Course in Historical Accidents and Lessons Learned
Online 300-hour course in historical accidents and lessons learned. 6 modules covering the IAEA INES Scale (nuclear and radiological events), IAEA SF-1 (fundamental safety principles) and BowTieXP. Personal tutor assigned and enrolment open.
Take the controls.
Run a real engineering trade-off from this field. Move the sliders, watch the model react in real time and beat the challenge.
What you will be able to do
Explain the value of operating experience in accident prevention.
Analyse the causes and sequence of major reactor accidents.
Study significant events at fuel cycle facilities.
Assess the regulatory and organisational changes that followed each accident.
Identify recurring patterns of technical, human and organisational failure.
Apply root cause analysis methodologies to documented cases.
Propose improvements to safety culture within an organisation.
Who it's for
- Operating experience analyst looking to specialise in Historical accidents and lessons learned.
- Safety culture specialist looking to specialise in Historical accidents and lessons learned.
- Nuclear regulation technician looking to specialise in Historical accidents and lessons learned.
- Human factors analyst looking to specialise in Historical accidents and lessons learned.
- Facility safety trainer looking to specialise in Historical accidents and lessons learned.
- Industrial risk management consultant looking to specialise in Historical accidents and lessons learned.
- Engineering or science graduates looking to enter nuclear power plants.
What you'll work with
- IAEA INES Scale (nuclear and radiological events)
- IAEA SF-1 (fundamental safety principles)
- INSAG-4 (safety culture)
- INSAG-7 (update on the Chernobyl accident)
- NUREG-0585 (lessons from the Three Mile Island accident)
- Directive 2014/87/Euratom (nuclear safety)
- WENRA reference levels
6 modules · 300 h
1.1Why the sector is built on its accidents1.2International Nuclear Event Scale1.3Official sources of information and their reliability1.4Accident analysis methodology1.5Direct, contributing and latent causes1.6Barriers and defence in depth1.7Human and organisational factors1.8Difference between blame and cause1.9The risk of reading history backwards1.10Exercise: building the timeline of an event
2.1Windscale and the graphite fire2.2Three Mile Island and the misreading of plant status2.3Chernobyl: design, test and culture2.4Fukushima Daiichi: external event and total loss of power2.5Comparing sequences and barriers that failed2.6Source terms and radiological consequences2.7Emergency response in each case2.8Documented health consequences2.9Social and economic consequences2.10Practice: comparing two accidents by barriers
3.1Criticality accidents at process facilities3.2Accidents at reprocessing plants3.3Fires and explosions at fuel cycle facilities3.4Events at research reactors3.5Radiological accidents in gammagraphy and radiotherapy3.6Orphan sources and material contamination3.7Events during transport3.8Near misses and their informative value3.9Precursors and their analysis3.10Practice: analysing a criticality event
4.1Emergence of independent regulators4.2Design improvements arising from each accident4.3Severe accident management systems4.4Hydrogen recombiners and filtered venting4.5Mobile equipment and extended response4.6European stress tests4.7Periodic safety review4.8International operating experience networks4.9Safety culture as a regulated concept4.10Practice: tracing an improvement back to its originating accident
5.1Overconfidence in design5.2Underestimation of external events5.3Inadequate procedures under degraded conditions5.4Insufficient training for unforeseen situations5.5Communication and command problems5.6Weaknesses in regulatory oversight5.7Public communication during the crisis5.8Real transfer of lessons between countries5.9Organisational resistance to learning5.10Practice: auditing the application of a lesson
6.1Selection of a documented accident6.2Technical reconstruction of the sequence6.3Analysis of barriers and latent causes6.4Analysis of human and organisational factors6.5Radiological and social consequences6.6Lessons drawn and their subsequent application6.7Verification of their application at a current facility6.8Derived training material6.9Study report6.10Defence of the work
How you'll learn
Fully 100% online training on the SEIUM campus, with downloadable material, recorded classes and an assigned technical tutor. No fixed timetables: students progress at their own pace within the intake, which makes it possible to combine study with work.
Each module combines theory, guided reading of the original standard and applied exercises. The working software is BowTieXP, Advanced Excel, NVivo, Python (pandas), in free, academic or evaluation versions. Practicals study real root cause analysis procedures for historical events, bow-tie diagrams of safety barriers, and documentary review of official accident reports. Assessment is continuous by module plus the final integrative project.
Build it end to end
Your final project follows the real engineering workflow, step by step, reviewed by your tutor.
Explain the value of operating experience in accident prevention.
Analyse the causes and sequence of major reactor accidents.
Study significant events at fuel cycle facilities.
Assess the regulatory and organisational changes that followed each accident.
Identify recurring patterns of technical, human and organisational failure.
Where this takes you
Requirements
- No prior qualification required.
- Internet connection and a computer capable of running the programme's software.
- Sufficient Spanish to follow technical standards documentation.
Ready to start?
Send your application today. Our admissions team replies within 72 hours with your study plan and funding options.
Frequently asked questions
The programme is 300 hours in total, spread over 3 to 5 months. That is an average of 10 to 15 hours per week, compatible with a full-time job.
The course uses BowTieXP, Advanced Excel, NVivo, Python (pandas). Free, academic or evaluation versions are used, and the tutor indicates the free alternative where one exists.
An SEIUM diploma upon passing continuous assessment and the integrative project. This is in-house training, not an official qualification from the Ministry.
Yes. Modules passed in a course or Postgraduate Diploma in the same area are credited towards the higher-level programme. Please check the recognition policy when enrolling.
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