Q.

Can DSA development be outsourced effectively? Or, will I have to redo everything once the contractor leaves?

A.

If the contractor does not understand your needs or does not gather the facility-specific information required, your DSA and supporting documents will probably end up without sufficient detail to be useful to your staff. You will probably have to rewrite them to make them acceptable to your DOE reviewer. ABS Consulting avoids these problems by working directly with your staff in all the various disciplines (e.g. operations, fire protection, criticality safety) to make sure that your operations are understood and comprehensively analyzed. Our analysts are well versed in all of the DOE orders and guides concerning preparation of DSAs and supporting analyses (e.g. hazard analysis, accident analysis, consequence analysis, natural phenomena analysis).

Q.

How do I provide authorization basis support staff for a new process or facility under DOE Order 413.3 through all of the Critical Decisions?

A.

Building a new process or facility at a DOE site is a multiyear process. However, no contractor wants to staff up for a project like this just to turn around and experience staff reductions at the end of the project. ABS Consulting can supplement your staff during the peak workload periods through the various Critical Decision phases. We have successfully worked with prime contractor teams starting with the conceptual design to build safety into the project, through the preliminary DSA, and finally, supporting submittal of the final DSA. Our staff loading can rise and fall over the project duration as support needs change, avoiding costly staff increases and reductions.

Q.

When should I use quantitative risk assessment tools? Aren't qualitative methods sufficient?

A.

A risk assessment is typically used if a qualitative analysis (e.g., a process hazard analysis) does not provide adequate information to make necessary risk-based decisions. A risk assessment can fill this information gap by providing cost-effective solutions for critical issues.

Example: A qualitative analysis of your facility generates several costly recommendations involving additional, complex safeguards for a process. Which recommendation should be dealt with first? If there are several different ways to address the need for a safeguard, what is the cost-benefit ratio (the best protection at the least overall cost) for each one? We can tailor a risk assessment to effectively answer questions like these.

Q.

Should I use outside assistance to help investigate major incidents?

A.

With proper training and a structured approach, most organizations can successfully investigate their routine events. Major incidents, however, will require a greater level of expertise. ABS Consulting can help you address this challenge with investigation leaders and assistance, including technical assistance in human factors, blast modeling, and structural analysis. Our experienced investigators provide valuable services such as coordination of multiple teams; exacting documentation requirements; and interaction with regulators, insurance companies, and attorneys.