1INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY, Fire Safety in the Operation of Nuclear Power Plants, IAEA Safety Standards Series No. NS-G-2.1, IAEA, Vienna (2000).

2Recommendations to ensure the safety of personnel and the safe operation of nuclear power plants during situations in which a large number of personnel might be unavailable, such as during an epidemic or a pandemic, are provided in IAEA Safety Standards Series No. SSG-72, The Operating Organization for Nuclear Power Plants [7].

3SSG-71 [11] provides specific recommendations for the programme for plant modifications, including processes relevant to hazard management measures, such as specific safety consideration for industrial hazards and temporary emergency procedures during modifications.

4SSG-76 [18] provides specific recommendations for the management programme for plant operations, including processes relevant to hazard management such as operational limits and conditions and/or procedures for hazards, communication between plant personnel during hazards, shift rounds to monitor indication of hazards, deviations in fire protection, condition of protection features for flooding, seismic constraints, unsecured components and housekeeping.

5SSG-74 [19] provides specific recommendations for the programme for maintenance, testing, surveillance and inspections, including processes relevant to hazard management such as the following: work control and administrative procedures for fire hazard control; surveillance programmes for equipment for mitigation of and coping with hazards; and management for limiting the risk of fire, flooding, earthquake, missiles and release of hazardous substances.

6To do this, the operating organization can create an overview document of the processes contained in each management programme and add appropriate information to these programmes that will allow for efficient decision making. An example of such an overview document, or checklist, for a tropical storm is presented in Appendix II, para. II.32.

7The basis of a valid forecast or prediction comprises facts collected through formalized methods and forecasting technologies, which are used to create data. The resulting predictions are available from national and regional organizations that specialize in the production and provision of such forecasts. On-site monitoring can support the information. On this basis, decisions can be made with a certain confidence.

8A fire watch is one or more persons responsible for providing additional monitoring of plant activities or areas for the purpose of detecting fires or identifying activities and conditions that present a fire hazard; these persons are trained in identifying conditions or activities that present potential fire hazards, as well as in the use of firefighting equipment and the proper fire notification procedures.

9The fire load is the sum of the calorific energies calculated to be released by the complete combustion of all the combustible materials in a space, including the facings of the walls, partitions, floors and ceiling.

10Hot work is work having the potential for causing fire, particularly work involving the use of open flames, soldering, welding, flame cutting, grinding or disc cutting. This might include work involving the use of heating devices, volatile organic solvents or electric motorpowered tool

11A fire compartment is a building or part of a building that is completely surrounded by fire resistant barriers (i.e. all walls, the floor and the ceiling).

12If the disturbance is in the high or radio frequency range, it is sometimes referred to as ‘radio frequency interference’.

13These actions might be taken as part of the emergency preparedness and response programme or as part of an independent comprehensive operational hazard management programme.

14Solar storms have a lower perturbation level than electromagnetic pulses but a wider area of effects. Solar storms will mainly have effects on long conductors such as pipelines and electrical lines (and connected transformers), whereas electromagnetic pulses can have effects on other equipment. The effects and the countermeasures for the two hazards might also be different.