Nuclear Power Plant Safety in the U.S. a “Near-Miss”
Homeland Security Digital Library Blog 2013-03-07
Summary:
The new report “The NRC and Nuclear Power Plant Safety 2012 Report: Tolerating the Intolerable” from the Union of Concerned Scientist is the third annual review of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC) implementation of safety policies in the U.S. nuclear power industry.
“According to the report, the NRC's lax oversight ‘reflects a poor safety culture,’ including a disconnect between the agency's workforce and its senior management, with managers tending to downplay safety problems and react negatively when workers point them out.
The report examines 14 ‘near-misses’ at U.S. nuclear plants during 2012 […] and evaluates the NRC response in each case. In addition to these 14 near-misses, the report offers examples of both positive and negative aspects of the agency's safety performance.”