Page ContentNuclear and Radiation Safety CultureNuclear and radiation safety depends on the ability of nuclear or radiological facilities, and other concerned entities, to anticipate the inherent risks in these practices, their ability to monitor these risks, their preparedness in daily activities to face them, their level of response, and their ability to learn from them. These capabilities and preparedness are the essence of a good safety culture.Nuclear and radiation safety culture is defined as the combination of characteristics and attitudes in nuclear and radiological facilities and individuals that demonstrate that safety issues in nuclear and radiological practices are given overriding priority. It is a concept that can be used to analyze and explain the underlying logic of the regulatory behavior of the nuclear or radiological facility and the ecosystem around it, particularly how the facility operates concerning safety.Nuclear safety culture comprises two general components: the first is the responsibility of the management hierarchy within the facility, which is the necessary framework inside the nuclear or radiological facility. The second is the attitude of personnel at all levels to respond to and benefit from the framework. According to nuclear and radiation safety culture, safety cannot be reduced to technical reliability alone; rather, it is a characteristic of all components of the entire technical and administrative ecosystem.One of the most important indicators of safety culture is the continuous level of acceptable questioning of the prevailing way of managing nuclear and radiological activities and practices, their levels of safety, and avoiding the tendency to overlook or disregard weaknesses in the safety culture. In facilities where safety is paramount, and which may face critical junctures in their operations, it is common for a serious incident to occur because of ignored or neglected aspects that should have been considered.Safety culture emphasizes the integration of roles among various actors in nuclear and radiation safety. It is not solely the absolute responsibility of the concerned nuclear or radiological facilities; it includes design and implementation companies, trading and service providers, contractors, the NRRC itself, and the quality and integration of national nuclear systems. Understanding the collective impact of all these entities on nuclear and radiation safety and achieving a higher level of safety is crucial. There should be no misunderstanding that enhancing nuclear and radiation safety culture in safety management could lead to a "control culture"; the focus should be on flexible rather than controlling management.The NRRC significantly influences the nuclear safety culture of licensees and their sense of responsibility for safety. Therefore, the NRRC must be aware of how its own safety culture affects the safety culture of the licensees it supervises to enhance their safety culture and, consequently, nuclear and radiation safety levels. It is important for the NRRC to view safety culture not just as a matter of supervision and control, but also as self-reflection. The NRRC must actively study how its safety culture affects that of the licensees. It should reflect its role within the broader regulatory system environment and how its safety culture results from its interaction with licensees and all other stakeholders.The general national culture is an element that must be considered when enhancing safety culture in nuclear and radiological facilities. It is common worldwide to find that nuclear and radiological facilities with a strong safety culture have similar characteristics. However, a facility aiming to enhance and improve these characteristics needs to design its program to fit its unique culture. National culture influences the facility’s culture and the potential success or failure of improvement programs. There are two aspects to the impact of national culture on the safety culture of any licensed facility:1. The individuals working in the nuclear or radiological facility always implement some aspects of their national culture in their work behavior (such as certain values or social norms).2. The national culture is an integral part of the societal structures around nuclear safety (such as legislation, education, and the roles of various stakeholders), which can significantly affect the activities of licensees.Nuclear and radiation safety culture grows through several considerations, including supporting the development of adequate understanding and knowledge of nuclear and radiation safety and risk requirements, and supporting organizational vigilance (full mindfulness) regarding new risks or other unexpected conditions based on either technical or social phenomena. It also means avoiding complacency and constant effort for continuous improvement.The safety culture of a nuclear or radiological facility influences what the facility considers worthy of attention and what is ignored. This makes external assessments of the safety culture a proactive learning mechanism to enhance the safety level of these facilities. They enable facility management to recognize entrenched patterns of thought and understand the reasons for certain behavior issues. A better understanding of the facility's safety culture allows for anticipating reactions to changes and development initiatives. Therefore, a nuclear safety culture development program must always be based on a strong understanding of the current culture of the facility.The NRRC has paid special and significant attention to this issue due to its importance in achieving its objectives, following the best international experiences. The NRRC's strategic plan includes a main goal of building, enhancing, and spreading a nuclear safety culture among interested parties within and outside the NRRC. To achieve this goal, the NRRC has implemented many strategic initiatives, including:Enhancing the Safety Culture: Reinforcing nuclear and radiation safety as a fundamental pillar of the NRRC and reflecting this importance to stakeholders, including citizens, residents, health practitioners, medical and industrial facilities, thereby establishing a strong safety culture in Saudi Arabia. This commitment is demonstrated through the NRRC’s organizational structure, focusing on nuclear and radiation safety and providing necessary resources and tools, including performance measurement tools and self-assessment guidance (SCSA) for those involved.Developing and Implementing a Comprehensive Communication and Awareness Strategy: Engaging with internal and external stakeholders through multiple media channels and targeting different audience groups, including citizens, residents, specialists, and NRRC staff. This strategy involves understanding their interests and concerns, preparing and categorizing informational materials by target audience and communication channel, and developing a specific mechanism to measure public confidence in the NRRC.Designing and Launching the Distinguished Service and Safety Culture Award Program: This initiative focuses on developing and implementing a rewards and recognition program for outstanding facilities in safety culture. It includes identifying practices and tools that contribute to achieving this, such as necessary measurement tools, developing relevant policies, procedures, and systems, and showcasing winners through various media outlets.Organizations that design, manufacture, operate, and oversee high-risk technologies create safety through decision-making and daily activities. Conversely, these organizations tend to develop various social and psychological phenomena that may increase their susceptibility to risks. Organizations may gradually drift toward risky strategies due to small deviations that serve as warning signs or because different organizational units optimize their local objectives and work practices without fully considering overall activities. Failures to share lessons learned, suboptimal information flow, misinterpretation of technical phenomena, and cutting corners during operational tasks are common outcomes found in various accident investigations.The NRRC highlights the need for a comprehensive view and analysis of nuclear and radiation safety performance indicators, particularly those related to safety culture. Current nuclear and radiation safety performance indicators are often lagging, meaning they measure something that has already occurred. To enable these indicators to monitor the effects of proactive nuclear and radiation safety actions and predict weaknesses, the NRRC works on identifying leading performance indicators. These indicators should be capable of understanding organizational practices and processes in a way that allows for proactive recognition of changes before they occur in nuclear and radiation safety performance.
