Page 67 - Beyond Decommissioning

48 Beyond Decommissioning

Table 2.2 Loss of knowledge factors
1. Technical/environmental factors
1.1 Site degradation and abandonment
1.2 No records/poor archives, lack of/insufficient characterization
1.3 No/insufficient update of records
1.4 Loss/destruction of physical archives (e.g., fire, flood, earthquake)
1.5 Loss/destruction of electronic archives (new incompatible software, electronic
degradation)
2. Economic factors
2.1 No/insufficient budget to fulfill KM tasks (lack of auditing the state of records)
3. Human factors
3.1 Change of ownership/management
3.2 General negligence in the area of knowledge preservation
3.3 Ignorance and/or incompetence
3.4 Underestimation of risks
3.5 Illegal activities (e.g., falsification of documents, unauthorized disposal of files)
4. Structural factors
4.1 Discontinuities (e.g., war, social crisis, bankruptcy)
4.2 No/poor organizational continuity
5. Regulations/laws
5.1 New regulations not notified to responsible parties
5.2 Lack of enforcement

of redevelopment needs and values may be larger than expected and it could be
necessary for a future generation to gain access to new or different data.
Overtime, changes affecting the use of the facility/site are inevitable, not just
within the organizations directly responsible but in principle in all stakeholders.
Changes in the following parameters are likely to be relevant impacts:
societal structures (e.g., new political priorities);
l
scientific and technological advancement;
l
l evolution of the facility and site (e.g., new population centers);
l changes in land use;
l organizational structures;
l cultural changes;
l language and meaning; and
l climate change.
The next generation/owner should be able to recreate the context that influenced those
who undertook the initial steps in the redevelopment program. Each new generation/
owner will need and take advantage of access to the information that documents his-
torical, regulatory, and operational frameworks: this is the best way to make sensible
changes to the facility/site use without losing values.
The nuclear regulator (or following cessation of the nuclear use of the site, the des-
ignated responsible authority) is required to ensure that relevant documents and
records are prepared by the operator, maintained to a specified standard, and trans-
ferred to the next site operator. In case the operator ceases its activities or ceases