DOE 1150-2002
The Importance of Quality Assurance:
The main purpose of the Department of Energy’s (DOE) 1150-2002 is to strive for technical and mechanical excellence and the establishment of a Technical Qualification Program (TQP). The TQP objectives are as follows; indentify the competencies that employees must possess to ensure that DOE defense nuclear facilities are operated in a safe manner, establish programs that clearly indentifies and documents the process used to demonstrate employee technical competence, to ensure that employees maintain their technical competence and to maintain a cycle of continuous performance improvement through structured individualized training and development programs. This program also supports the Functional Area Qualification Standard (FAQS). The FAQS was developed as a tool to assist the DOE program and field offices in the development and implementation of the TQP in their organizations. The primary purpose of the TQP is to assure that employees have the requisite technical competency to support the mission of the DOE.
The TQP forms the basis for the development and assignment of DOE personnel responsible for the safe operation of different facilities. The Quality Assurance (QA) FAQS establishes a common functional area competency requirements for DOE personnel. Implementing these functions requires an interdisciplinary effort from all areas; it is not considered the sole domain of any single person, component or organization. Therefore its methods and procedures can be applied across the board for a number of different companies and organizations. Using the FAQS and QA will provide employees and contractors with a level of confidence in their tasks, assignments and schedules.
The competency requirements are aligned and integrated with the recruitment and staffing processes for technical positions. The competencies identify several levels of knowledge; Familiarity level, which is defined as a basic exposure to the subject or process adequate to discuss the subject/process with individuals of greater knowledge. The second level is called Working; which means that the company/individual can monitor and assess operations/activities, to apply standards of acceptable performances and to reference appropriate materials and/or expert advice as required to ensure the safety of DOE activities. The third level is called Expert; in which a comprehensive and intensive knowledge of a subject/process is sufficient to provide advice in the absence of procedural guidance.
The next important step is to be able to demonstrate the ability and the actual performance is within DOE policies, guidelines and practices. Documentation of the completion of the requirements is important; equivalencies may be granted to individuals based on prior education, training, experience and certifications. Evaluations are required and an official can test QA competency with the following methods; documented evaluation of equivalences, written examinations, documented oral evaluations or documented observation of performance. Continuing education can be vital as well. It is suggested that qualified personnel participate in office/facility/position-specific training and qualifications. Suggested learning activities can be found in Appendix A of the full text of DOE 1150-2002, provided at the link at the end of this summary.
There are many duties and responsibilities involved with this order. Here are some of the duties typically required of personnel in QA functional areas. Serve and support the senior manager responsible for developing the organization’s QA program and make sure that it is in line with all DOE rules, requirements, procedures and as well as customer requirements. Evaluate and review the QAP of an organization to make sure it is consistent with all DOE orders and regulations. The implementation by DOE offices and contractors must also be monitored and results and reports must be made available. The QAP and FAQS programs must serve as an information source for management who in turn must enforce the regulations among themselves and their contractors. QAP support and analysis will be provided in all events and accidents that might occur. The program will also interface with DOE headquarters, stakeholders and regulators to ensure the effective application of QA documents.
Background, experience and education are important for QA personnel. Here are the preferred levels. Education; a Bachelor or Science degree in engineering, the sciences or related field; experience in a industrial, military, federal, state or directly related background is recommended. There are also required technical competencies which each individual must reach.
The management of a QA program must have the following skills and knowledge. The ability to discuss the Price-Anderson Amendments Act and its impact on QA programs, discuss the purpose and importance of DOE policy 450.4. Discuss the DOE and contractor requirements for the development, review, approval and implementation of QAPS. There many orders and policies that a QA manager must be aware and knowledgeable of; the full list can be found within the link below.
QA personnel need to have a working knowledge of the program as well. They must be able to discuss the purpose and elements of an effective QAP, discuss line management’s responsibilities for the QAP, describe the graded approaches to quality requirements and discuss work authority as it relates to origin, intended purpose and legal implications. There many orders, methods and directives those QA personnel must be trained in, aware of and ready to use. A full list can be found in the link below.
Quality Assurance Programs allow the DOE and the companies that work with and for them to maximize their abilities while maintaining the utmost safety and quality standards. Having a QAP is good move for your business even if you’re not involved with the DOE; the concept has merits that reach across many fields.
Here at K.L. Security, we do something very similar to 1150-2002; the International Organization for Standardization’s (ISO) ISO9001:2008, we are the first distributor and dealership within the supply chain of our industry to become accredited with this set of standards. The ISO is an international organization dedicated to setting standards for various industries across the globe. Headquartered in Geneva; the ISO is composed of representatives from various national standards organizations and they promulgate worldwide standards proprietary, industrial and commercial standards.
The ISO 9000 is one of their families of standards that pertain to Quality Management Systems. They are a collection of technical specifications, formal international standards, technical reports, handbooks and web-based documents. This collection of 25 documents is being revised and updated all the time and like the 1150-2002; these standards aim to improve the effectiveness of an organization while increasing the value of their activities and improving their performances in all major areas. Increasing worker output, safety and customer satisfaction; the standards help a business follow the four main components of Quality Management; quality planning, quality control, quality assurance and quality improvement.
We use this system to continually improve our own QMS and TQP programs and we investigate different standards like the DOE 1150-2002 to see if we can use them to improve our business practices and better serve our customers. As a leading supplier of GSA Approved Safes, containers, paper shredders and ioSafe hard drives, we pride ourselves on delivery the best service and value to our clients.
Examine the DOE 1150-2002; see how it can work for you!