Nuclear safety and reliability is a complicated and potentially emotive subject. Safety and reliability analysis in general is a process of identifying hazards, estimating the associated risks and evaluating them in terms of basic parameters, namely the occurrence probability of each failure hazard and its magnitude of possible consequences with regard to design, operation and maintenance.
Within the context of complicated nuclear systems there are numerous failsafe requirements that must be put in place. Dr Min An leads on risk management relating to nuclear system safety.
Beyond the engineering safety risks, there is the public understanding of risk. Governance of risk, technologies and nuclear waste is an area where the Birmingham Centre for Nuclear Education and Research has significant strength.