Treatment of External Hazards in Probabilistic Safety Assessment for Nuclear Power Plants

Provides guidance on conducting a probabilistic safety assessment (PSA) for external hazards in nuclear power plants, with application to the four specific types of hazard that are encountered and analysed most frequently: earthquakes, high winds, floods and man induced events.

---

This Safety Practice provides guidance on conducting a probabilistic safety assessment (PSA) for external hazards in nuclear power plants, with application to the four specific types of hazard that are encountered and analysed most frequently: earthquakes, high winds, floods and man induced events. The methodology itself is general and can be applied equally well to other types of hazard. Information is provided on the inclusion of external hazards in a Level 1 or Level 2 PSA. A particular aim of the present publication, which is part of a set of IAEA publications in preparation, is to promote a standardized framework, terminology and form of documentation for conducting a PSA so as to facilitate external review and to interpret the results of such studies.