Plant availability: the target for engineering training

Nuclear plant managers and regulators have always assumed that in-depth operator training is essential to safe, reliable plant operations and, consequently, to high availability. In the aftermath of the reactor accident at Three Mile Island Unit 2, increased emphasis has been placed on systemizing operator training to assure these results are achieved. It can be argued that a systematic approach to engineering training will also have a positive impact on plant availability. In this paper, the authors present arguments to support that contention as well as a suggested approach to planning, documenting, and implementing an engineering training program