Open AccessSelf‐assessment for improving safety performance in the nuclear industry
Author(s) -
Beckmerhagen I.A.,
Berg H.P.,
Karapetrovic S.V.,
Willborn W.O.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
the quality assurance journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1099-1786
pISSN - 1087-8378
DOI - 10.1002/qaj.205
Subject(s) - scope (computer science) , safety assurance , agency (philosophy) , risk analysis (engineering) , engineering , atomic energy , quality assurance , safety standards , nuclear industry , process management , engineering management , operations management , computer science , business , reliability engineering , nuclear engineering , philosophy , external quality assessment , epistemology , programming language
Due to the possibility of catastrophic accidents when operating a nuclear plant, ensuring the highest level of safety and continuously improving safety‐related performance are imperative in the nuclear industry. One of the prerequisites for such assurance and improvement is a structured program for the assessment of safety performance, consisting of both internal and external evaluation of existing systems and achieved results. This paper discusses a comprehensive program for the self‐assessment of safety performance enablers and safety performance outcomes. The main self‐assessment concepts are presented, including the framework, objectives, and scope of a self‐assessment, a set of main principles and prerequisites for conducting it, and the resulting benefits. An illustration of a self‐assessment program currently under development in the International Atomic Energy Agency is also provided. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.