TY - BOOK
T1 - SafePhase
T2 - Safety culture challenges in design, construction, installation and commissioning phases of large nuclear power projects
AU - Gotcheva, Nadezhda
AU - Oedewald, Pia
PY - 2015
Y1 - 2015
N2 - Different lifecycle phases of a nuclear power plant
present new human-technology-organization challenges to
regulators and licensees. Organizational processes and
practices that have evolved in one phase of development
might be dysfunctional for the next phase, and the
definition of "good safety culture" in practice might be
unclear.
The objective of the SafePhase study is to improve the
understanding of safety culture challenges facing
regulators and power companies in different phases of
large-scale nuclear power projects. The study utilized
relevant literature and international experience on
challenges in design, construction, installation and
commissioning phases. Background information was provided
by the interviews conducted at the Swedish Radiation
Safety Authority. Some experiences concerning
decommissioning were also reviewed, although this was
beyond the scope of the study.
The findings indicated that organizational challenges in
the design phase are related to the intangible nature of
nuclear safety, which may lead to shifting the focus to
paperwork and a limited sense of responsibility for the
end-product and overall plant safety. Design in the
nuclear industry is a slow process; designers are often
involved in many projects at the same time, which hinders
their capability to concentrate continuously on any of
them. In major modernizations and new build projects the
entire design process can take years, during which staff
turnover is likely and thus knowledge transfer and
continuity are also challenged.
The main issues in the construction and installation
phases refer to project management in a complex
multinational network and management of safety culture in
a dynamic context of temporary workers, when nuclear
hazards are not yet present. Special challenges in these
phases are ensuring high quality in the long supply
chains of the manufacturing and construction work, in
which economic constraints cause pressure; also specific
knowledge on nuclear safety principles and risks is
insufficient.
Organizational challenges in the commissioning phase are
not only related to time pressure as the end of the
project is approaching; these challenges are also related
to the clarity and transfer of roles and
responsibilities, as well as preparedness for the
unexpected and for possible emergencies with regard to
the nuclear fuel loading stage.
Overall, the SafePhase project indicated the importance
of understanding organizational characteristics of each
nuclear lifecycle phase, which present specific safety
culture challenges.
AB - Different lifecycle phases of a nuclear power plant
present new human-technology-organization challenges to
regulators and licensees. Organizational processes and
practices that have evolved in one phase of development
might be dysfunctional for the next phase, and the
definition of "good safety culture" in practice might be
unclear.
The objective of the SafePhase study is to improve the
understanding of safety culture challenges facing
regulators and power companies in different phases of
large-scale nuclear power projects. The study utilized
relevant literature and international experience on
challenges in design, construction, installation and
commissioning phases. Background information was provided
by the interviews conducted at the Swedish Radiation
Safety Authority. Some experiences concerning
decommissioning were also reviewed, although this was
beyond the scope of the study.
The findings indicated that organizational challenges in
the design phase are related to the intangible nature of
nuclear safety, which may lead to shifting the focus to
paperwork and a limited sense of responsibility for the
end-product and overall plant safety. Design in the
nuclear industry is a slow process; designers are often
involved in many projects at the same time, which hinders
their capability to concentrate continuously on any of
them. In major modernizations and new build projects the
entire design process can take years, during which staff
turnover is likely and thus knowledge transfer and
continuity are also challenged.
The main issues in the construction and installation
phases refer to project management in a complex
multinational network and management of safety culture in
a dynamic context of temporary workers, when nuclear
hazards are not yet present. Special challenges in these
phases are ensuring high quality in the long supply
chains of the manufacturing and construction work, in
which economic constraints cause pressure; also specific
knowledge on nuclear safety principles and risks is
insufficient.
Organizational challenges in the commissioning phase are
not only related to time pressure as the end of the
project is approaching; these challenges are also related
to the clarity and transfer of roles and
responsibilities, as well as preparedness for the
unexpected and for possible emergencies with regard to
the nuclear fuel loading stage.
Overall, the SafePhase project indicated the importance
of understanding organizational characteristics of each
nuclear lifecycle phase, which present specific safety
culture challenges.
M3 - Report
T3 - SSM Rapport
BT - SafePhase
PB - Swedish Radiation Safety Authority SSM
ER -