Publication Laka-library:
The Nugget File. Excerpts from the governments special internal file on accidents and safety defects... (1979)
| Author | Union of Concerned Scientists |
| Date | 1979 |
| Classification | 3.01.0.20/12 (UNITED STATES - SAFETY) |
| Front | 
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From the publication:
The Nugget File Introduction The official optimism about nuclear power plant safety is based on the claim that unprecedented meticulousness is achieved in all aspects of the design, construction and operation of these unique facilities. Inherent design conservatism, supremely careful workmanship and multiple safety devices are said to provide more than adequate protection against serious nuclear radiation accidents. These precautions are mandated by safety regulations of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), the Federal agency established by Congress to protect the public interest in nuclear affairs. NRC assures the public that its health and safety regulations are strict and that they are scrupulously enforced by watchful Federal inspectors. The confident official pronouncements notwithstanding, there are now a number of doubts about the safety of today's nuclear power plants. The controversy over nuclear safety involves two quite distinct types of questions. First, there are technical questions that relate to the adequacy of basic nuclear plant design features. Examples of key technical questions are the long-standing concerns about the effectiveness of emergency core cooling systems, the vulnerability of reactor pressure vessels to catastrophic rupture, the adequacy of fire protection for electrical control cables that operate reactor safety equipment, and the ability of nuclear power plants to withstand earthquakes. No less important to nuclear safety, however, are the institutional questions that relate to the way in which the people who build and operate nuclear plants carry out their safety responsibilities. Institutional questions focus on such important subjects as the adequacy of quality control in nuclear power plant construction and component manufacturing, the training of reactor operators, and nuclear plant inspection, maintenance and repair procedures. The effectiveness of Federal regulatory programs in supervising nuclear plant owners and operators is another institutional question of far-reaching significance. The operating records of U.S. nuclear power plants provide an important collection of source material that can and should be used to answer some of the technical and institutional questions relating to nuclear safety. These records, available for public inspection at the NRC headquarters in Washington, D.C., describe in enormous detail the accumulated practical experience with commercial nuclear power technology.
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