Analysis and Assessment of Errors of Commission in Nuclear Power Plant Settings

The term Errors of Commission (EOC) describes a safety problem of complex technical systems where humans intervene into the system functions in an inappropriate way. Most serious events in any technical area are caused by EOCs. Humans shut down a high pressure injection that is needed in the current situation (TMI Nuclear Power Plant), humans decide to continue a test that brings the plant into serious conditions (Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant), Maintenance Management does not exchange a wheel that is far below the safety margins (Eschede Railway Accident in Germany). Similar examples can be mentioned in other technical systems like Aircraft or Medicine for instance. This paper firstly gives an overview about the problem and the work in that field. It then focuses on some approaches for solution concerning the modeling of cognitive human behaviour.