Report: Safety at U.S. Nuclear Plants

Report: Safety lapses 'high' at U.S. nuclear plants

Mar 17, 2011 - U.S. nuclear power plants operate even with known safety problems because of inadequate federal inspections, faulty maintenance and poor design, concludes a report Thursday by U.S. scientists.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission investigated 14 safety lapses at these plants last year, an error rate that's "high for a mature industry," according to the Union of Concerned Scientists. Its report, prepared before Japan's nuclear crisis began Friday as a result of a massive earthquake and tsunami, is the first in an annual series on safety performance at U.S. nuclear power plants..

"Many of these significant events occurred because reactor owners, and often the NRC, tolerated known safety problems," the report said, adding the NRC inspects about 5% of plant operations. The independent agency, established in 1974, is responsible for overseeing U.S. plants. {continued}

The NRC and Nuclear Power
Plant Safety in 2010 64page pdf.