Comissioners for Nuclear Safety and Human Factors

Tasks

• Event reports
• Current events during operation (to be and not to be reported to the authorities, Interpretation of Report - Criteria)
• Rating of events relating to INES (International Nuclear Event Scale), IRS (International Rating System) and WANO (World Association of Nuclear Operators)
• Discussion and evaluation of national and international event reports that may be relevant for the German NPPs
• Discussion of the F-ANP- evaluation reports
• Communication with authorities
• Analysis of Events (technical analysis and Human Factors)
• Softvalues/ Safety-Management
• Safety Culture

Current subjects

Following the many years of operation of nuclear plants and continued efforts aimed at improving plant engineering and plant organisation, a high technical and organisational standard has been achieved and at the same time, the workforce has been made very aware of the importance of a safe and reliable operation. The safe and reliable operation of a plant takes priority even if the economic and political climate has changed.

The safety culture is seen as an element of the safety management system and responsible behaviour of employees. Apart from the technical conditions, administrative arrangements and availability of resources, it must also guarantee the preconditions for creating awareness and also the active involvement of the management and all employees to ensure the safe and reliable operation of the plant.

This concept is based on a continuous improvement process which includes the recurring evaluation of the safety culture, monitoring its trend and the implementation of necessary improvement measures. The evaluation of the safety culture covers all areas and topics arising from the plant management activities and the interaction of the organisation units concerned and has to be conducted up to and including the operating level. This makes it necessary to involve all members of staff in this improvement process as sources of knowledge and information. However, this demands an open working environment free from accusations of blame, which, in view of the sensitivity of the information, is only permitted by an internal evaluation system. The aims and the status of the safety culture achieved must be communicated to the workforce in line with this improvement process.

The concept for the evaluation of the safety culture has been specially developed for use in nuclear power plants, but can also be applied in other branches, taking into account the boundary conditions and interfaces that exist.