Application of Blockchain Technology for Assuring Transparency and Authenticity of Nuclear Safety Information

학위논문 (석사)-- 서울대학교 대학원 : 공과대학 에너지시스템공학부, 2019. 2. Oda, Takuji.본 논문에서는 우리나라 원자력계에 주민 참여 기구와 국회의 감시를 도입하여 보다 투명한 시스템을 갖추는 것을 제안한다. 여기서 소통 수단은 블록체인 플랫폼으로, 모든 문서가 기록 및 추적이 용이하다는 장점이 있다. 본 시스템을 사용하면 문서의 진본성을 확립하여, 원자력계의 안전 이슈를 투명하게 처리할 수 있다. 보고서 추적, 재료 추적 등을 통해 현 원자력계에 내재되어있던 문제의 근본원인 중, 추적이 불가피하여 생겼던 근본원인 종류를 막을 수 있다는 의의가 있다. 추적을 통해 사건의 재발을 막고, 기관의 책임성을 강화시킬 수 있다. 본 논문이 원자력계의 안전 분야에 기여를 할 수 있기를 바란다.The transparency of nuclear safety information will provide NGO, experts and local community, opportunities to function as independent safety watchdogs. However, both data security and authenticity present critical challenge to the transparency policy of Nuclear Safety Security Committee. In this thesis, it is shown that blockchain methodology can be applied to overcome the challenges by a case study. In addition, institutional oversight of transparency and authenticity is proposed to involve the National Assembly and public stakeholders, based on lessons learned from U.S. and French experiences. With this unique combination of technology, policy and institutional system, it has been shown that the safety information confidentiality, transparency and authenticity can be instrumental to preventing recurrence of similar incident though the eliminate of root cause and hence to improving national confidence in safety and security of nuclear reports. This system is expected to help prevent the recurrence of similar incidents, and counterfeit, fraudulent, and suspect items(CFSI) through a root cause elimination.Chapter 1 Introduction 1.1 Public-confidence in Korean Nuclear Safety Regulations 1.2 Methodology 1.3 Incident Recurrence 1.4 Cause of Events Chapter 2 Safety Transparency Assurance for Root Cause Elimination 2.1 Nuclear Safety Act 2.2 France Case Study 2.3 America Case Study 2.4 Korea Status 2.5 Proposal of Local Safety Secure Committee in Korea Chapter 3 Safety Transparency with Confidentiality Using Blockchain 3.1 Blockchain Introduction 3.2 Closed Network Formation 3.3 Institutional Structure for Transparency 3.4 Current nuclear document management system in Korea and other blockchain applications Chapter 4 Impact of Block Chain Applications on Root Cause Analysis 4.1 Blockchain Merits 4.2 Future Work Chapter 5 ConlclusionMaste

Learning from incidents in airworthiness: a novel framework tool for safety analysis

peer-reviewedSafe air travel is an expectation that we often invest little or no thought in. Fortunately, the industry has evolved to a stage where major air accidents are rare. Numerous lessons in aviation safety have unfortunately been paid for in the currency of human life. Many segments of the aviation industry support the idea that adverse and unwelcome events can be minimised through diligent reporting of incidents, event analysis and learning. The value of learning from incidents is not well supported in the implementing regulations. Therefore, little or no examination of learning inputs or outputs is required. The intent of the study was to understand how various situations impact on learning from incidents in the continuing airworthiness management segment. To gain an empathetic understanding of the participants and their actions, an interpretative approach was adopted. An analysis of potential research methods and means of data collection was performed. Thirty-four semi-structured taped interviews were carried out. A qualitative analysis process based on Thematic Analysis employing a six- phase approach was used in support of the study. The harvesting of information from incident reporting systems is a necessary input to continuously develop appropriate and effective training material. The inclusion of basic qualification criteria for human factor trainers in regulatory requirements should also be addressed. However, it is questionable if the perpetuation of these measures alone would support more effective delivery and application of lessons learned throughout the segment. One means of addressing this impending issue is to remodel regulatory, operational and training requirements to consider a new approach in the segment. Reflecting a combination of actions, events and conditions in a new basic model for human factor continuation training, may lay the foundations to better elucidate event causation and yield improved safety recommendations in the featured segment

Toward a theory of complexity escalation and collapse for system of systems

In this paper we urge the creation of new managerial tools and techniques that are relevant to the complexity of today’s system of systems (SOS). Normal modes of command and control systems cannot be effective under conditions where new constraints are added on a recurrent basis to the system of systems in response to emergent problems within the systems due to increased coupling introduced in component elements of the SOS. We present a first-step understanding of why unanticipated failures find more potential and more pathways to their occurrence when interventions in SOS operations, standards or processes are conducted without enough insight and without a care for basic laws of complexity. We then demonstrate a condition where the incremental changes actually lead to failure of the SOS to meet its performance parameters. We hope that this work set the foundation for exploring the effects of coupling across hierarchical levels of SOS

NEAR MISS REPORTING: PERSPECTIVES ON WORKER CONVERSANCE OF INCIDENT EVENTS ACROSS TWO INDUSTRIES

The practice of reporting workplace incident events is adopted as best practice by organizations and complies with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) mandates. Reporting the near miss incident type in which no injury or damage to equipment or the environment occurs is buttressed by the assumption that both the worker and the organization ascribe to the same goal to identify workplace hazards and prevent incident recurrence. The goal of incident reporting is not apparent, and the path to achieving the goal is obstructed by internal and external hazards that act to oppose the reporting process, such that the goals are obscured by competing priorities. The general qualitative method was applied to a nonrandom snowball sampling technique to recruit eight participants. Over 176 years of combined experience across aircraft maintenance and petrochemical operations are represented. Participants were removed from either industry within the last five years. Each participant experienced multiple near miss incident events in the past. At the time an incident occurs, the compelling individual need that exists is explained in terms of Abraham Maslow’s (1943) theory of motivation. The Process- Practice-Purpose principle is developed and used to demonstrate the association between activities (the “what”) that occur within workspaces and customary practices (the “how”) that develop in the course of realizing the incident reporting goal. Three recurring themes support the findings: (a) The motivation to report, (b) Beliefs about reporting, and (c) The purpose of 7 reporting over time. Together, the themes form the three-legged stool of the incident reporting perception. Any leg missing renders the stool out of balance. Hazards are identified in terms of personal safety. The near miss definition is expressed in terms of individual perspective and is guided by experience, personality, knowledge, and personal agency to take action. The goal of reporting is explained in terms of benefit to people, the process, and practice. Alignment with the OHSA goal is evaluated by examining the motivation to report, beliefs about reporting, and the purpose of reporting over time. The Principle of Understanding partnership model is developed to engage the worker and the organization in active learning from near miss incidents through awareness and knowledge about the cumulative utility of near miss data, perceptions of incident severity, and optimizing communication

Comparative Analysis of Nuclear Event Investigation Methods, Tools and Techniques

Feedback from operating experience is one of the key means of enhancing nuclear safety and operational risk management. The effectiveness of learning from experience at NPPs could be maximised, if the best event investigation practices available from a series of methodologies, methods and tools in the form of a ‘toolbox’ approach were promoted. Based on available sources of technical, scientific, normative and regulatory information, an inventory, review and brief comparative analysis of information concerning event investigation methods, tools and techniques, either indicated or already used in the nuclear industry (with some examples from other high risk industry areas), was performed in this study. Its results, including the advantages and drawbacks identified from the different instruments, preliminary recommendations and conclusions, are covered in this report. The results of comparative analysis of nuclear event investigation methods, tools and techniques, presented in this interim report, are of a preliminary character. It is assumed that, for the generation of more concrete recommendations concerning the selection of the most effective and appropriate methods and tools for event investigation, new data, from experienced practitioners in the nuclear industry and/or regulatory institutions are needed. It is planned to collect such data, using the questionnaire prepared and performing the survey currently underway. This is the second step in carrying out an inventory of, reviewing, comparing and evaluating the most recent data on developments and systematic approaches in event investigation, used by organisations (mainly utilities) in the EU Member States. Once the data from this survey are collected and analysed, the final recommendations and conclusions will be developed and presented in the final report on this topic. This should help current and prospective investigators to choose the most suitable and efficient event investigation methods and tools for their particular needs.JRC.DDG.F.5-Safety of present nuclear reactor

Can high-frequency ultrasound predict metastatic lymph nodes in patients with invasive breast cancer?

Aim To determine whether high-frequency ultrasound can predict the presence of metastatic axillary lymph nodes, with a high specificity and positive predictive value, in patients with invasive breast cancer. The clinical aim is to identify patients with axillary disease requiring surgery who would not normally, on clinical grounds, have an axillary dissection, so potentially improving outcome and survival rates. Materials and methods The ipsilateral and contralateral axillae of 42 consecutive patients with invasive breast cancer were scanned prior to treatment using a B-mode frequency of 13 MHz and a Power Doppler frequency of 7 MHz. The presence or absence of an echogenic centre for each lymph node detected was recorded, and measurements were also taken to determine the L/S ratio and the widest and narrowest part of the cortex. Power Doppler was also used to determine vascularity. The contralateral axilla was used as a control for each patient. Results In this study of patients with invasive breast cancer, ipsilateral lymph nodes with a cortical bulge ≥3 mm and/or at least two lymph nodes with absent echogenic centres indicated the presence of metastatic axillary lymph nodes (10 patients). The sensitivity and specificity were 52.6% and 100%, respectively, positive and negative predictive values were 100% and 71.9%, respectively, the P value was 0.001 and the Kappa score was 0.55.\ud Conclusion This would indicate that high-frequency ultrasound can be used to accurately predict metastatic lymph nodes in a proportion of patients with invasive breast cancer, which may alter patient management

Establishing cost-effective safety management for major oil and gas exploitation projects in the design phase

Disasters such as Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico, in April 2010, continue to blight the oil and gas industry despite a significant amount of research effort carried out by academia, regulatory bodies, and oil and gas companies to understand how safety-related incidents, especially disasters, can be prevented. While these have contributed to the discussion around reducing risk, they often lack the systemic influences that determine the value drivers affecting decision-making, and the ability to achieve continuous and sustainable improvements in safety performance. Consequently, this research aims to provide a more holistic approach to understanding the nature of disasters in the oil and gas industry, and identifying how future disasters can be prevented by establishing "more cost-effective strategies. Quantitative research was carried out to determine the type and validity of the data used to construct trends in major accident safety performance, and qualitative research was carried out to assess the key factors that influence safety performance, and whether these are effectively applied. The conclusions of this research are that the industry has not demonstrated effective implementation of an Occupational Health and Safety Management System (OH&S-MSj. Historically safety performance shows wide annual variations where trends are difficult to define and extrapolate, making it difficult to provide any significant benefit for major accident prevention. There is no evidence to indicate that moving from a prescriptive, to a goal-setting regime, has improved safety performance, and reduced the prospect of future major accidents. Disaster investigation reports have shown that the role of the regulator has been ineffective. However, the adoption of a more comprehensive, and effective approach to inherently safer designs, and the way projects are managed, have the potential to make safety management more cost-effective and reduce the prospect of future disasters

Analysis of Events Related to Flooding at NPPs

This summary report presents the selected results of a statistical and engineering analysis of flooding and flooding protection related events registered in the following four databases: IRSN (Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire), GRS (Gesellschaft für Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit mbH), U.S. NRC (Nuclear Regulatory Commission) Licensee Event Reports (LERs), and the IAEA/NEA International Reporting System (IRS) during the last 20 years. In total 263 events reports are analysed including potential flooding. The events were analysed and classified into thirteen categories. The frequencies of all categories and families were presented for each database separately and for all events combined. This allowed comparison of events characteristics among all databases and cumulative results. A trend analysis was also performed. Finally, selected events were used to derive findings (lessons learned). No trend was identified over the whole analysed period. However, it is noticeable that the number of events is decreasing for all databases in recent couple years. Most of the events occurred during power operation, for all except for the one database. In the majority of events a real flood occurred, except for one database where potential flood events are dominant. Valves and passive components are the dominant direct causes in all databases, while seals and drainage are also important for the two databases. Training, qualification and procedures, with design configuration and analysis, are the most important root causes and causal factors for all databases, while maintenance activity and the equipment performance are also important for one database. Systems most often affected by flood are (reactor) auxiliary systems for all databases and additionally the waste management systems for one database. The majority of events do not have safety relevance except for one database, where low safety relevant events are dominant. The main purpose of corrective actions is: prevention, early identification and reduction of flood; fulfilment of the probable maximum flood requirements; reducing flood risk from non-safety systems and improving maintenance, review and inspection. Flooding and flooding protection related selected events were analysed in detail and the main conclusions are presented as list of more than 90 specific and 16 generic lessons learned. Findings are grouped related to the systems that has main role during the flooding event (i.e., non-safety systems interaction, buildings infrastructure and major cooling systems) and related to the type of activities that are (root) cause for the flooding event (i.e., maintenance, inspection, operating experience, analysis and configuration management). Generic findings are also addressing lessons learned related to mitigation, communication, modifications, requirements and configuration management. The findings from this summary report could be used as recommendations and are expected to help the licensees and regulatory authorities to prevent flooding events from occurring, to protect safety systems from flood and to improve flooding protection and mitigation.JRC.G.10-Knowledge for Nuclear Security and Safet

Application of intraoperative quality assurance to laparoscopic total mesorectal excision surgery

Introduction: The role of laparoscopy in the surgical management of rectal cancer is debated. Randomised trials have reported contrasting results with inadequate specimens obtained in a minority of patients. The reasons behind these findings are unclear. Complex surgical interventions and human performance are prone to variation, which may account for outcome differences, but neither are robustly measured. Application of quality assurance (QA) to the intraoperative period could explore surgical performance and any relationship with subsequent outcomes. The overarching aim of this thesis is the promotion of oncological and patient safety through application of QA to laparoscopic TME surgery. Methods: Evidence synthesis of QA tools was obtained through a systematic review to identify reported objective laparoscopic total mesorectal excision (TME) assessment tools. Development of novel QA tools for laparoscopic TME was performed and applied and validated using case video from two multicentre randomised trials with reliability and validity of the laparoscopic TME performance tool (L-TMEpt) assessed. A multicentre randomised trial comparing 3D vs. 2D laparoscopic TME was performed incorporating objective performance analyses. Scores divided surgeons into quartiles and compared with histopathological and clinical endpoints. A novel intraoperative adverse event classification was developed and piloted. Results: 176 cases from 48 credentialed surgeons were analysed. L-TMEpt inter-rater, test-retest and internal consistency reliabilities were established. Substantial variation in surgical performance were seen. Scores were strongly associated with the number of intraoperative errors, plane of mesorectal dissection and short-term patient morbidity. Upper quartile surgeons obtained excellent results compared with the lower quartile (mesorectal fascia 93% vs. 59%, NNT 2.9, p=0.002; 30-day morbidity 23% vs. 48%, NNT 4, p=0.043). Conclusions: Intraoperative QA using assessment tools can objectively and reliably measure complex cancer interventions. Laparoscopic TME surgical performance assessment showed substantial variation which is strongly associated with clinical outcomes holding implications for surgical trial design and interpretation.Open Acces