김동진

Vol. 39,  No. 1, pp. 82-95, Feb.  2024
10.14341/JKOSOS.2024.39.1.82

events in nuclear power plants rule-related behavior classification violation

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Analyzing the aftermath of events at domestic nuclear power plants brings in the question: “Why do workers not comply with the prescribed procedures?” The current investigation of nuclear power plant events identifies their reasons considering the factors affecting the workers’ behaviors. However, there are some complications to it: in addition to confirming the action such as an error or a violation, there is a limit to identifying the intention of the actor. To overcome this limitation, the study analyzed and examined the reasons for non-compliance identified in nuclear power plant events by Reason’s rule-related behavior classification. For behavior analysis, I selected unit behaviors for events that are related to human and organizational factors and occurred at domestic nuclear power plants since 2017, and then I applied the rule-related behavior classification introduced by Reason (2008). This allowed me to identify the intentions by classifying unit behaviors according to quality and compliance with the rules. I also identified the factors that influenced unit behaviors. The analysis showed that most often, non-compliance only pursued personal goals and was based on inadequate risk appraisal. On the other hand, the analysis identified cases where it was caused by such factors as poorly written procedures or human system interfaces. Therefore, the probability of non-compliance can be reduced if these factors are properly addressed. Unlike event investigation techniques that struggle to identify the reasons for employee behavior, this study provides a new interpretation of non-compliance in nuclear power plant events by examining workers’ intentions based on the concept of rule-related behavior classification.