Stress, undue stress, and the operation requalification examination process

Individuals licensed to operate US commercial nuclear power facilities are required by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to pass a periodic requalification examination in order to maintain their license. In a regulatory impact survey conducted by the NRC, these examinations were cited by the nuclear industry as a significant source of stress on operators. The potential for undue stress to unnecessarily degrade operator performance in the examinations prompted a study to identify the specific sources of undue stress and potential methods of reducing the stress. This study was conducted using interviews, examination observations, and questionnaires. The results indicate that the three fundamental sources of undue stress are: (1) repeated changes in the examination process, (2) inconsistency in interpretation of the guidelines for administering the examination, and (3) specific examination content and grading practices.<>