The nuclear culture of safety
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Last summer we all followed the environmental devastation in the Gulf of Mexico from the blowout of the Deepwater Horizon oil well. A number of industry and government experts suggested the gas and oil industry needed to develop a culture of safety similar to the one in the nuclear power industry -- the gold standard of industrial safety and reliability.
Following the accident at the Three Mile Island nuclear plant more than 30 years ago, there was plenty of blame to go around for the partial meltdown of the reactor fuel: design shortcomings, poor operating procedures, inadequate training of plant personnel and, most importantly, the lack of a strong, ingrained culture of safety. The nuclear industry heard the alarm, took a critical view of itself and made the necessary changes.
Shortly after the TMI accident, it created the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations to promote the highest level of safety and reliability in the operation of commercial nuclear power plants. The institute and government agencies worked closely with the companies that design and operate the plants, and they do so to this very day.
Incorporating lessons learned from TMI, existing plants were evaluated and modified. New plants were re-designed. Operating procedures were changed. Personnel were more rigorously trained and certification standards were raised.
The most important consequence, though, was a change in attitude: A culture of safety was created that permeates the industry -- from the academics, like me, who teach young nuclear engineers, to the people who operate and maintain plants.
The results have been demonstrated over time. The nuclear industry is one of the safest to work in. The plants are the most reliable in the power industry and nuclear-generated electricity is cost-competitive.And the safety of their customers, the public, is the industry's priority.
Except for the Soviet Union's Chernobyl nuclear plant accident (which is considered an anomaly for many reasons), no incident at a commercial nuclear power plant has resulted in an immediate death or a hazard outside the plant. Of course, events at the Fukushima Daiichi plant in Japan are still unfolding.
The next generation of nuclear power plants presently being reviewed and certified by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission -- such as Westinghouse's Advanced Passive 1000 and GE-Hitachi's Economic Simplified Boiling-Water Reactor -- benefit from 50 years of operating experience and safety improvements. Engineers examined and questioned every aspect of their design, creating simpler systems with fewer valves, pumps and pipes. These plants have even fewer vulnerabilities and are much easier and less expensive to build, operate and maintain.
First Published March 24, 2011 12:00 am
