Surveying safety culture at Sellafield reprocessing plant

Radiological Protection and Conventional Safety Performance have shown continuing improvements at the Sellafield Reprocessing Plant over the past decade, as demonstrated by most safety performance measures. The methods adopted to effect the improvements were both reactive to the events taking place at the time, and proactive, by addressing the perceived causes of poor safety performance as shown by analyses of incidents, using Contributory Factor Analysis, and by adopting methodologies commonly used throughout industry to effect safety improvements. In order to have a more effective safety improvement programme and, in particular, to provide a safety improvement programme directly addressing the people at Sellafield, it was decided to conduct a thorough Attitude Survey across the entire workforce. This paper describes the Safety Performance at Sellafield, the methodology employed to carry out the Attitude Survey, the principle findings and the way in which this Survey will be used to further improve Safety at Sellafield. (author). 6 refs, 7 figs