Relationship between the design, safety assessment and independent verification

At various stages during the course of the design process (for example, before the start of construction or operation at power) the status of the design will be frozen and a safety analysis report will be produced that will describe the design and safety assessment that has been carried out up to that point. This provides input for the review and assessment of the regulatory body. 

The independent verification is more effective if it is carried out in parallel with the design and safety assessment since early discussion and clarification of safety issues speeds up and facilitates their resolution. Any recommendations made to improve the design or safety assessment are most easily accommodated while the design work is still in progress. On the other hand, too close a relation will call into question the independence of the verification and a balance should be struck between effectiveness and independence. 

Major design decisions to be taken in the course of the design may require special independent design reviews by the operating organization which are limited to the scope of the decision to be taken, and which may consider compliance with the safety requirements applicable to the matter to be decided. 

The design work should be performed according to a QA programme which includes independent reviews of all design documents. The general QA process is addressed in Safety Guide SG-Q-10 [5]. 

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