Key Issues
The TMI 2 Accident: Its Impact, Its Lessons
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Industry, Government Act to Improve Safety
Two weeks after the 1979 accident, President Jimmy Carter appointed a 12-member commission, headed by the late John Kemeny, then president of Dartmouth College, to investigate what had happened and the possible impact on the health and safety of the public and plant personnel.
The commission’s report on its investigation, issued in October 1979, recommended that the industry develop its own standards of excellence. The commission also cited a need for agency-accredited training institutions for nuclear plant operators and immediate supervisors of operations.
The NRC also moved quickly, setting up a group to study the accident. The group, headed by attorney Mitchell Rogovin, reached many of the same conclusions as the Kemeny Commission.
Industry Changes Increase Safety
Within nine months of the accident, the industry had formed INPO, whose mission is to promote the highest levels of safety and reliability in the operation of nuclear power plants.
To improve training, INPO in 1985 formed the National Academy for Nuclear Training. The academy reviews and accredits nuclear utilities’ training programs for all key positions at each plant.
INPO has had a profound impact on the way nuclear plants are managed and operated. The proof is the steady improvement in plant performance in the nearly 30 years since the accident at TMI.
Today, the nation’s 104 operating reactors maintain high levels of safety and reliability, as evidenced by the NRC’s reactor oversight program and performance indicators tracked by the World Association of Nuclear Operators.
Industry, Government Act to Improve Safety
Two weeks after the 1979 accident, President Jimmy Carter appointed a 12-member commission, headed by the late John Kemeny, then president of Dartmouth College, to investigate what had happened and the possible impact on the health and safety of the public and plant personnel.
The commission’s report on its investigation, issued in October 1979, recommended that the industry develop its own standards of excellence. The commission also cited a need for agency-accredited training institutions for nuclear plant operators and immediate supervisors of operations.
The NRC also moved quickly, setting up a group to study the accident. The group, headed by attorney Mitchell Rogovin, reached many of the same conclusions as the Kemeny Commission.
Industry Changes Increase Safety
Within nine months of the accident, the industry had formed INPO, whose mission is to promote the highest levels of safety and reliability in the operation of nuclear power plants.
To improve training, INPO in 1985 formed the National Academy for Nuclear Training. The academy reviews and accredits nuclear utilities’ training programs for all key positions at each plant.
INPO has had a profound impact on the way nuclear plants are managed and operated. The proof is the steady improvement in plant performance in the nearly 30 years since the accident at TMI.
Today, the nation’s 104 operating reactors maintain high levels of safety and reliability, as evidenced by the NRC’s reactor oversight program and performance indicators tracked by the World Association of Nuclear Operators.
