The evidence was pretty solid that safety standards in the workplace are considerably higher than at home. Even relative to other industries performance was good.
This is only opinion, but I thought:
1) This was a good state to be in
2) It was bought on by ignorance of lay people and politicians who didn't understand relative risk
3) The situation reflected well on our political system functioning well without being very logical
It drives me crazy that we hold nuclear to a higher standard again even though the cost/benefit ratio appears to be better than many other industrial and non-industrial activities (eg, driving cars, using coal). People will cheerfully say 'but nuclear ... causes X', but rarely compare that with the benefits that were bought for X.
Unfortunately, the gut response "I am appalled; this must change" by folks who don't know anything about how the lab operates (i.e., lay citizens and politicians) exerts pressure toward the latter, not the former.