Following the March 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant accident in Japan, DOE embarked upon several initiatives to investigate the safety posture of its nuclear facilities relative to beyond design basis events (BDBEs). These initiatives included issuing Safety Bulletin 2011-01, Events Beyond Design Safety Basis Analysis, and conducting two DOE nuclear safety workshops. DOE also issued two reports documenting the results of these initiatives: Review of Requirements and Capabilities for Analyzing and Responding to BDBEs, August 2011, and Report to the Secretary of Energy on Beyond Design Basis Event Pilot Evaluations, Results and Recommendations for Improvements to Enhance Nuclear Safety at DOE Nuclear Facilities, January 2013.

Based on the results of BDBE pilot activities, HSS also issued an Operating Experience (OE) Level 1 document, OE-1: 2013-01, Improving Department of Energy Capabilities for Mitigating Beyond Design Basis Events. This document provides results from BDBE initiatives and establishes required actions for enhancing capabilities for mitigating BDBEs at DOE sites. To support the completion of the requirements detailed in Action 2 of the OE-1-2013, the Office of Nuclear Safety developed a Protocol for Enhanced Evaluations of Beyond Design Basis Events Supporting Implementation of Operating Experience Report 2013-01.

The purpose is to provide a vehicle through which interested parties can keep abreast of the latest status and actions related to DOE's efforts to analysis, prepare for, and mitigate beyond design basis events.

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