Probabilistic safety assessments (PSA) are increasingly being used as part of the regulatory decision-making process to assess safety levels of nuclear power plants. This report contains a detailed account of the review process and the relevant technical issues involved.
A collection of papers presented at the PSAM 7 – ESREL ’04 conference in June 2004, reflecting a wide variety of disciplines, such as principles and theory of reliability and risk analysis, systems modelling and simulation, consequence assessment, human and organisational factors, structural reliability methods, software reliability and safety, insights and lessons from risk studies and management/decision making. This volume covers both well-established practices and open issues in these fields, identifying areas where maturity has been reached and those where more development is needed.
These volumes contain the papers presented at the 4th International Conference on Probabilistic Safety Assessment and Management (PSAM 4), held in New York City in September 98. The conference provided a forum for the presentation of innovative methods and applications of risk-based approaches to improve the design and operation of technological systems and processes from the economic and safety points of view. Papers reflect progress made on methods and applications in such areas as modeling and analysis of complex systems, human and organizational performance assessment, software reliability, data collection and analysis, expert judgement modeling and use, identification and assessment of various types of uncertainty, risk-informed regulatory and operational decision making, and public perception of risk. A diverse range of disciplines are represented including aerospace, nuclear, fossil fuels, chemical systems, marine technology, transportation, information technology, medical systems, environment, and defense.
Reliability and Probabilistic Safety Assessment in Multi-Unit Nuclear Power Plants presents the risk contributions from single and multi-unit Nuclear Power Plants to help aggregate the risks that may arise due to applicable hazards and operating states. The book combines the key features of multi-unit risk assessment in one resource, reviewing the practices adopted in various countries around the globe to exemplify the dependencies between units on a site. These dependencies include multi-unit interactions, environmental stresses, the sharing of systems, and the sharing of human resource in a control room, factors which can all introduce an increase potential for heightened accident conditions. This book helps readers systematically identify events and evaluate techniques of possible accident outcomes within multi-units. It serves as a ready reference for PSA analysts in identifying a suitable site and the sharing of resources, while carrying out multi-unit risk assessments to ensure the safety of the public and the environment. It will also be valuable for nuclear researchers, designers and regulators of nuclear power plants, nuclear regulatory agencies, PSA engineers and practicing safety professionals. Provides a framework for nuclear and PSA researchers and professionals on the design and operation of multi-unit risk assessments Reviews practices adopted in various regions around the globe to analyze dependencies between units Includes modeling techniques of inter-connections and shared resources, as well as risk aggregation
In addition to presenting methodology, it shows how to identify accident vulnerability in the two industries. It reviews the causes of the two major nuclear accidents and many fatal accidents in the chemical industry, including Bhopal. Many examples of applications of PSA to both industries are presented."--BOOK JACKET. "Problems are included at the end of many chapters with answers at the back of the book."--Jacket.
Risk assessments are often used by the federal government to estimate the risk the public may face from such things as exposure to a chemical or the potential failure of an engineered structure, and they underlie many regulatory decisions. Last January, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a draft bulletin for all federal agencies, which included a new definition of risk assessment and proposed standards aimed at improving federal risk assessments. This National Research Council report, written at the request of OMB, evaluates the draft bulletin and supports its overall goals of improving the quality of risk assessments. However, the report concludes that the draft bulletin is "fundamentally flawed" from a scientific and technical standpoint and should be withdrawn. Problems include an overly broad definition of risk assessment in conflict with long-established concepts and practices, and an overly narrow definition of adverse health effects-one that considers only clinically apparent effects to be adverse, ignoring other biological changes that could lead to health effects. The report also criticizes the draft bulletin for focusing mainly on human health risk assessments while neglecting assessments of technology and engineered structures.
This Safety Guide provides recommendations on meeting the requirements of IAEA Safety Standards Series No. GSR Part 1 (Rev. 1), Governmental, Legal and Regulatory Framework for Safety, on the regulatory body's core functions and associated regulatory processes. This guidance is particularly important for regulatory bodies having responsibilities covering a range of facilities and activities that give rise to radiation risks and the important organizational interfaces between various regulatory authorities, which require effective coordination and cooperation. It promotes a consistent approach to regulation and specifically addresses the release of facilities and activities from regulatory control including sites, buildings, equipment and material. The publication is intended to be used mainly by regulatory bodies but will also be useful for governments that are developing a regulatory framework for safety. It will also assist authorized parties and others dealing with radiation sources in understanding regulatory procedures, processes and expectations.