Estimation of occupational compensation based on a linear-quadratic methodology for the nuclear industry

• Published in: Safety science Vol. 105; pp. 1 - 8
• Main Authors: Chudy, Michal, Thopil, George Alex, Alonso, Gustavo, Slabber, Johan F.M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier Ltd 01.06.2018; Elsevier BV
• Subjects: Cancer; Electric power generation; Estimating techniques; Health risk assessment; Health risks; Ionizing radiation; Methodology; Motivation; Nuclear accidents & safety; Nuclear energy; Nuclear engineering; Nuclear facilities; Nuclear power plants; Nuclear safety; Occupational health; Quadratic equations; Quadratic programming; Radiation damage; Radiation dosage; Radiation injuries; Regulations; Safety measures; Stochasticity; Wage & salary administration; Workers
• ISSN: 0925-7535; 1879-1042
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ssci.2018.01.017

•Potential health damage caused by low doses of ionizing radiation is assessed.•A Linear-Quadratic function is proposed instead the LNT relation for low doses.•The new Linear-Quadratic methodology (LQM) results in significantly higher charges for higher doses.•Also it results in lower charges for low exposure levels and even zeros payment for environmental doses.•This LQM provides motivation for nuclear facilities to improve health & safety measures. Production of nuclear electricity is under scrutiny because of health issues connected with operation of nuclear facilities. National and international regulatory institutions aim to have regulations that ensure that any radiation dose received by the workers are kept as minimal as possible to reduce any risk on human health. Under these circumstances when a controlled nuclear facility is operating in standard conditions the possibility to have direct injuries connected by non-stochastic effects of ionizing radiation will happen only if regulations are violated. In addition, the stochastic effect of radiation may cause cancer. Nuclear power plants calculate the cost of potential health damage caused by ionizing radiation based on the Linear No-Threshold Relationship (LNT) between the dose and cancer risk. However, recent radiological research questions the validity of the LNT relationship for low and very low doses. In this paper, a new methodology based on a linear-quadratic function is proposed for the cost estimation of health risks induced by ionizing radiation, this new methodology results in significantly higher monetary cost for higher doses. At the same time the new methodology also results in lower monetary cost for low exposure levels and even zeros payment for environmental doses because they cannot be avoided. By adopting this new methodology it could provide motivation for nuclear facilities to improve health & safety measures.