Professionals' beliefs about nuclear safety - An interview study in the nordic nuclear branch

• The aim of the study was to characterize the definitions of nuclear safety among technical and safety professionals in the Nordic nuclear industry. Secondly, the aim was to inspect the relation between the definition of nuclear safety and the kind of indicators the respondents would use to evaluate nuclear safety in a power plant. The study illustrated that there was no shared definition of nuclear safety among the Nordic nuclear safety community. The definitions formed six groups: safety as limiting the consequences of radiation, safety as process control, safety as a way of working, safety as a mindset, safety as adherence to standards, and unclear or circular argument. These safety definitions had no direct relationship to the evaluation focus the respondents favoured. Four major evaluation foci were identified: 1) focus on organizational practices and processes, 2) focus on technical and structural safety, 3) focus on operating experience and 4) focus on plant management. In order to integrate the many aspects of risk and safety found among professionals, it seems essential to develop at least some sort of basic model which people can agree upon. Indicators discovered in this study can be one starting point in formulating such a model.

Ämnesord

HUMANIORA  -- Filosofi, etik och religion -- Filosofi (hsv//swe)

HUMANITIES  -- Philosophy, Ethics and Religion -- Philosophy (hsv//eng)

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Fysik (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Physical Sciences (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Human and organization factors

Nuclear safety

Safety assessment

Safety management

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