The Risks of a Nuclear Power Plant Facility Essay

The Risks of a Nuclear Power Plant Facility - Essay Example Considering the concept in the light of nuclear power plant, the focus will be on the detrimental effects accompanied by the presence of such a facility. It deals with the unprecedented effects of a potentially precarious activity or event that has not been eliminated or avoided. The radioactive material produced in the nuclear power plants exposes humans to the risk of cancer (Clapp, 2005). Risk Management and its Relevance after the Occurrence of a Disaster Because of the potentiality of a risk to produce undesirable and hazardous results, policies and strategies should be put in place to manage them whenever they occur. This brings in the concept of risk management. Risk management entails a well-structured and organized process of risk identification, and the subsequent measurement of the risk and enactment of systems to handle it. The process can be analyzed through the stages of hazard identification, assessment of the risk, control of the risk, and the monitoring and evaluation of the risk. A hazard is something potentially harmful to the people environment or the property. Any hazardous material in whichever form it is should have their effects analyzed. A nuclear power plant utilizes Uranium that is hazardous when mishandled. There are other radioactive elements that are produced during the reaction process, all of which should be disposed well. Otherwise, the accompanying effects may have a profound effect to the society and the environment for generations. In order to identify hazards in a nuclear plant facility, nuclear reactors incidences should be well documented through use of appropriate report forms. Other strategies will include conducting self-inspection, doing regular maintenance checks, regular observations and consultations, knowledge sharing with other nuclear plants operators and research institutions and seeking of specialists to assist in specific areas. Risk assessment is the second critical process in risk management. Upon realization of a risk, it is imperative that the likelihood of risk occurrence is evaluated. The likelihood of occurrence is a factor of the probability and frequency (Cohen, 2005). Therefore, the probability of a risk should be considered, in the light of the Fukushima Diiachi plant incidence it is evident that the disaster was unprecedented. Considering this fact, the probability and frequency of tsunami can predict the trend in which such disasters can occur. An evaluation of the underlying consequences should also be looked at. The effects of the radioactive material produced in the nuclear plants should be assessed and proper strategies put in place to dispose them and to ensure that in case of a disasters like earthquakes, tornadoes, and tsunamis among others the harmful material will not spread to harm the environment. In risk assessment it is also important to classify the magnitude of the risk, is it extreme medium or low risk. More focus is given to extreme risks without assuming the low risks. Aft er the risk is assessed, then control measures should be put in place. The adoption of risk control measures should be done in a manner that the most risky situations are given prevalence. In risk control, the main objective is to eliminate the risk, a situation that is not possible instantly. However, efforts should be made to reduce the risk to an extent that its chances remain negligible. A