CNSC's Nuclear Management Program: Management Response

1.  Collaborative attention should be given to leadership, coordination and role definition (accountability) issues.  All parties in the emergency management framework should participate in improvement to these areas.  Proactive relationship building with the provinces should be pursued by nuclear emergency management (NEM).

Unit Responsible

Management Response

Timeline

Emergency Management Programs Division
(EMPD)

EMPD continues to improve its relations with provincial emergency management organisations (EMOs).  We also meet regular within the FPTCCRNEM (Federal Provincial Territorial Coordinating Committee on Radiological and Nuclear Emergency Management). EMPD also has regular bilateral discussions with provincial EMOs.  In the example of Ontario, these include discussions to update and renew the memorandum of understanding (MOU) between our two organisations. Regulatory Affairs Division (RAD) will be consulted to ensure that the process is consistent with the “Framework and Process For Developing, Implementing and Maintaining Arrangements as Defined under Subsection 21(1)(A) of the Nuclear Safety and Control Act”.  This process includes approaching OMC and EC prior to initiating formal discussions to ensure that such arrangements, in principle, would be consistent with the organisation’s strategic objectives.  EMPD recommends that CNSC’s priorities in this area should be focused on Ontario, New Brunswick, and Quebec.

Approach OMC and EC for mandate to initiate formal discussions with the priority governments by Q2 2007-2008.

Expect to conclude MOU with Ontario in Q4 2007-2008, others by Q4 2008-2009

2.  Enhancements related to the evaluations of exercises (including timeliness, consistency and follow through) should be explored by NEM Program Management.

Unit Responsible

Management Response

Timeline

Emergency Management Programs Division
(EMPD)

The Formative Evaluation identified that aggregated summaries would enhance the NEM program.  See response to recommendation #3.

Annually in September.

3.  Regular operational reporting should be instituted on an annual basis.  This reporting should include the use of resources, progress towards business objectives and desired results and could be merged with functions delivered elsewhere in the organization moving into the new Directorate.

Unit Responsible

Management Response

Timeline

Emergency Management Programs Division
(EMPD)

EMPD can report to OMC annually on matters related to the CNSC’s Nuclear Emergency Management Program.

Annually in September.

4.  Internal relationship issues should be examined by the NEM.  These issues include the efficient work of the NEO and changes to relationship management that will result from the April 2006 organizational changes.

Unit Responsible

Management Response

Timeline

Emergency Management Programs Division
(EMPD)

Given the organisational adjustments in February and March of 2007, and the changes that came to DSS in April 2006, the NEO has seen many changes.  EMPD’s goal is to train (or re-train, as the case may be) staff in their respective roles in time for a full-scale exercise in October 2007 being held by the Province of Ontario in Chalk River.

Q3 2007-2008

In May 2007, EMPD obtained agreement from OMC to raise the level of prompt response for the CNSC in the event of an emergency.  These changes will require additional funding.  See Recommendation 6 for more details. This will be part of the implementation and training discussed above.

September/October 2007 (i.e. mid-year review)

5.  Technology should be used more efficiently in order to provide increased efficiencies and ease of managing evaluation results, licensee exercise recommendations and the voluminous NEM procedures.

Unit Responsible

Management Response

Timeline

Emergency Management Programs Division
(EMPD)

Limited benchmarking has taken place in understanding how other nuclear regulators use technology for the greatest benefit.  For example, the US-NRC requires its licensees to transmit key accident data (coolant data, nucleonics, wind speed and direction…) by electronic means during an accident.  This type of data transmission allows the NRC to standardise how the data is received and how it then can be used in its EOC during an emergency.  This in turn reduces the chance of misinterpretation of data that might be transmitted by telephone or some other means. It also allows for more frequent refreshing of the data (at the NRC, 60-80 data points are refreshed every second). More details are available at BITS 1088047.  EMPD is expecting to introduce this and other similar concepts as part of CNSC’s Vision 2020 exercise.

Q3 2007-2008

The CNSC’s EOC already takes advantage of some useful technology.  For example, the EOC is outfitted with smart board technology that allows the user to not only display computer graphics on a screen, but allows the user to interact with the software displayed on the screen in a mouse-like fashion (clicking, double-clicking, dragging/dropping).  This enhances how the NEO staff can interact and communicate during emergency matters.

Closed

The Formative Evaluation suggests that manuals and other types of tools be put “on-line” to make for easier use in an emergency.  Though the CNSC now has (and routinely tests) a backup power system, most schools of thought adhere to the perspective that these types of reference materials are more secure when used in hard copy – a black-out would render an organisation impotent if all reference materials were only available electronically. It is believed that, in an emergency, most people prefer referring to hard-copy manuals rather than electronic documents – it is often considered more natural to leaf through a manual than to scroll down a computer screen.  That being said, the US-NRC has made most if not all its manuals, system flowsheets, and site information available electronically in its EOC.  Since CNSC’s manuals are edited electronically and available on network drives, one can say that they are currently “on-line”.

Closed

6.  Overtime compensation should be consolidated under the NEM program, as opposed to being paid out of the home division. This will provide consistent application of the overtime provision and allow for ease in assessment of NEM-related costs.

Unit Responsible

Management Response

Timeline

Emergency Management Programs Division
(EMPD)

Pursuant to a recent decision by OMC, the CNSC is moving to a 5-person core team to allow for prompt response to an emergency.  To accomplish this, new funding will be required for some of the staff’s “standby” duty pay. EMPD will be recommending that such funding be centralised within EMPD much like the DO program.

September/October 2007 (i.e. mid-year review)

EMPD currently has a $35 000 budget with the sole purpose being to consolidate the overtime expenses related to the Duty Officer (DO) program.  Many CNSC DOs are staffed within EMPD, but most are staffed from other Responsibility Centres (RC). Overtime pay for non-EMPD non-DO staff implicated in an emergency is funded through their home RC.

September 2007