Human Factors, System Safety, and Systems Engineering in the Transportation of U.S. High-Level Waste

The U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board is an independent agency charged with evaluating the technical and scientific validity of the U.S. Department of energy's program to manage the disposal of spent fuel and defense high-level waste. The Board has continued to emphasize the importance of using a true system approach in designing the waste management system. The Board has recommended the application of basic design disciplines such as human factors, system safety, and systems engineering. A top-level system study needs to be undertaken that focuses on minimizing handling. The analysis must be well done, in a timely manner, and without the inclusion in the analysis of arbitrary and artificial constraints.