Execution and results of national peer reviews

In 1998 German operators initiated an internal programme for self-assessment. The initiative was launched due to contamination at transport containers for fuel element that has been hitting the headlines since the beginning of 1998 and the first INES 2 event that occurred in a German plant in June 1998. Within the scope of root-cause analysis it seemed to be obvious that the plant management standards within a company and even more within Germany were differing and the exchange of experience had to be improved. The realization of national peer reviews in 1999/2000 has already proven to be an effective instrument even before completion of the pilot phase.