Foreword
With the development of science and technology, our societies ask for increasingly sophisticated systems that are optimized to better meet our needs while controlling costs. At the same time, our societies should beware of the drawbacks these systems may present, particularly of the risk they can pose to both people and the environment. Society demands that the safety of these complex systems be guaranteed in a normal situation and in the case of an incident or accident.
These issues involve several areas of industry. They obviously concern nuclear electricity generation, which society watches very carefully. France has created legislation on the continuing improvement of nuclear safety, thanks to specially periodic safety controls that take into account the evolution of knowledge. The accident in Fukushima reminded us that the simultaneous occurrence of events that are considered individually very unlikely is possible. Through the additional safety evaluations undertaken by the nuclear safety authority, the lessons are learned from this accident.
Research in safety is therefore essential, and I am delighted by the quality of the results gathered in the present book. I am particularly happy about the active participation of all the nuclear operators, including those who are in charge of the management of radioactive waste, the innovative nature of which is too often underestimated.
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