I |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
|||
Safety Analysis |
P |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
||
I |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
|||
Safety Issues |
P |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
||
I |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
|||
Design |
P |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
||
I |
C |
B |
B |
C |
B |
B |
B |
|||
Equipment Fitness for Service |
P |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
||
I |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
|||
Maintenance |
P |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
||
I |
C |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
|||
Structural Integrity |
P |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
||
I |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
|||
Reliability |
P |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
A |
||
I |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
|||
Equipment Qualification |
P |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
||
I |
B |
B |
C |
B |
B |
B |
B |
|||
Emergency Preparedness |
P |
A |
A |
A |
A |
A |
A |
A |
||
I |
A |
A |
A |
A |
A |
B |
B |
|||
Environmental Protection |
P |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
||
I |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
|||
Radiation Protection |
P |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
||
I |
B |
B |
A |
B |
B |
B |
B |
|||
Site Security |
P |
Secret |
||||||||
I |
Secret |
|||||||||
Safeguards |
P |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
||
I |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
External Performance Standards
Activity |
Performance standard |
Target |
Performance 2005-06 |
Performance 2006-07 |
Performance 2007-2008 |
Compliance12 | |||||
Verification: Upon completion of the verification activity, CNSC will: | |||||
Issue Type I Inspection Report13 | Within 60 business days |
80% |
50% |
58% |
69% |
Issue Type II Inspection Report14 | Within 40 business days |
80% |
86% |
90% |
85% |
Issue Desktop Review Report13 | Within 60 business days |
90% |
70% |
79% |
95% |
Enforcement: upon an Order being made, CNSC will: | |||||
Confirm, amend, revoke or replace the Order (see regulatory guide G-273, Making, Reviewing and Receiving Orders Under the Nuclear Safety and Control Act) | Within 10 business days |
100% |
100% |
100% |
100% |
Licensing12: For requests pertaining to an existing licence, the CNSC will: | |||||
Screen the request for completeness and issue notification that the licensing request is / is not complete15, 16 | Within 20 business days |
90% |
100% |
97% |
56% |
Issue a licensing decision when a public hearing is not required, assuming an EA under the CEAA is not required | Within 80 business days |
80% |
97% |
98% |
83% |
Issue a licensing decision when a public hearing is required, assuming an EA under the CEAA is not required (see INFO-0715, Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission Public Hearings on Licensing Matters)16 | Within 160 business days |
90% |
100% |
83% |
100% |
Access to Information | |||||
Respond to requests under the Access to Information Act and Privacy Act17 | Within legislated time periods as stated in the acts |
100% |
94% |
Access to information – 82% Privacy – 100% |
Access to information – 61% Privacy – 100% |
Activity |
Performance standard |
Target |
Performance 2005-06 |
Performance 2006-07 |
Performance 2007-2008 |
External Communications | |||||
Place public hearings advertisements | Within deadlines stipulated in the regulations |
100% |
95% |
100% |
100% |
Response time to public inquiries | Same-day acknowledgement, with response time for completion of request depending upon complexity: |
100% |
100% |
100% |
100% |
Low – same day |
100% |
100% |
100% |
100% |
|
Medium – within 5 business days |
100% |
95% |
95% |
95% |
|
High – within 10 business days |
100% |
80% |
75% |
80% |
Commission Tribunal Decisions
Number of decisions in 2007–08 |
43 |
Average number of days to release decision |
16 |
Decisions released within 30 days |
41 |
Decisions released after 30 days |
2 |
Regulations |
Expected Results |
Measurement Criteria |
2007-2008 Results Achieved |
Nuclear Substances and Radiation Devices Regulations- Amendments |
|
Completion of the amendments to the regulations. |
The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission made the regulations on March 14, 2008. The regulations were registered April 17, 2008 and were published in Canada Gazette Part II April 30, 2008. Amendments completed and regulatory deficiencies corrected and issues addressed IAEA standards adopted. |
Class II Nuclear Facilities and Prescribed Equipment Regulations - Amendments |
|
Completion of the amendments to the regulations. |
The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission made the regulations on March 14, 2008. The regulations were registered April 17, 2008 and were published in Canada Gazette Part II April 30, 2008. Amendments completed and regulatory deficiencies corrected and issues addressed. |
General Nuclear Safety and Control Regulations and Class I Nuclear Facilities Regulations-Amendments |
|
Completion of the amendments to the regulations. |
The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission made the regulations on March 14, 2008. The regulations were registered April 17, 2008 and were published in Canada Gazette Part II April 30, 2008.
|
General Nuclear Safety and Control Regulations - Class I Nuclear Facilities Regulations - Class II Nuclear Facilities and Prescribed Equipment Regulations - Nuclear Substances and Radiation Devices Regulations Amendments |
|
Completion of amendments to the regulations. |
The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission made the regulations on March 26, 2008. The regulations were registered April 17, 2008 and were published in Canada Gazette Part II April 30, 2008. Amendments completed and regulatory deficiencies corrected and issues addressed. |
Nuclear Safeguards Regulations (new regulations) |
|
Regulations completed. | No significant work done on this project since June 2007 because of staffing and job priority issues. Timeline will have to be reassessed. |
Nuclear Non-proliferation Import and Export Control Regulations - Amendments |
|
Completion of the amendments to the regulations. | Technical drafting instructions were prepared and reviewed with the Department of Justice. CNSC staff also made the proposed draft amendments available for pre-consultation with interested government agencies and exporters/importers from August to October 2007; comments received informed modifications to the drafting instructions. |
Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission Rules of Procedure and Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission By-laws-Amendments |
|
Rules of Procedure and By-laws updated. | Triage questionnaire was approved by Treasury Board Secretariat in January 2008. CNSC has developed drafting instructions for Justice Canada to review and to begin drafting regulations. |
Regulations Amending the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission Cost Recovery Fees Regulations (Miscellaneous Program)-Amendments |
|
Completion of the amendments to the regulations. |
The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission made the regulations on February 21, 2008. The regulations were registered April 17, 2008 and were published in Canada Gazette Part II April 30, 2008. Amendments completed - clarified certain sections and issues addressed. |
Regulations Amending Certain Instruments made under the Nuclear Safety and Control Act (Miscellaneous Program)-Amendments |
|
Completion of the amendments to the regulations. |
The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission made the regulations on June 21, 2007. They came into effect September 18, 2007 and were published in Canada Gazette Part II October 3, 2007. Amendments completed –inconsistencies corrected. |
Class II Nuclear Facilities Regulations-Amendments |
|
Completion of the amendments to the regulations. | Justice Canada and CNSC are working on the wording for the proposed amendments to the Class II regulations in preparation for the formal pre-consultation. |
12 Compliance and licensing results are based upon available performance data.
13 Using CNSC’s risk-informed approach to regulation, initial priority was given to the completion of reports whose results were of greater significance.
14 In power reactors, unless major issues arise, findings from field inspections and control room inspections will be reported on a quarterly basis, within 40 business days of end of quarter.
15 Initial priority was given to screening of requests from licensees that are of higher risk.
16 The screening and hearing processes do not apply to licensing and certification activities that are related to nuclear substances, radiation devices, Class II facilities, prescribed equipment, transport and packaging.
17 CNSC received 120 requests for access to information during 2007–08, an approximately 67increase from the 72 requests in 2006–07. Of the 2007–08 requests, more than half were received in the fourth quarter of the fiscal year and many were of significant length and complexity. CNSC has added two full-time employees to its Access to Information and Privacy Program and implemented additional measures to ensure full future compliance with legislated timelines in the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act.