Minimum Shift Complement: An Important Safety Barrier

Abstract

Adequate staffing is an essential safety barrier for event mitigation. For this reason, Canadian nuclear power plant (NPP) licences specify the minimum staff complement (MSC), which is the number and qualifications of staff always required on-site. A systematic analysis and its validation form the basis of the MSC. The analysis and validation demonstrate a licensee is able to control, cool and contain the reactor after any credible event. The CNSC published regulatory guidelines for analyzing the basis for essential staff levels, monitoring compliance with these levels, and controlling MSC changes (G-323). Lessons learned from a full-scale MSC analysis are discussed.