INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY
Technical Meeting to Share Experiences and Lessons Learned
from the Application of Different Management System
Standards in the Nuclear Industry
ASME Nuclear Codes and Standards Development Activities
15-19 December 2015
Vienna, Austria
Ryan Crane, P.E.
ASME Nuclear Codes and Standards Europe Liaison
[email protected]
Origins of The Society
Technical professional society; founded in
1880 as the American Society of Mechanical
Engineers; not-for-profit
Engineers convened to foster engineering
innovation, education and research
First standard issued in 1884 boiler efficiency
test
Headquarters in New York City
Offices in Atlanta, Houston, New Jersey,
Beijing (China), Brussels (Belgium), Mumbai
(India)
Origins of The Society
ASMEs Mission:
To serve our diverse global communities by
advancing, disseminating and applying
engineering knowledge for improving the
quality of life; and communicating the
excitement of engineering
ASME Standards and Certification
70 Consensus Committees
700 Total Committees
5 Supervisory Boards
5,100 Volunteers (800 International and growing)
500 Standards
ASME Standards Accepted for Use in Over 100 Nations
Administer Over 40 U.S. TAGs to ISO
12 Conformity Assessment Programs
More than 200 training programs worldwide
ASME Codes and Standards
Consensus Process
Decisions are reached through consensus among those
affected.
Participation is open to all affected interests: no
membership fees or requirement to be ASME society
member
Balance is maintained among competing interests
Designers, Manufacturers, Users, Regulators, General Interests,
etc.
The process is transparent - information on the process
and progress is directly available.
ASME Codes and Standards
Consensus Process Due process assures that all views will be considered and
that appeals are possible.
The process is flexible, allowing the use of different methodologies to meet the needs of different technology and product sectors.
The process is timely; purely administrative matters do not slow down the work.
Standards activities are coherent, avoiding overlap or conflict.
What does "Consensus" mean?
ASME standards are consensus standards
Consensus means Substantial agreement by affected interest categories
Consideration of views, attempted resolution is part of the process
Unanimity not required
The Standards Committee is responsible for establishing consensus on proposed standards actions.
The Consensus Development
Process
Development of standards action
Recorded vote
Public review
Supervisory Board approval
Appeals
ANSI approval
The Committees
Administrative
Consensus Procedures Evolved over the years
to become the model for standards development
ANSI accredited
Consistent with principles of WTO Technical Barriers to
Trade Agreement
Technical staff to administer committees and
interact with standards users
Development of C&S Connect in-house web-
based program to manage committee
communications, records, and ballots
Participation
Volunteer Participation
Individual voluntary participation
ASME Codes & Standards relies on industry supporting
participation by knowledgeable experts
Involve the best and the brightest people from all around the world to
develop, maintain, and promote the use of these ASME products and
services
Technical and administrative support to the committees
ASME Codes and Standards
Development
No funding by government
No fees to participate
Supported by revenue from S&C sales and related programs
Volunteer members not compensated by ASME
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U.S. Public Policy
OMB Circular A119
Instructs Federal Agencies to use voluntary standards and
participate in their development, unless impractical
National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act of 1995
Mandates government agency use of private sector voluntary
consensus standards
Obliges federal government participation in voluntary
standards development
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Fulfills Regulators Expectations
Meets public safety, health and environmental
objectives
Provides confidence in the technical integrity of the
product or service
Supports mutual recognition essential to international
trade
Regulatory Agencies support members to the
committees
Interpretations
Interpretations are used to clarify the meaning of a
requirement
Clarifies ambiguous or incorrect wording, which may result
in a revision
Formal approval and response to a inquiry request
Official ASME interpretation letterhead
A request may come from individuals, committees,
professional organizations, government agencies, industry
groups, public interest groups, etc.
ASME Codes and Standards
Consensus Process
Proprietary Issues
ASME does not approve, rate or endorse any
item, construction, proprietary device, or activity
Proprietary devices may only be incorporated in a
generic manner
International Participation
Incorporation of market and governmental needs into ASME codes and standards
ASME encourages international participation in its standards development committees Individual Experts
Delegate Program
International Interest Review Group (BPV)
International Review Groups
International Working Groups
Contributing Members
International participation facilitated by use of electronic tools (C&S Connect) in standards development activity
International Working Group An International Working Group (IWG) accommodates participation by
members in a common geographic location who would otherwise be unable
to meet the attendance expectations of committees that meet principally in
the U.S. and Canada
An IWG is a sub-tier ASME code committee, and integrated into a
Standards Committees hierarchy much like other sub-tier groups and are
identical to traditional subcommittees, subgroups, and working groups
IWGs address the challenges presented by time zones, travel constraints,
and language barriers that prevent experts based overseas from
participating in the ASME standards activities
IWGs provide additional expertise and resources to Code committees to
understand identify, clarify and address Stakeholder issues arising in
regions outside of N. America
IWGs typically conduct all of their meetings outside of the U.S. and Canada
and in a language other than English
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IWG Members
Enjoy all typical privileges and benefits of participation
Have CS-Connect accounts and full member access
Vote on IWG proposals and administrative matters
Are required to vote when the IWG is included on a ballot distribution
Are permitted to comment when the IWG is included in Review &
Comment distributions
IWGs have been established for
China, European Union, Germany, India, and Korea
IWG also discuss inquiries and technical clarification prior to
submitting
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NQA IWG Efforts
NQA Task Group on International Working Groups Have CS-Connect
accounts and full member access
The NQA Task Group (TG) on International Working Groups (IWG) will engage
international stakeholders (outside the United States and Canada) and perform
outreach activities on the concept of IWGs abroad. The TG will coordinate these
efforts with the goal of forming IWGs on a regional basis. The TG will provide
updates and recommendations to the NQA Standards Committee.
Bud Danielson, Chair
NQA International Working Group Europe (IWG-EU)
The NQA International Working Group Europe (IWG-EU) serves as a forum to
provide for the participation of NQA technical experts based in Europe and to create
a means of communication and collaboration between ASME NQA and other
stakeholders in Europe. The NQA International Working Group Europe will: Review
and comment on proposed changes or additions to NQA-1; initiate and process
proposed standards actions for NQA-1; conduct activities in Europe related to codes
and standards, administrative and personnel matters in accordance with approved
ASME procedures, policies, and established guidelines; coordinate NQA International
Working Group Europe activities with the parent NQA Executive Committee and
ASME Staff.
Christian Spletter, Areva, Chair
IWGs and NCS long-term outlook
In order to ensure the continued excellence of its standards, ASME
must embrace the challenge to enlist experts from around the globe
to participate in the its standards development process
Regions outside of North America are significant markets of
nuclear components and have significant sources for heavy
