Response to 'Audiences, rationales and quantitative measure for demonstrations of nuclear safety and licensing by tests'

There are key overriding issues which are independent of the specific nature of the nuclear system itself which require concentrated attention to assure public safety and reliable, economic operation: - the need to keep the risk of external events to an acceptable level for all reactor systems; - the need to assure highly reliable operation of all elements of the system, many of which are the same regardless of what the nuclear system is composed of; - the importance of human proficiency in operating this total complex in a highly reliable manner. Nuclear system-specific demonstrations of public safety, although valuable, will not accomplish this and will not convince the public that there is zero risk. The very claim that a nuclear system or for that matter any big industrial complex, poses zero public risk raises a credibility gap with the public and is, therefore, counterproductive. So, we must take the dull, detailed technical steps to address the challenge: - define the minimal risk and accept that there is no zero risk; - demonstrate the achievement of that risk by detailed testing, conformance to standards and regulation, and trouble-free operation