management for safety

 

The Regulatory Body shall establish, implement, assess and improve a management system that is aligned with its safety goals and contributes to their achievement. (GSR Part 1 (Rev.1), Req 19)

The management system of the Regulatory Body has three purposes:

- To ensure that the responsibilities assigned to the Regulatory Body are properly discharged;

- To maintain and improve the performance of the Regulatory Body by means of the planning, control and supervision of its safety related activities;

- To foster and support a safety culture in the Regulatory Body through the development and reinforcement of leadership as well as good attitudes and behaviour in relation to safety on the part of individuals and teams.

The management system shall integrate its elements, including safety, health, environmental, security, quality, human-and-organizational-factor, societal and economic elements, so that safety is not compromised (GSR Part 2, Req 6)

To help the Regulatory Body to continuously assess and improve its management system, self-assessment tools are proposed by the Agency such as IRIS and SARIS.

Leadership is a key component to achieve a high level of performance and the fundamental safety objective of protecting people and the environment from harmful effects of ionizing radiation. A clear leadership for safety contribute to develop a strong safety culture together with the achievement of high levels of safety performance. According to GSR Part 2, Requirement 2, managers shall demonstrate leadership for safety and commitment to safety. Senior Management shall demonstrate leadership for safety by establishing, adhering and advocating policy on safety as well as fostering a strong safety culture while Managers at all levels shall encourage and support all individuals in achieving safety goals and performing their tasks safely.

Demonstration by senior management of a commitment to develop and sustain a culture for safety is fundamental to establishing this culture within an organization. The safety culture within the Regulatory Body takes its strength from a visible senior management commitment to establish and implement a strong safety culture in the organization. Commitment of senior management is reflected through their formulating vision, mission and policy statements which include safety culture, and by reflecting these in aspects such as the Regulatory Body’s strategic plans, organisational structures, resourcing and performance management processes. IAEA Safety Standard GSR Part 2, Requirement 12, refers to the need to foster a culture for safety and further emphasises the role of leadership in advocating and supporting awareness of safety culture and individuals’ own responsibilities and accountabilities.

GSR Part 2, Req. 6 clearly recommends the integration of the management system so that the organization sets safety as the most important objective in all aspects of its activities. Specifically, Req. 6 states: The management system shall integrate its elements, including safety, health, environmental, security, quality, human-and-organizational-factor, societal and economic elements, so that safety is not compromised.

The integrated management system must feature essential components to maximize safety and safety culture:

• It is applied, continuously improved and aligned with the safety goals of the organization;
• Fosters a strong safety culture;
• Provides guidance for the resolution of conflicts arising in the decision-making processes, without compromising safety or security;
• Specifies organizational structures, processes, responsibilities, accountabilities, levels of authority and interfaces within the organization and with external organizations
• Describes a change process (including organizational changes and the cumulative effects of minor changes) designed to ensure that implications for safety are appropriately analysed;
• Establishes an independent review before decisions significant for safety are made.

Experience has shown that the more integrated is a management system of an organization, the more the organization keeps the focus on its vision to deliver its mandate.

The IAEA General Conference regularly fosters Member States to use the IAEA Safety Standards and Security Guidance in their national legal and regulatory frameworks. Thus, Member states are encouraged to regularly review, as appropriate, national provisions against internationally established standards and guidance, as well as to report on progress in appropriate international fora such as review meetings under the terms of the relevant safety conventions.

The IAEA has already developed several self-assessment methodologies to assist Member States in the routine and regular self-evaluation of their domestic infrastructure for safety as well as for developing the safety infrastructure of a nuclear power programme. These methodologies enable the relevant national organizations with statutory responsibilities for safety, including Regulatory Bodies, to evaluate the effectiveness of performance in the different areas within their remit. This page offers link to available IAEA guidance and tools related to these methodologies.

The IAEA is currently developing additional guidance and tools for self-assessing other safety and security areas as part of the preparation for hosting review missions, such us Emergency Preparedness and Response Information Management System (EPRIMS), International Physical Protection Advisory Service (IPPAS), International Nuclear Security Advisory Service (INSServ) and Integrated Review Service for Radioactive Waste and Spent Fuel Management, Decommissioning and Remediation (ARTEMIS). This page will be updated in due course to offer links to corresponding guidance and tools.

The National Nuclear Regulatory Portal (NNRP) is the ìNational Entrance Portalî of the RegNet.

Functions of the National Nuclear Regulatory Portal (NNRP)

• The NNRP is on one hand a part of the global RegNet and on the other hand the Entry Page to the:
• General Country Information;
• Country Nuclear Regulatory Profile (CNRP);
• National Networks (like an interface);
• Actual National Legislative Information (Legislative Pyramid);
• Exchange information resources between regulatory authorities of IAEA Member States.
• Exchange information resources between Member States and IAEA, including easier access to the restricted IAEA information resources;
• Use NNRP for country purposes.

The National Nuclear Regulatory Portal (NNRP) is the ìNational Entrance Portalî of the RegNet.

Functions of the National Nuclear Regulatory Portal (NNRP)

• The NNRP is on one hand a part of the global RegNet and on the other hand the Entry Page to the:
• General Country Information;
• Country Nuclear Regulatory Profile (CNRP);
• National Networks (like an interface);
• Actual National Legislative Information (Legislative Pyramid);
• Exchange information resources between regulatory authorities of IAEA Member States.
• Exchange information resources between Member States and IAEA, including easier access to the restricted IAEA information resources;
• Use NNRP for country purposes.