Article: Maintaining Nuclear Safety Standards In A Time Of Craft Labor Shortages

By Gary McKinney

Over the years nuclear power plant operators have moved toward outsourcing maintenance and outage activities to contractors.

These contractors, in turn, have competed for a network of skilled temporary workers to support their maintenance and outage work. In recent years, however, this workforce has dwindled because of shorter outages, retirements, opportunities in other industries, and simply a lack of work that would attract new construction trade candidates to the nuclear workplace. As a result, contractors have had to look for creative ways to meet the need for workers in the nuclear industry.

Although contractors have been generally successful in meeting their worker needs, the influx of entry-level craft laborers and those new to the industry has created a number of challenges in the areas of safety and human performance.