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Nuclear Plants (nuclear + plant)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Business, Economics, Finance and Accounting	50%

Selected Abstracts

A cohort mortality study of chemical laboratory workers at Department of Energy Nuclear Plants,

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL MEDICINE, Issue 9 2008
Travis Kubale PhD
Abstract Objective This study evaluates the mortality experience of 6,157 chemical laboratory workers employed at United States Department of Energy facilities. Methods All cause, all cancer and cause-specific standardized mortality ratios were calculated. Cox regression analyses were conducted to further evaluate the relation between chemical exposure and mortality risk due to selected cancers. Results The mortality due to all causes combined and all cancers combined were below expectation for the cohort. There were no statistically significant elevations reported among males for any specific cancer or non-cancer outcome. There no statistically significant elevations among females for any specific non-cancer and most specific cancers; however, multiple myeloma deaths were significantly elevated (SMR,=,3.56; 95% CI,=,1.43,7.33; number of observed deaths, n,=,7). Statistically significant elevations were seen among workers employed 20+ years for leukemia using both 2- and 5-year lag periods. Also, a statistically significant positive trend of elevated lung cancer mortality with increasing employment duration was seen using both 5- and 10-year lags. A similar trend was seen for smoking related cancers among men. Conclusion While lymphatic and hematopoietic cancer mortality was below expectation, a significant elevation of multiple myeloma deaths among females and an elevation of leukemia among workers employed 20+ years (possibly due to radiation and benzene exposure) were observed. A NIOSH case,control study is underway to examine more closely the relation between multiple myeloma and a variety of chemical exposures among workers employed at the Oak Ridge K-25 facility. Am. J. Ind. Med. 51:656,667, 2008. Published 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]

Self-assessment for improving safety performance in the nuclear industry

QUALITY ASSURANCE JOURNAL, Issue 1 2003
I.A. Beckmerhagen
Abstract Due to the possibility of catastrophic accidents when operating a nuclear plant, ensuring the highest level of safety and continuously improving safety-related performance are imperative in the nuclear industry. One of the prerequisites for such assurance and improvement is a structured program for the assessment of safety performance, consisting of both internal and external evaluation of existing systems and achieved results. This paper discusses a comprehensive program for the self-assessment of safety performance enablers and safety performance outcomes. The main self-assessment concepts are presented, including the framework, objectives, and scope of a self-assessment, a set of main principles and prerequisites for conducting it, and the resulting benefits. An illustration of a self-assessment program currently under development in the International Atomic Energy Agency is also provided. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Human error driving the development of a checklist for foreign material exclusion in the nuclear industry

HUMAN FACTORS AND ERGONOMICS IN MANUFACTURING & SERVICE INDUSTRIES, Issue 3 2007
Patrik Kenger
In this article we describe an approach to develop a checklist for foreign material exclusion. Foreign material is material that should not be part of, or supplied with, the product because it can affect the performance of, for example, nuclear fuel rods of nuclear plants. The research itself was initiated by the presence of different types of human errors. Specifically in the nuclear industry, where there is zero tolerance for errors, work to continuously improve safety and quality is of major importance. Our approach should support such work. As a theoretical base, we have considered team errors as well as individual errors. The suggested practical approach is based on foreign materials that originate in or are introduced into a product or a process. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Hum Factors Man 17: 283,298, 2007. [source]

DOES ELECTRICITY RESTRUCTURING WORK?

THE JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL ECONOMICS, Issue 3 2007
EVIDENCE FROM THE U.S. NUCLEAR ENERGY INDUSTRY
This paper examines whether electricity restructuring improves the efficiency of U.S. nuclear power generation. Using a panel dataset consisting of the full sample of 73 investor-owned nuclear plants in the United States from 1992 to 1998, I estimate the plant-level cross-sectional and longitudinal efficiency changes associated with restructuring. Special attention is given to the potential policy endogeneity bias and different modeling strategies are presented to cope with the issue. Overall, I find a striking positive relationship between restructuring and cost reduction, and increased plant utilization. [source]