Learning Organizations for Nuclear Safety

Organizational learning (OL) is a crucial component of operational excellence in nuclear power plants. OL relies on performance assessments, change management and continuous improvements. OL has become increasingly important for the nuclear industry with regards to adaptation to changes in the political and economic environment, work force, technology within plants, and organizations of the nuclear utilities. A danger in this adaptation process is that even minor problems may trigger a chain of events where the risk of deteriorated safety and/or diminishing trust in safety standards of the particular nuclear power plant becomes possible. The paper describes a project that considers the demands placed upon the management team of a nuclear power plant in order to create methods and tools to support them. The involvement of nuclear power plants within the project provides a unique possibility for interactions between research and practice. It is hoped that by utilizing such a method the project will be able to benchmark approaches to safety management in different cultures and within stages of change. To ensure the maximum benefit for the participating nuclear power plants, results are being tested and adapted continuously as part of the project.