US NRC Safety Culture

On this page:

• Overview
• What Is Safety Culture?
• NRC-Developed Safety Culture Case Studies
• What Is Safety Conscious Work Environment?
• Internal Safety Culture
• Public Meetings and Materials
• Historical Documentation:
• 2005- Safety Culture Public Meetings and Materials
• 2006- Safety Culture Public Meetings and Materials
• Training on Safety Culture and Changes to the ROP

Overview

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) recognizes the importance of nuclear plant operators establishing and maintaining a strong safety culture -- a work environment where management and employees are dedicated to putting safety first. In a January 24, 1989 policy statement (Federal Register), the Commission described its expectations for such a safety culture and how it supports the agency’s mission to protect public health and safety.
Following an event at a nuclear power plant where the licensee determined that the causes that led to the event were indicative of a weak safety culture, NRC lessons learned pointed toward the need for additional NRC efforts to evaluate a licensee’s safety culture (SECY-04-0111 and Staff Requirements Memoranda (SRM), and SECY-05-0187 and SRM). As part of this effort, the NRC reviewed the agency’s Reactor Oversight Process (ROP) to determine how it can be enhanced to more fully address safety culture and engaged stakeholders through Public Meetings and through this Web page. The Commission issued SECY-06-0122, dated May 24, 2006, which describes the safety culture initiative activities and the outcomes of those activities, including the changes made to the ROP to more fully address safety culture. A Regulatory Issue Summary 2006-13, "Information on the Changes Made to the Reactor Oversight Process to More Fully Address Safety Culture," was issued on July 31, 2006 to provide information to nuclear power reactor licensees on the revised ROP.
On February 28, 2008, the Commission issued a Staff Requirements Memorandum (SRM) SRM-(COMGBJ-08-0001), "A Commission Policy Statement on Safety Culture." SECY-09-0075, "Safety Culture Policy Statement," dated May 18, 2009, provides staff's response to the SRM. The SECY included a draft Safety Culture policy statement in Enclosure 1. In response to SECY-09-0075, the Commission issued SRM-SECY-09-0075 on October 16, 2009, that provided additional guidance to the staff on the development of the Safety Culture policy statement. As part of that guidance, the Commission directed the staff to publish the Draft Safety Culture Policy Statement in the Federal Register. The document was published on November 6, 2009 for a 90-day public comment period, which was subsequently extended 30 days until March 1, 2010, in response to requests by several stakeholders. After evaluation of the public comments that were received and the staff's additional outreach efforts, including public workshops, public meetings and teleconferences, and participation in various industry forums, the staff published a Revised Draft Safety Culture Policy Statement in the Federal Register on September 10, 2010, for a 30-day comment period. In SECY-11-0005, dated January 5, 2011, the staff provided the Proposed Final Safety Culture Policy Statement to the Commission. On January 24, 2011, the staff briefed the Commission on the Safety Culture Policy Statement. The Video Archive Webcast of this briefing can be found here. On March 7, 2011, the Commission voted to approve the Safety Culture Policy Statement. The Final Safety Culture Policy Statement package can be found in the NRC's Agencywide Documents and Management System (ADAMS). The NRC has also prepared a brochure on the Policy Statement (NUREG/BR-0500). A printer-friendly version is also available.

What Is Safety Culture?

The Commission’s “Policy Statement on the Conduct of Nuclear Power Plant Operations,” Federal Register notice, January 24, 1989, refers to safety culture as “the necessary full attention to safety matters” and the “personal dedication and accountability of all individuals engaged in any activity which has a bearing on the safety of nuclear power plants. A strong safety culture is one that has a strong safety-first focus.”
The recently published NRC Safety Culture Policy Statement expands the Commission’s focus to all NRC regulated entities and defines safety culture as follows: “Nuclear safety culture is the core values and behaviors resulting from a collective commitment by leaders and individuals to emphasize safety over competing goals to ensure protection of people and the environment.”

NRC-Developed Safety Culture Case Studies

The NRC has developed Safety Culture Case Studies to provide real-life events where review of the circumstances surrounding the event and the results of the investigations found clear examples of the role that safety culture played in contributing to or in lessening the causes and consequences of the event. 
These case studies are learning tools.  Those of us that are responsible for regulating or using radioactive material in a safe and secure manner should not become complacent and should be open to learning from the mistakes and the problems others have faced in an effort to prevent recurrences.  The case studies that will be selected for this initiative represent a breadth of industries, including energy, medical, and transportation.
The NRC has also developed a Safety Culture Case Study User Guide to help individuals and organizations use the various case studies more effectively, providing them with a better understanding of why a strong safety culture and safety-first focus are critically important. It is recommended that you review the User Guide prior to reviewing the case studies.
Currently available case studies:

• June 2009 Collision of Two Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Metrorail Trains
• [Additional case studies are under development and will be added as they are completed.]

What Is Safety Conscious Work Environment (SCWE)?

The Commission’s policy statement “Freedom of Employees in the Nuclear Industry to Raise Safety Concerns Without Fear of Retaliation,” May 14, 1996, describes SCWE as "a work environment where employees are encouraged to raise safety concerns and where concerns are promptly reviewed, given the proper priority based on their potential safety significance, and appropriately resolved with timely feedback to the originator of the concerns and to other employees." SCWE is described as an attribute of safety culture in SECY-04-0111, “Recommended Staff Actions Regarding Agency Guidance in the Areas of Safety Conscious Work Environment and Safety Culture,” August 30, 2004. The NRC has developed Guidance for Establishing and Maintaining a Safety Conscious Work Environment.

Internal Safety Culture

The NRC Internal Safety Culture Task Force was chartered in October 2008 in response to Commission direction, SRM-M080317B, to provide a report outlining potential initiatives that could improve the agency’s internal safety culture.
Based on the results from a range of data collection activities and the experience and knowledge of its members, the Task Force developed a set of recommendations. These recommendations, which are under implementation, aim to create effective and lasting improvements for supporting a strong safety culture.
Related documents:

• SECY 09-0068 Report of the Task Force on Internal Safety Culture
  • Internal Safety Culture Task Force Final Report
  • Report Appendices
• SECY 10-0009 Internal Safety Culture Update

Public Meetings and Materials

The NRC holds public meetings to discuss agency activities related to safety culture initiatives. Handouts from the meetings are included below. If you have any questions about our public meetings and materials, please contact us.
This page includes links to files in non-HTML format. See Plugins, Viewers, and Other Tools for more information.

Safety Culture Public Meeting
Date	Locations and Documents
June 16, 2011 Stakeholders / NRC Meeting Regarding Updates to the Draft Safety Culture Policy Statement Sponsored Office: OE	Meeting Notice Agenda Meeting Minutes
September 28, 2010 Stakeholders / NRC Meeting Regarding the Draft Safety Culture Policy Statement Sponsored Office: OE	Meeting Notice Meeting Logistics (including details about lunch, time zone difference, and NRC points of contact) Webinar and Teleconference Instructions How to Submit Public Comments on Safety Culture Policy Statement Agenda Traits Comparison Document with the Traits Preamble Attendance List Presentation Materials NRC Independent Evaluation of INPO's Safety Culture Traits Validation - Valerie Barnes (NRC) NRC Safety Culture Policy Statement - Maria Schwartz (NRC) NRC Safety Culture Workshop - Bob Link (AREVA) Power Reactor Stakeholder Perspective on the Safety Culture Policy Statement - Tom Houghton (NEI) NRC Safety Culture Workshop - Lynne Fairobent (American Association of Physicists in Medicine) NRC Safety Culture Workshop - Kevin Buckley (Harvard Medical School) What is Safety Culture? Theory, Research, Challenges - Valerie Barnes (NRC) Perspective on the Safety Culture Policy Statement - Wayne Rice (AFL-CIO) Safety Culture Traits Validation in Power Reactors - G. Kenneth Koves (Ph.D) Nuclear Culture of Safety - George Marshall (APNGA) NRC Safety Culture Workshop - Industrial Radiography Comments - Gayle Staton (Acuren Inspection) Principal Component Analysis Results from Surveys Used in Non-Power Plant Settings - Valerie Barnes (NRC) Meeting Minutes
September 16, 2010 Public Meeting Between NRC and Stakeholders Regarding Safety Culture Sponsored Office: OE	Meeting Notice and Agenda Meeting Summary
July 28, 2010 Public Meeting Summary and Slides Between NRC and NEI Sponsored Office: NRR	Meeting Summary Attendance List NEI Presentations Dominion Presentation Exelon Presentation PSEG Nuclear LLC Presentation STP Nuclear Operating Company Presentation NEI Handouts NRC Handouts NRC Presentation
July 15, 2010 Conference Call - Safety Culture Panelists Sponsored Office: OE	Meeting Notice Agenda List of Invited Stakeholders and NRC Staff Safety Culture Definition and Traits Safety Culture Outreach Activities Timeline for NRC Safety Culture Initiative Meeting Summary
June 30, 2010 Health Physics Society / NRC Special Joint Session on Safety Culture - Health Physics Society Annual Meeting, Salt Lake City, UT	Meeting Notice Agenda Presentation Materials NRC's Safety Culture Initiative (RSO View) by Kevin Nelson (Mayo Clinic Florida) NRC's Safety Culture Initiative by Jose Ibarra (NRC) Initiative on RP Culture by B. Lu Guen (International Radiation Protection Association - HPS) NRC Workshop on Nuclear Safety Culture by R. E. Toohey (CHP) What is Safety Culture? Theory, Research, Challenges by Catherine Thompson (NRC) A Collaborative Effort to Develop Safety Culture Terminology by David Solorio (NRC)
March 30, 2010 Commission Meeting: Briefing on Safety Culture	NRC Staff Presentation Shawn Seeley, Chair, Organization of Agreement States William Webster, Senior Vice President, Institute of Nuclear Power Operations Billie Garde, Attorney, Clifford & Garde, LLP Duann Thistlethwaite, Director Manufacturing Compliance, Triad Isotopes, Inc.
February 2-4, 2010	Meeting Notice and Agenda Panelist List Role of Panelist Developing a Common Definition of Safety Culture Developing Common Safety Culture Principles/Characteristics/Traits Draft Workshop Agenda (Detailed) Presentation Materials INPO and IAEA Approaches to Describing Safety Culture by Dr. Kenneth Koves (INPO) Workshop Breakout Sessions by Maria Schwartz (NRC) EIR Behaviors by David Collins (Member of the Public) What is Safety Culture? Theory, Research, Challenges by Dr. Valerie Barnes (NRC) NRC Safety Culture Definition and Characteristics by Dr. Valerie Barnes (NRC) Nuclear Regulatory Commission's Safety Culture Policy Statement by Martin Virgilio (NRC) HRO Safety Culture Definition - An Integrated Approach by David Collins (Member of the Public) NRC Activities Leading Up to the Safety Culture Policy Statement by Jose Ibarra (NRC) and Molly Keefe (NRC) Industry Examples of Safety Culture Definitions and Traits Traits, Characteristics, Principles, Components or Attributes of Safety Culture by Dr. Valerie Barnes (NRC) Safety Culture Definition and Traits Developed from the February 2-4, 2010 NRC-Sponsored Safety Culture Workshop Workshop Summary
February 3, 2009 (rescheduled from January 28) Sponsored Office: OE	Meeting Notice and Agenda Panelist List Open House Handouts Topic Questions Proposed Safety Culture Components and Questions Presentation Materials Session 1: Opening and Introduction Presentation Materials Session 2: Safety Culture/Security Culture Martin Virgilio, NRC Pete Stockton, Project on Government Oversight Shawn Seeley, Organization of Agreement States Session 3A: Materials Area Considerations Shawn Seeley, Organization of Agreement States Michael Sheetz, University of Pittsburgh John Nagy, Nuclear Fuel Services Session 3B: Reactors Area Considerations ROP Safety Culture Overview Ed Scherer, Regional Utility Group IV Frank Maciuska, Professional Reactor Operator Society Tom Houghton, Nuclear Energy Institute Summary and Wrap-up Session Presentation Materials External Stakeholders Written Comments (revised March 11, 2009) Workshop Summary Development of the Safety Culture Characteristics The majority of the workshop discussions were recorded through Webinar. For instructions on how to access the workshop recording, please contact June Cai at 301-415-5192.
December 4, 2008	Meeting Notice and Agenda Meeting Slides Tracy Dillenger, NASA Tom Valenti, Baltimore Gas & Electric John Bresland, U.S. Chemical Safety Board Dave Lochbaum, Union of Concerned Scientists Meeting Transcript
June 17-19, 2008 Sponsored Office: NMSS	Meeting Notice and Agenda Meeting Materials Meeting Slides NMSS Safety Culture Pilot Workshop June 19, 2008 Summary
May 14, 2008 Sponsored Office: NRR	Meeting Notice and Agenda Meeting Materials Meeting Slides Draft IP 71152 - Problem Identification and Resolution Draft IMC 0612- Power Reactor Inspection Reports Draft IMC 0612/Appendix B - Issue Screening Meeting Summary External Stakeholders' Comments - Lessons Learned Recommendations Region I Utility Group - Draft IP71152 and Draft IMC0612 Exelon - Draft IP71152 and Draft IMC0612 NEI - Draft IP71152 and Draft IMC0612
May 13, 2008 Sponsored Office: NRO	Meeting Notice and Agenda
April 17, 2008 Sponsored Office: NRR	Meeting Notice and Agenda Meeting Material IP 95003 (DRAFT) - Supplemental Inspection for Repetitive Degraded Cornerstones, Multiple Degraded Cornerstones, Multiple Yellow Inputs, or One Red Input Draft Enclosures 95003.02 A-F Draft Inspection Manual Chapter 0305, "Operating Reactor Assessment Program Lesson Learned Inputs for the Reactor Oversight Program Safety Culture Evaluation Enclosure 24 - NEI Chart of ROP Action Matrix Placement Meeting Slides Meeting Summary External Stakeholders' Comments - Lessons Learned Recommendations Region I Utility Group - Draft IP95003 and Draft IMC0305 Exelon - Draft IP95003 and Draft IMC0305 NEI - Draft IP95003 and Draft IMC0305 Union of Concerned Scientists - Draft IP95003 and Draft IMC0305
April 2-3, 2008 Sponsored Office: NRO	Meeting Notice and Agenda Meeting Slides Meeting Summary

Historical Documentation:

• 2005 - Safety Culture Public Meetings and Materials
• 2006 - Safety Culture Public Meetings and Materials
• Training on Safety Culture and Changes to the ROP
  • Inspector Counterpart Meeting Training Presentation - 2006
  • Region IV Utility Group (RUG) Safety Culture Workshop -2006