The Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA), in partnership with the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO), conducted its third Country-Specific Safety Culture Forum (CSSCF) in Canada from 7-8 September 2022, hosted by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC).
The two-day event held in Ottawa received around 80 participants from across the Canadian nuclear sector, who engaged in constructive discussions around how their national traits could have an impact on safety culture within their nuclear community as a whole.
The global nuclear industry has learned over the years that cultural and human aspects of the sector play an essential component for ensuring stable and safe operations of nuclear facilities. Despite international standards and norms supporting safe operations being well established internationally, the different national cultural contexts can impact the safety culture of countries and ultimately safe operations in unique ways.
Issues such as safety culture, organisational effectiveness, decision-making and communications weigh substantially on successful operations, and are directly linked to the well-being and functionality of the critical human resources that enable these operations to run smoothly and safely.
NEA Director-General William D. Magwood, IV, with CNSC President Rumina Velshi and WANO CEO, Ingemar Engvist
Participation across the Canadian nuclear sector included the regulator, all operating facilities, as well as representatives from the medical industry and relevant members of academia. International participants from the regulatory bodies of Japan (NRA), France (ASN), Switzerland (ENSI), and the United Kingdom (ONR) were also present and provided their own perspectives in light of the Forums’ deliberations.
NEA Director-General William D. Magwood, IV was present to welcome participants alongside CNSC President, Rumina Velshia, and WANO CEO, Ingemar Engvist.
The CSSCF in Canada was the first to be conducted in North America following previous Forums which were held in Sweden in 2018 and in Finland in 2019. The objective of the Forum is to support the identification of national cultural traits and characteristics that influence safety, and also to discuss opportunities in which safety culture can be strengthened.
Participants taking part in a safety role play during the CSSCF Canada
Composed of group discussions and role plays, the Forum allowed participants to frame their dialogue around scenes from a scenario script that depicted safety culture issues that merited analysis.
The outcomes from the CSSCF Canada will support previous data collected through focus groups and interviews with nuclear stakeholders, and will ultimately inform a final report to conclude the Country-Specific Safety Culture (Canada) Project.
For more information on the NEA’s Country-Specific Safety Culture Forums, click here.
