International survey on PSA figures of merit

Probabilistic safety assessment (PSA) figures of merit represent one of the most interesting topics in the use of PSA for safety-related applications. This is all the more interesting as the viewpoints and opinions of different experts on the use of importance factors could diverge. Even when the experts agree, the use of these measures is likely to involve a number of difficulties or pitfalls, especially if they are used too "mechanically", without proper care. EDF considered the topic to be sufficiently important and controversial to justify exploratory studies as part of the scientific and technical monitoring program and to get advice, comments, and critical viewpoints from a number of international PSA experts and practitioners. This report presents a synthesis of the results of this international survey. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.