 |
| Image of vest used for drill monitors |
I recall from my time as nuke doing drills in preparation for Occupational Reactor Safety Exam. (ORSE) These drill sets by and large featured events on the reactor plant which would never happen in real life.
For example, given the design factor of all the materials designed into anything associated with nuke outside of getting hit with a Russian torpedo in the sea of Okhotsk what are the odds of flooding in engine room lower level (ERLL), Reactor Scram, and High Steam Generator chlorides all in the space of one hour.
Eventually after enough training, debriefs and, in some cases, critiques when one of these casualties occurs underway performing the initial and supplemental action seem pretty routine.
The reason I mention this is many people feel in the aftermath of the Japan disaster the country was unprepared. Recalling what transpired which included one of the strongest Earthquakes in recorded history, its ensuing tsunami, and lastly the trouble with their nuclear facilities to due to losing the ability to cool the reactor which resulted from the loss of power and infrastructure to operate the plant in a safe manner.
If the Japanese would have drilled against this doomsday scenario in a fashion to our nuclear training would it made a difference?? No one knows. My only wish is that we did not need to ask the question.
Photo courtesy of http://www.xtremebargins.net
No comments:
Post a Comment