Subcontracting & Nuclear Safety: For An International Approach

While being at Stanford, my aim is to extend my research on nuclear issues by working with Gabrielle Hecht and to prepare my thesis for publication. During my doctoral research, I studied subcontracting in the nuclear sector in France, and health and safety problems linked to the way the work is organized. One innovation of the thesis is its focus on the emergence and formation of internal criticism in the nuclear industry. This long-term survey reveals the difficulties encountered by advocates of occupational health in placing this issue on trade union and political agendas in a sustainable manner. Subcontracted workers face even greater obstacles to exercising their rights to health and compensation for damages. My postdoctoral research further develops my thesis by exploring new dimensions, including the study of public policies. At Stanford, I will focus on a comparison of the repair systems for radiation-induced diseases between France and the United States. More generally, this project aims at understanding the interactions between law, medical expertise, and political power when it comes to recognizing radiation-induced occupational diseases. It intends to unveil dynamics among knowledge, recognition, and ignorance of occupational health issues. The nuclear industry exemplifies logics and issues at stake in many other professional worlds.