Evolution of ideas and knowledge in the nuclear safety domain

Since the beginnings of nuclear power production in 1951, nuclear safety has progressed through a concept based on accident prevention, plant quality assurance, and importance allocated to operation and human factors. Accidents such as Three Mile Island in 1979, and to a lower extent, Chernobylsk, have enabled decisive advancements in nuclear plant safety. Safety of a nuclear plant can be nowadays quantitatively assessed through probabilistic studies