ISO 14943:2004

INTERNATIONAL ISO
STANDARD 14943
First edition
2004-10-01

Nuclear fuel technology — Administrative
criteria related to nuclear criticality safety
Technologie du combustible nucléaire — Critères administratifs
concernant la sûreté-criticité nucléaire




Reference number
ISO 14943:2004(E)
©
ISO 2004

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ISO 14943:2004(E)
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ISO 14943:2004(E)
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards bodies
(ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out through ISO
technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical committee has been
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International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of electrotechnical standardization.
International Standards are drafted in accordance with the rules given in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2.
The main task of technical committees is to prepare International Standards. Draft International Standards
adopted by the technical committees are circulated to the member bodies for voting. Publication as an
International Standard requires approval by at least 75 % of the member bodies casting a vote.
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of patent
rights. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
ISO 14943 was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 85, Nuclear energy, Subcommittee SC 5, Nuclear
fuel technology.

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ISO 14943:2004(E)
Introduction
An effective nuclear criticality-safety programme includes cooperation among management, supervision, and
the nuclear criticality-safety staff and, for each employee, relies upon conformance with operating procedures.
Although the extent and complexity of safety-related activities may vary greatly with the size and type of
operation with fissile material, certain safety elements are common. This International Standard represents a
codification of such elements related to nuclear criticality safety. General guidance for nuclear criticality safety
may be found in ISO 1709.

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INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 14943:2004(E)

Nuclear fuel technology — Administrative criteria related to
nuclear criticality safety
1 Scope
This International Standard provides criteria for the administration of nuclear criticality-safety-related activities
for operations which take place outside of reactors and for which there exists a potential for criticality
accidents.
The responsibilities of management, supervision, and the nuclear criticality-safety staff are addressed. The
Objectives and characteristics of operating and emergency procedures are included in this International
Standard.
2 Responsibilities
2.1 Management
Management shall formulate a nuclear criticality-safety policy and make it known to all employees involved in
operations with fissile material.
Management shall accept overall responsibility for nuclear criticality safety of operations.
Management shall assign responsibility and delegate commensurate authority to implement the established
policy. Responsibility for nuclear criticality safety should be assigned in a manner that is no less rigorous than
for other safety disciplines.
Management shall provide nuclear criticality-safety staff, familiar with the physics of nuclear criticality and with
associated safety practices, to furnish technical guidance appropriate to the scope of operations. This function
should, to the extent practicable, be administratively independent of operations.
Management shall establish a means for monitoring the nuclear criticality-safety programme.
Management shall establish a defined process and an equipment change control procedure.
Management shall be involved in periodic reviews of their nuclear criticality-safety programme effectiveness.
Management shall establish operation procedures and their modification.
2.2 Operations supervisors
Each supervisor shall accept responsibility for the safety of operations under his/her control.
Each supervisor shall be aware of the controlled parameters and associated limits relevant to operations
under his/her control. Additionally, they shall have a working knowledge of relevant basic criticality methods of
control (e.g. mass, concentration, shape, etc.). Training and assistance with regard to these basic criticality
methods of control should be obtained from the nuclear criticality-safety staff.
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ISO 14943:2004(E)
Each supervisor shall provide training and shall require that the personnel under his/her supervision have an
understanding of procedures and safety considerations such that they may be expected to perform their
functions without undue risk. Records of training activities and verification of personnel understanding should
be maintained.
Each supervisor shall develop, or participate in the development of, written procedures applicable to the
operations under their control. Maintenance of these procedures to reflect changes in operations shall be a
continuing supervisory responsibility.
Each supervisor, with the help of the nuclear criticality-safety staff as needed, shall verify compliance with
nuclear criticality-safety specifications for new or modified processes or equipment before their application.
Verification may be based on inspection reports or other features of the quality-control system.
Each supervisor shall require conformance with good safety practices, including unambiguous identification of
fissile materials and good housekeeping.
2.3 Nuclear criticality-safety staff
The nuclear criticality-safety staff shall provide and accept responsibility for documented nuclear
...