Comparison of severity scales of human-made accidents of nuclear and chemical industries

Severe accidents of Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs) caused radioactive material release into the people and the environment. Nuclear impact worldwide heightens public concern about the use of nuclear energy, both in countries that operate NPPs and those that do not. In the chemical industry, particularly oil and gas sectors, many severe accidents have also occurred, resulting in long-lasting environmental impacts. Both the nuclear and chemical industries rely on socio-technical systems to enhance safety, optimize operations, and minimize losses. Although both nuclear and chemical accidents affected similar losses, the chemical industries reveal less negative perception compared to nuclear energy. This work aims to recommend the standard of comparing severity scales on humanmade accidents in nuclear and chemical industries using the levels of severity from the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES) and Standard Operating Procedure (SOP). The similarities and differences of nuclear and chemical accidents' severity scales are examined to indicate the position of the chemical industry in the scheme of nuclear accidents. The finding of this work is expected to recommend the standard to explain the severity of nuclear and chemical accidents in the same approach to support public understanding of nuclear energy.

Keywords: Nuclear accident, Chemical accident, Oil & gas industries, International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES), Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).