Variety of the Human Factor Manifestations in the Problems of the Security System Performance at a Nuclear Site

The Russian Federation law ‘On Security’ and the Concept of the Russian Federation on national security define security as a state of vital interests of an individual, the society and the government vis a vis external and internal threats. The human factor plays a triune role in security issues: it can be source of danger in the main areas of life, it can become a victim of those and other dangers, and it can and must create barriers preventing the occurrence and realization of dangers. A positive role of the human factor is expressed in a correct involvement in a nuclear site’s security, a reasonable involvement, a useful and effective involvement. A negative role of the human factor is demonstrated in a lack of timely involvement in the security of a nuclear site, an incorrect involvement, a correct but ill-timed involvement or in a harmful involvement. The paper analyzes manifestations of the human factor in the actual operation of RISI as a nuclear site. The focus is put on the realization of the functional condition of a human qualified as ‘a victim’ or ‘a villain’ - an insider. The paper emphasizes the close relationship between the level of knowledge and the degree of responsibility, the errors are analyzed, which are caused by insufficient responsibility (or a complete lack of it), by a lack of knowledge, by inaptitude (or absence of conditions) to realize knowledge. In this respect, mechanisms of mitigating the human factor influence on the MPC&A technical systems’ performance are suggested, as well as mechanisms of ensuring a nuclear site security through developing the MPC&A performance test programs, control over its configuration, analysis of errors committed in the MPC&A system operation, exposing tendencies, and by developing programs aimed at preventing the negative influence of the human factor.