The training material presented in this website was adapted from the "Nuclear Power Plant Operating Safety Handbook" by Electricité de France (EDF) and is intended for education and training purposes only. Commercial use of this material is not permitted.

Contents

This material provides general information on the safety of the nuclear pressurized water reactors operated by Electricité de France.

This material recapitulates the basic safety principles of these plants, places them in the context of the global safety initiative (design, construction, operation and decommissioning) and demonstrates their consistency.

This material is intended as a personal reference and indicates where further information on all of the subjects can be obtained. In nuclear power plant operations, every worker (no matter what department or section) contributes to the level of safety of the facilities by his own thoughts and actions.

Applicability

This document was written by operators for operators. It was prepared in the Nuclear Power Plant Operations Division for its own staff and contractors. It is intentionally limited to a simplified description of the French approach to pressurized water reactor safety.

The safety of nuclear power plants is only one aspect of nuclear safety in general, which includes other topics not covered here. The following topics are often included in general nuclear safety:

• The protection of workers and the general public against radiation that constitutes the field of radiological protection
• Releases of radioactive effluents
• The surveillance and monitoring of nuclear materials and waste
• Protection against foul play, which is part of Plant Security
• Industrial safety, which is ensured by the vigilance of each individual worker in the exercise of his activities

Outline

This site consists of six chapters and six appendices. Chapter 1 discusses overall nuclear safety and the major accidents involving nuclear power plants. After having defined nuclear safety, Chapter 2 discusses nuclear safety principles implemented during the design of a nuclear power plant. Chapter 3 discusses safety during construction. Chapter 4 provides a discussion of what is meant by the safe operation of a plant. Chapter 5 further discusses the safety implemented during operation. Chapter 6 discusses safety during the decommissioning stage. The appendices include the following topics:

• A review of the basic principles related to certain technical issues (radioactive substances and operation of a nuclear reactor)
• The nuclear safety policy established by EDF Nuclear Power Plant Operations
• A description of the organization of nuclear safety in France
• A review of the French regulations
• An outline of the role of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
• And finally, a summary of the Three Mile Island and Chernobyl accidents