The UK nuclear regulator's view of external influences on safety

Over the past forty or so years, significant changes have taken place in the UK nuclear industry and the pace of change is continually increasing. As a consequence, the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII), the UK's nuclear regulator, has also had to change. This paper describes some of the challenges to safety that have arisen in recent years and how NII's style of regulation has had to adapt to ensure that safety is maintained and improved. NII's approach has been to: be proactive in its relations with Government and market regulators; adopt new competencies to equip it for the challenges it faces; strive to improve its efficiency and effectiveness; and develop new approaches to regulating changes in licensees' organisations and ways of working. Importantly, NII seeks to anticipate change rather than react to it. (author)