Repressed hazard
A repressed hazard is one that the
operators disregard in order to deal with
high priority tasks.
Examples
- The operators disconnect a backup
system of a critical unit, to enable
certain maintenance activities. The
system was under
hazard of not being
able to cope with a
failure of the critical unit.
- Due to a failure, a backup
system of a critical was not functional. The
operators decided to continue with
operation as normally. When the critical
unit failed, the backup
system was unavailable.
The risks of repressed hazards
If the operators are busy doing high priority tasks, they are likely to
neglect the repressed hazard.
Example
The TMI accident exemplifies the
risks of disconnecting a backup
system.
Updated on 29 Feb 2016.