OCCUPATIONAL ACCIDENTS IN NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS

Abstract

For the survival of humanity, energy and the acquisition of energy is an indispensable element. Fossil energy sources such as petroleum, coal, natural gas, etc. are decreasing all over the world and in our country day by day. As a result, countries have tended to different energy sources, leading to nuclear energy. A nuclear power plant is a place where one or more nuclear reactors are produced by using radioactive materials as fuel.Since radioactive material is used as fuel, it requires much stricter measures than other power plants to prevent damage to living things and the environment. Otherwise, the harmful effects of radiation to the environment can last for many years. When we evaluate the nuclear power plants in terms of their advantages, disadvantages and occupational accidents, it has led to different interpretations in our country and in the world. People who oppose the construction of nuclear power plants mainly focus on the risk of radiation likely to spread to the environment in a possible reactor accident. On the other hand, those who favor positive views of nuclear power plants cite the fact that they do not produce greenhouse gases to the atmosphere and avoid being dependent on fossil fuel sources such as coal and oil. As in all workplaces, occupational accidents can occur in nuclear power plants. These accidents can have negative consequences for employees, the environment or the facilities. Occupational accidents occur when dangerous situations and dangerous behaviors come together. There are fatal occupational accidents, radiation spreading around and mutagenic effect of radiated radiation, in other words, disruption of genetic structure. According to the researches, 98% of occupational accidents can be prevented, 2% of them are of natural origin and cannot be prevented as in the fukushima nuclear power plant in a 9 magnitude earthquake. Majority source of work accidents are caused by human errors. Despite all the precautions taken in nuclear power plants, there have been many work accidents caused by human errors and have serious harmful consequences. Nuclear power plants, which are planned according to the Western Standards of Nuclear Safety Norms, are built to withstand even impacts of aircraft. For this reason, quality assurance, quality control is at the forefront of the construction of nuclear power plants and due to the compliance of these measures takes a long time to be done, thus avoiding significant occupational accidents. Nuclear power plants should be able to generate energy safely without damaging the environment and causing work accidents. To ensure this security, active and passive safety systems should be prevented by proactive methods to prevent accidents and occupational accidents by not compromising their structural features and any risk assessment.