Peculiarities of communication of managing civil servants and the control area institutions in case of emergency at NPP

Abstract

Background. Implementing the measures to protect the control area (CA) population is ensured by Emergency Planning and Response System of “NNEGC” Energoatom” in case of accidents and emergencies at NPPs of Ukraine (EPR) as a part of the Unified State Civil Protection System (USCPS).
 Purpose. Specifying the features of interaction between different management structures in the domain of radiation protection of the control area population in case of emergencies at nuclear power plants.
 Materials and methods. The expert evaluation method was utilized in the research process. Five main groups of experts, responsible for the state of radiation protection of various population groups of South-Ukrainian NPP (SUNPP) control area and qualified according to the key criteria, have been formed. Semi-closed-ended and open-ended questions were used in the expert evaluations, a 5-point scale was used in closed-ended ones, and nominal ones were used for others. When processing, statistical methods designed to analyze non-numerical information were applied.
 Results and discussion. In case of emergency at SUNPP, the system of alerting municipal authority executives of cities and rural settlements of the control area is “more or less” effective and can be achieved within 30 minutes. The control area population is provided with stable iodine agents, the population of Yuzhnoukrainsk is provided with individual protective gear in the best way; Voznesensk and rural settlements have a little lower levels of supply. The rural areas are characterized by the lowest level of first aid kits, protective clothing and respirators supplies. Implementing the measures to limit the consumption of food contaminated with radionuclides and to provide “clean” one, as well as to restrict the consumption of drinking water contaminated with radionuclides, and to provide “clean” one is about 3.0 points (“approximately 50% of what is needed”).
 Conclusion. The analysis of expert evaluation data shows that the NPP and the State Emergency Service conduct regular training in case of emergency at NPP forming stereotypes of behavior of managing civil servants. The level of readiness to put protective measures in action in case of emergency at SUNPP varies, depending on the state service and institution as well the location of those ones in the control area. The level of readiness in the edge city is the highest; it is lower in cities and the lowest in the rural areas. The level of being equipped with key facilities is extremely low in civil protection services and primary healthcare units.