Browsing by Author "Higson, DJ"

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    The development of safety criteria for use in the nuclear industry
    (Institution of Chemical Engineers in Australia and the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 1978-11-06) Higson, DJ
    Limits to routine radiation exposure have been laid down in the health regulations of industrial nations and provide a basis for the safe operation of nuclear power stations, uranium mines and other nuclear installations. However, these limits do not take account of the possibility of accidents, which may also be a major concern in the siting and design of plants. In this paper specific limits to fatal accident frequencies are recommended. An indication of the required level of safety has been derived from the records of other industries and human activities which are already regarded as safe.
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    Nuclear power plant safety - the risk of accidents
    (Australian Atomic Energy Commission, 1975-08) Higson, DJ; Crancher, DW
    Although it is physically impossible for any nuclear power plant to explode like an atom bomb, an accidental release of radioactive material into the environment is conceivable. Three factors reduce the probability of such releases, in dangerous quantities, to an extremely low level. Firstly, there are many safety features built into the plant including a leaktight containment building to prevent the escape of such material. Secondly, the quality of engineering and standards used are far more demanding than in conventional power engineering. Thirdly, strict government licensing and regulatory control is enforced at all phases from design through construction to operation. No member of the general public is known to have been injured or died as a result of any accident to a commercial nuclear power plant. Ten workers have died as a result of over-exposure to radiation from experimental reactors and laboratory work connected with the development of nuclear power plant since 1945. Because of this excellent safety record the risk of serious accidents can only be estimated. On the basis of such estimates, the chance of an accident in a nuclear power reactor which could cause a detectable increase in the incidence of radiation-induced illnesses would be less that once chance in a million per year. In a typical highly industrialised society, such as the USA, the estimated risk of an individual being killed by such accidents, from one hundred operating reactors, is no greater than once chance in sixteen million per year. There are undoubtedly risks from nuclear accidents but estimates of these risks show that they are considerably less than from other activities which are accepted by society.
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    Risks to individuals in NSW and in Australia as a whole
    (Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, 1989-07) Higson, DJ
    Objective, quantitative estimates are made of some risks to which individual members of the general public are exposed in NSW and in Australia as a whole, in their private lives and ordinary activities. The risks are given as averages for the group of people exposed to each risk. In many cases, this is the whole population. Occupational risks and unusual risk-taking are excluded as far as possible from the study. Some of the estimates are based upon statistics on the causes of death. Others are based upon mathematical models, because specific evidence relating causes and effects is lacking. The results of the study show that by far the highest risks of fatality are either voluntarily incurred or could be greatly reduced as a matter of choice by the risk-takers. Risks which come into these catagories include smoking, some other causes of cancer, drinking alcohol and motor vehicle traffic accidents. Risks to the general public from industrial accidents are comparatively low. These latter risks can be (and usually are) controlled to levels which, in a purely quantitative context, would generally not be perceived as significant.
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    Seismic risks at Lucas Heights
    (The Institution of Engineers Australia, 1994-05-01) Corran, ER; Higson, DJ
    The paper discusses the earthquake potential of the Lucas Heights region, the ability of the HIFAR reactor to withstand seismic damage and the consequences of damage if it should occur. The potential for a damaging earthquake, although small, cannot be ruled out entirely and has particular significance because an earthquake could conceivably be a common cause of damage to the reactor, its protective systems and its containment. It is concluded from an assessment of seismic risk that HIFAR complies with international nuclear safety practices regarding risks to individual members of the public, and with the individual risk criteria of the NSW Department of Planning. The margin of compliance is considered sufficient to offset the uncertainties of seismic risk estimation. Assessment of the collective risk to society as a whole is less conclusive, largely because of the lack of a well established basis for societal risk assessment.