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Title: Human Reliability Analysis in the U.S. Nuclear Power Industry: A Comparison of Atomistic and Holistic Methods

Conference ·
OSTI ID:911693

A variety of methods have been developed to generate human error probabilities for use in the US nuclear power industry. When actual operations data are not available, it is necessary for an analyst to estimate these probabilities. Most approaches, including THERP, ASEP, SLIM-MAUD, and SPAR-H, feature an atomistic approach to characterizing and estimating error. The atomistic approach is based on the notion that events and their causes can be decomposed and individually quantified. In contrast, in the holistic approach, such as found in ATHEANA, the analysis centers on the entire event, which is typically quantified as an indivisible whole. The distinction between atomistic and holistic approaches is important in understanding the nature of human reliability analysis quantification and the utility and shortcomings associated with each approach.

Research Organization:
Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
DOE Contract Number:
DE-AC07-99ID-13727
OSTI ID:
911693
Report Number(s):
INL/CON-05-00424; TRN: US200801%%147
Resource Relation:
Conference: Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Meeting,Orlando, FL,09/26/2005,09/30/2005
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English