General remarks and requirements

Quality assurance is an essential aspect of good management. A definition of quality assurance (QA) in the nuclear energy arena is the following  

All the planned and systematic actions necessary to provide adequate confidence that an item or service will satisfy given requirements for quality. 

Quality assurance is implemented through the definition and the realization of a quality assurance programme (QAP). The QAP is an integral part of the plant design and shall provide for a disciplined approach to all activities affecting quality, including verification that each task has been satisfactorily performed and that necessary corrective actions have been implemented. It shall also provide for production of documentary evidence to demonstrate that the required quality has been achieved. 

In the general legal framework for the regulation of nuclear power plants of each country, the requirement that an effective, overall quality assurance programme be established, should be present. 

The organization having overall responsibility for a nuclear power plant shall also be responsible for the establishment and implementation of the overall quality assurance programme for that plant. 

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