International Conference on Human and Organizational Aspects of Assuring Nuclear Safety. Opening address

Most timely, as it comes some 30 years after the first coining of the term 'safety culture', and provides an opportunity to reflect and gather together the many advances on this topic as a foundation for the future. Most timely, as it comes soon after the authoritative and comprehensive report by the IAEA Director General on the circumstances and lessons from the TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident, highlighting several lessons for this conference to build on. But perhaps, most of all timely because we are at the cusp of challenge, opportunity and hopefully great change — a Darwinian time. We hear that the world needs nuclear power if it is to provide all its citizens with the basic requirements of purposeful human life while preserving the natural beauty and environment of our planet. And yet, the continued use and growth of nuclear power has been challenged in some cases by a failure to deliver its promises of building new plants to time and cost, challenged by its rising financing costs and need for expert human resources, challenged by a severe nuclear accident in a highly developed and prosperous nation, and challenged, quite rightly, by a more sophisticated, questioning society.