Planning for Rare Events: Nuclear Accident Preparedness and Management; Proceedings of an International Workshop, January 28-30, 1980

Lathrop, J.W. (1981). Planning for Rare Events: Nuclear Accident Preparedness and Management; Proceedings of an International Workshop, January 28-30, 1980. Oxford: Pergamon Press. ISBN 9780080287034

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Abstract

The nuclear reactor accident at Three Mile Island in 1979 presented several surprises to those concerned with nuclear safety. Some features of the accident have been studied in depth -- such as problems with operator training, instrumentation, and mechanisms for learning from past accidents -- and have lead to corrective actions. Yet one of the most significant features of TMI has received much less attention: the degree of confusion surrounding the management of the accident, including the confusion marking evacuation decisions.

The accident revealed the severe problems of maintaining an accident management system capable of quickly determining and executing population protection measures. This problem is compounded by the rarity of nuclear accidents; preparedness must be developed and maintained on the basis of scarce experience, without authentic testing, and in spite of the poor incentives presented to many of the individuals involved.

Recognizing the need for a critical look at these problems, the Management and Technology Area of IIASA convened a Workshop on Procedural and Organizational Measures for Accident Management: Nuclear Reactors. It brought together people who had participated in the management of the Three Mile Island accident, as well as people working to maintain preparedness in seventeen countries. This volume contains the twenty-one papers presented at the workshop and a summary of the themes that emerged during the discussions.

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