Search results for "Nuclear Power"
showing 10 items of 60 documents
Multiple Objective Analysis of Input-Output Models for Emergency Management
1990
This paper shows how a visual, interactive, dynamic multiple objective linear programming decision support system can effectively be used for analyzing input-output models. We have applied our approach to studying the quantitative effects of economic or political crises to the Finnish economy. Examples of such crises are nuclear power plant accidents, trade embargoes, and international conflicts. An input-output model of the Finnish economy with 17 industries (sectors) is employed. Our system has been implemented on a microcomputer and is being used by the National Board of Economic Defense. Several typical case situations are discussed.
Early-design improvement of human reliability in an experimental facility: A combined approach and application on SPES
2019
Abstract SPES (Selective Production of Exotic Species) is a second-generation Isotope Separation On-Line (ISOL) facility for advanced nuclear physics applications, currently under construction at INFN (National Institute of Nuclear Physics) of Legnaro, Italy. Despite the potentially important safety implications of human errors for ISOL facilities, only a limited number of studies addressing this issue have been performed worldwide. This paper tries to address this need by means of an integrated approach of Hierarchical Task Analysis (HTA) and three human error quantification methods: HEART (in an enhanced version), SPAR-H, and CREAM. The application of multiple Human Reliability Analysis (…
Uranium from German Nuclear Power Projects of the 1940s— A Nuclear Forensic Investigation
2015
Here we present a nuclear forensic study of uranium from German nuclear projects which used different geometries of metallic uranium fuel. Through measurement of the (230)Th/(234)U ratio, we could determine that the material had been produced in the period from 1940 to 1943. To determine the geographical origin of the uranium, the rare-earth-element content and the (87)Sr/(86)Sr ratio were measured. The results provide evidence that the uranium was mined in the Czech Republic. Trace amounts of (236)U and (239)Pu were detected at the level of their natural abundance, which indicates that the uranium fuel was not exposed to any major neutron fluence.
Human and organizational factors in European nuclear safety: A fifty-year perspective on insights, implementations, and ways forward
2022
Abstract In this essay we investigate the “lessons learned” within the domain of human and organizational factors (HOF) from operating European nuclear power plants (NPPs) in a fifty-year perspective. Specifically, we consider learning processes at an industry level that aim at promoting human contributions to nuclear safety. This is done by bringing together two main perspectives: (1) a historical perspective on HOF-related institutional and research initiatives is presented by outlining the history of nuclear safety according to three major nuclear accidents, (2) an applied perspective is provided on how HOF are managed in the field. This latter perspective rests on the results of the EU …
Empowering leadership, mindful organizing and safety performance in a nuclear power plant: A multilevel structural equation model
2020
Abstract The aim of this paper is to develop and test a model in which empowering leadership is expected to contribute to developing mindful organizing, which in turn should contribute to safety compliance and safety participation. Empowering leadership was measured at Time 1, and the rest of the variables were measured two years later (Time 2). The sample used for the analyses in this study included 49 teams and 200 employees from a company in the nuclear generation industry with three different sites. The multilevel structural equation analysis performed to test the proposed model revealed an acceptable fit, and most of the paths were statistically significant and presented the expected s…
Not excluding nuclear power: the dynamics and stability of nuclear power policy arrangements in Finland
2011
In this article, we aim at using the policy arrangement approach to explain the renewal of nuclear power policy in Finland from 1986 to 2010. From the point of view of national nuclear power decision making, we distinguish three different policy arrangement periods: (1) rejection (1986–1993), (2) revival (1994–2002) and (3) renewal (2003–2010). Within each period, the four dimensions which are, such as policy coalitions, ‘rules of the game’, policy discourses and resources are analysed. The three periods indicate that policy development has not been unilinear. In the rejection period, the ‘shock event’ of Chernobyl mixed up the policy arrangement. For example, the supporting coalition was t…
The power of empowering team leadership over time: A multi-wave longitudinal study in nuclear power plants
2021
Abstract Team attitudes in critical infrastructures are essential to achieving reliable operations despite internal and external challenges, and empowering team leadership (ETL) may be an important precursor of these attitudes. The present study aimed to test whether ETL was related to teams’ satisfaction trajectories, measured as changes in job satisfaction and safety satisfaction at three time points. Hypotheses were tested in a sample of 48 teams from two Spanish nuclear facilities in three different waves (2008, 2011, and 2014). Growth Modeling using hierarchical linear models with SPSS 20.0 revealed that ETL was positively related to initial levels of teams’ job and safety satisfaction…
Infection Load and Prevalence of Novel Viruses Identified from the Bank Vole Do Not Associate with Exposure to Environmental Radioactivity
2019
Bank voles (Myodes glareolus) are host to many zoonotic viruses. As bank voles inhabiting areas contaminated by radionuclides show signs of immunosuppression, resistance to apoptosis, and elevated DNA repair activity, we predicted an association between virome composition and exposure to radionuclides. To test this hypothesis, we studied the bank vole virome in samples of plasma derived from animals inhabiting areas of Ukraine (contaminated areas surrounding the former nuclear power plant at Chernobyl, and uncontaminated areas close to Kyiv) that differed in level of environmental radiation contamination. We discovered four strains of hepacivirus and four new virus sequences: two adeno-asso…
Severe Psychological Distress of Evacuees in Evacuation Zone Caused by the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Accident: The Fukushima Health Manag…
2015
Background Following the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011, the nuclear disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant has continued to affect the mental health status of residents in the evacuation zone. To examine the mental health status of evacuee after the nuclear accident, we conducted the Mental Health and Lifestyle Survey as part of the ongoing Fukushima Health Management Survey. Methods We measured mental health status using the Kessler 6-item psychological distress scale (K6) in a total of 73,569 (response rate: 40.7%) evacuees aged 15 and over who lived in the evacuation zone in Fukushima Prefecture. We then dichotomized responders using a 12/13 cutoff on the K…
Monitoring the complexities: Nuclear power and public opinion
2009
Interaction between organizations and stakeholders today takes place on virtual and physical ‘issue arenas’. This study examined opinions on nuclear power and asked who are the players discussing nuclear power in Finland? Through content analysis, surveys and interviews, the study concluded that politicians, power companies and regulators were the ones with voice, as NGOs and citizens were hardly heard. The paper suggests the future role of PR practitioners to be to find the right issue arenas and facilitate corporate voice and reputation on those arenas. peerReviewed