Promotion of good safety culture at a Swedish BWR

Within the nuclear industry there are two events which have had a significant impact on the way of thinking and attitudes to safety, although in different ways. The TMI accident at Harrisburg, USA put the focus on Man-Machine interface, the way of working and attitudes to safety. The accident at Chernobyl focused on Safety Management and Safety Culture. Before the TMI accident, technology was believed to be the solutions to all kinds of problems. Technical solutions should compensate for human behaviour. After the TMI accident the focus was put on Man-Machine issues and a lot of the resources within the Nuclear Industry was allocated to Man-Machine-Interfaces, Procedures, Training, etc. After the Chernobyl accident, safety culture (IAEA INSAG-4) became a commonly used concept which included an overall perspective on safety and an understanding of the interaction between Man, Technology and Organizational matters (MTO). The Safety Culture within an organization is the sum of all attitudes, qualities and experiences influencing safety. Safety Culture is consequently not only a single quality or a single property but a generic term representing the promotion of safety in many areas