Nuclear Regulatory Challenges Related to Human Performance

In June 2003, the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) Committee on Nuclear Regulatory Activities (CNRA) organised a topical session on the importance of human performance to nuclear safety and the factors influencing it. The discussion focused on three questions:

- Is human performance as important to the safety of nuclear installations as many references seem to indicate? - Has the importance of human performance increased during the past five to ten years? - What recommendations can be made on how to manage human peformance challenges?

This publication provides a summary of the introductory presentations as well as a description of the regulatory challenges identified during the discussions. The publication's intended audience is primarily nuclear regulators; it may also be of interest to technical support organisations, nuclear operators, governmental bodies and the general public.