What is the primary purpose of conducting an investigation after a nuclear safety mishap?

The primary purpose of conducting an investigation after a nuclear safety mishap is to determine the cause and to prevent recurrence. This process is essential because it focuses on understanding the factors that led to the incident, which is critical for implementing measures that can mitigate the risk of similar events happening in the future. Identifying root causes, whether they relate to equipment failure, human error, or procedural inadequacies, provides valuable insights that can enhance safety protocols, improve training, and influence system designs to bolster overall nuclear safety.

In this context, simply assigning blame does not address the systemic issues that may have contributed to the mishap; rather, the investigation must aim at learning from the incident. Informing the public of safety issues or reporting to international regulators, while important, are secondary ramifications of the investigation's findings and do not represent the core objective. The main goal is to foster a safer operational environment by ensuring that lessons learned from mishaps lead to effective corrective actions.