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The human factor in licensing and operating the next generation of nuclear plants
As human factors specialists working at the intersection of human performance and nuclear operations, we are witnessing one of the nuclear sector’s most significant transitions in decades. The emergence of small modular reactors, microreactors, and other advanced designs is reshaping the industry’s landscape. Digital instrumentation and controls, passive safety systems, and increased automation are creating opportunities for greater safety margins and more flexible operation. These same features also fundamentally redefine what it means to “operate” a nuclear plant. Interactions among human roles, automation, and passive systems shape how people maintain awareness, exercise judgment, and intervene when necessary. These developments affect both operational realities and the regulatory foundations on which nuclear safety is built.
Tadakuni Hakata
Nuclear Technology | Volume 142 | Number 3 | June 2003 | Pages 243-249
Technical Paper | Reactor Safety | doi.org/10.13182/NT03-A3386
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A study on considerations and strategies for developing safety goals applicable to all nuclear facilities is presented. A scheme of basic safety goals and subsidiary safety goals is assumed, and quantitative basic safety goals for radiation protection of individuals in the vicinity of nuclear facilities are discussed. The risk limit rules are based on comparative risk factors for various health effects, including annual dose, health detriments, acute fatality, latent cancers, and severe hereditary effects. The comparative factor of 1% is used for nonfatal health detriments and 0.1% for fatal effects. A risk limit profile is generated from the risk factors, biological effects, and statistics of injury and mortality rates from general causes. The approaches have potential for developing integrated and comprehensive safety goals.