Engineering thinking in emergency situations: A new nuclear safety concept
Résumé
The lessons learned from the Fukushima Daiichi accident have focused on preventive measures designed to
protect nuclear reactors, and crisis management plans. Although there is still no end in sight to the accident that
occurred on March 11, 2011, how engineers have handled the aftermath offers new insight into the capacity of
organizations to adapt in situations that far exceed the scope of safety standards based on probabilistic risk
assessment and on the comprehensive identification of disaster scenarios. Ongoing crises in which conventional
resources are lacking, but societal expectations are high, call for Òengineering thinking in emergency
situations.Ó This is a new concept that emphasizes adaptability and resilience within organizationsÑsuch as
the ability to create temporary new organizational structures; to quickly switch from a normal state to an
innovative mode; and to integrate a social dimension into engineering activities. In the future, nuclear safety
oversight authorities should assess the ability of plant operators to create and implement effective engineering
strategies on the fly, and should require that operators demonstrate the capability for resilience in the aftermath
of an accident.
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Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists-2014-Guarnieri-79-86.pdf (148.63 Ko)
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