Improving plant operation and safety making full use of the national cumulative experience base

This paper discusses the Significant Events Evaluation and Information Network (SEE-IN) program, prospects for the future of operational assessment, and some potential pitfalls of programs developed as a result of the accident at Three Mile Island-2. Notes that although the nuclear utility companies, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), and each reactor supplier had operation experience review procedures prior to 1979, there was no rigorous system for shifting, evaluating, and building a cumulative national base of experience. Reports that after screening over 10,000 reports, the SEE-IN program staff has evaluated and disseminated information and recommendations for remedial action on those incidents or observations that meet predetermined criteria for significance to safety or reliability