Fighting fatigue and maintaining 10 CFR Part 26 compliance

October 10, 2024, 2:24PMNuclear NewsClaire Pieper and Dan Scholz
A fatigue management program is used at Xcel’s Monticello nuclear plant. (Photo: Indeavor)

Fatigue has been identified as a major risk factor in industrial accidents. According to the National Safety Council, 13 percent of workplace injuries can be attributed to fatigue.1 Other research indicates that working 12 hours per day is associated with a staggering 37 percent increase in risk of injury.2 Considering fatigue was a contributing factor to major nuclear accidents at Chernobyl and Three Mile Island, it makes sense that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission imposes hefty fines to ensure strict adherence to its fatigue management regulations—particularly, Code of Federal Regulations Title 10, Part 26, “Fitness for Duty Programs.”

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