Managing for safety at nuclear installations

This publication, by the Health and Safety Executive's (HSE's) Nuclear Safety Division (NSD), provides a statement of the criteria the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII) uses to judge the adequacy of any proposed or existing system for managing a nuclear installation in so far as it affects safety. These criteria have been developed from the basic HSE model, described in the publication 'Successful health and safety management',1 that applies to industry generally, in order to meet the additional needs for managing nuclear safety. In addition, the publication identifies earlier studies upon which this work was based together with the key management activities and outputs. NII makes day-to-day judgements about the safety achievements of licensees through the routine regulatory activities of its inspectors which provide a continuous check of the management process. However, there are occasions when the corporate management system is examined for its adequacy in ensuring nuclear safety. An important example is when a body corporate has applied for a licence to construct or operate a nuclear installation and submitted a management prospectus as envisaged by the HSE publication 'Nuclear site licences - notes for applicants.' The assessment provides one of the inputs to the decision process as to whether to grant the licence. Another example of an examination of the corporate management system is during a major periodic safety review of an existing installation. Many of the elements, particularly those concerned with risk control, have been part of the management of the UK nuclear industry and of HSE's nuclear licensing system for many years. This publication combines NII's operational experience of regulating the nuclear industry, and HSE's wider experience of the management of safety in major industries, with the objective of outlining a framework against which the safety management systems operated by the nuclear licensees can be judged by NII. Thus, this booklet should be read in conjunction with 'Successful health and safety management' and the 'Approved Code of Practice Management of health and safety at work'. (UK)