The Risks of a Nuclear Power Plant Facility - Essay Example

? The Risks of a Nuclear Power Plant Facility The Concept of Risk Risk is a crosscutting concept across all disciplines with a broad meaning. It can be viewed from a positive and a negative perspective. However, the negative perspective of risk has been exemplified in many areas, often being associated with precarious incidences. Otherwise, the positivity of risk has been widely used in the business world where it has been used to depict an opportunity. The wide view of risk considers it as an uncertainty, a probability, a threat, or an opportunity (U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, 2009).). Considering the concept in the light of nuclear power plant, the focus will be on the detrimental effects accompanied by the presence of such a facility. It deals with the unprecedented effects of a potentially precarious activity or event that has not been eliminated or avoided. The radioactive material produced in the nuclear power plants exposes humans to the risk of cancer (Clapp, 2005). 2. Risk Management and its Relevance after the Occurrence of a Disaster Because of the potentiality of a risk to produce undesirable and hazardous results, policies and strategies should be put in place to manage them whenever they occur. This brings in the concept of risk management. Risk management entails a well-structured and organized process of risk identification, and the subsequent measurement of the risk and enactment of systems to handle it. The process can be analyzed through the stages of hazard identification, assessment of the risk, control of the risk, and the monitoring and evaluation of the risk. A hazard is something potentially harmful to the people environment or the property. Any hazardous material in whichever form it is should have their effects analyzed. A nuclear power plant utilizes Uranium that is hazardous when mishandled. There are other radioactive elements that are produced during the reaction process, all of which should be disposed well. Otherwise, the accompanying effects may have a profound effect to the society and the environment for generations. In order to identify hazards in a nuclear plant facility, nuclear reactors incidences should be well documented through use of appropriate report forms. Other strategies will include conducting self-inspection, doing regular maintenance checks, regular observations and consultations, knowledge sharing with other nuclear plants operators and research institutions and seeking of specialists to assist in specific areas. Risk assessment is the second critical process in risk management. Upon realization of a risk, it is imperative that the likelihood of risk occurrence is evaluated. The likelihood of occurrence is a factor of the probability and frequency (Cohen, 2005). Therefore, the probability of a risk should be considered, in the light of the Fukushima Diiachi plant incidence it is evident that the disaster was unprecedented. Considering this fact, the probability and frequency of tsunami can predict the trend in which such disasters can occur. An evaluation of the underlying consequences should also be looked at. The effects of the radioactive material produced in the nuclear plants should be assessed and proper strategies put in place to dispose them and to ensure that in case of a disasters like earthquakes, tornadoes, and tsunamis among others the harmful material will not spread to harm the environment. In risk assessment it is also important to classify the magnitude of the risk, is it extreme medium or low risk. More focus is given to extreme risks without assuming the low risks. After the risk is assessed, then control measures should be put in place. The adoption of risk control measures should be done in a manner that the most risky situations are given prevalence. In risk control, the main objective is to eliminate the risk, a situation that is not possible instantly. However, efforts should be made to reduce the risk to an extent that its chances remain negligible. A risk is targeted for elimination, contrary to which the risky process or material should be replaced with a less risky one, if not the case then proper engineering systems should be put in place to isolate hazard from people and environment using mechanical aids. Administratively, hazard control policies, procedures and practices should be adopted to ensure that the workers are aware of the risks and how to deal with them. In the nuclear plants, it is important that the workers be provided with proper personal protection equipment that is capable of preventing any uncontrolled radioactive material or accidental exposure. While controlling the risk reassessment is paramount since some of the less risky processes and materials might increase in risk and vice versa. In nuclear plant, reassessment is a very important since it keeps all aware of the changing radioactivity of materials (Cohen, 2005). Finally, monitoring and evaluation should be done regularly. This is done through a thorough auditing of the plant, coupled with environmental impact assessment. The measures for controlling risks should be changed from time to time and the measures adopted should be abided with to the letter. In order to evaluate the risk, an analysis team should constantly keep adjusting to the changing situations. 3. Policy Issues Concerning the Use of Nuclear Power Emanating from the Fukushima Daiichi Disaster and their Relationship with Risk Assessment The nuclear energy policy as adopted worldwide regulation that articulates how the processes of handling nuclear energy should be handled from the mining of nuclear fuels to the ultimate energy production. Following the 2011 nuclear disaster in Japan countries have continued to amend the policy to ensure safety of their population while exploring other energy sources (Knowledge @ Wharton, 2011). The use of nuclear power has received mixed reactions all over the world after the Fukushima Daiichi Disaster. The proponents of the energy source have pledged to continue but with much caution. Other countries, such as Germany are shying away from the use of nuclear power; they have closed down eight of their nuclear power stations and expected to do away with the rest by the year 2022. Immediately after incidence, the Japanese prime minister called for drastic reduction in nuclear energy dependency. China had to embark on risk analysis and safety reviews to ensure that adoption of further reactor plants will not predispose the country to danger. They had to put on hold the projected construction of reactors for thorough safety assessment. 4. Differences between Risk Assessment and Risk Management Risk management is an organized process that seeks to apply practices, policies and procedures achieved through risk identification, analysis, evaluation and communication of the risk. On the other hand, risk assessment is part of the process of risk management involving evaluation of the existing risk controls and their capacity to counter potential threats and hazards (U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, 2009). References Clapp, R W. (2005, Nov). Guest Editorial: Nuclear Power and Public Health. Environmental Health Perspectives. Retrieved November 16, 2013 from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1310934/ Cohen, B. L. (2005). Risks of Nuclear Power. Retrieved November 16, 2013 from http://www.umich.edu/~radinfo/introduction/np-risk.htm IAEA International atomic Energy Agency (2013, Nov 8). Fukushima Nuclear Accident. Retrieved November 16, 2013 from http://www.iaea.org/newscenter/focus/fukushima/ Knowledge @ Wharton (2011, March 30). US Energy Policy after Japan: If not Nuclear, Then What? Retrieved November 16, 2013 from http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/u-s-energy-policy-after-japan-if-not-nuclear-then-what/ U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration. (2009). Risk Management Handbook. Retrieved November 16, 2013 from http://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aviation/media/faa-h-8083-2.pdf World Nuclear Association. (2013, September). US Nuclear Power Policy. Retrieved November 16, 2013 from http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/Country-Profiles/Countries-T-Z/USA--Nuclear-Power-Policy/ Read More