Leader's Tools for Enhancing Safety Culture

Context: Why Leadership is the Foundation of Safety Culture

In the nuclear industry, where the cost of an error is measured not only by financial losses but also by global environmental consequences, safety culture becomes the foundation of all processes. Evgeny Parygin, Safety Culture Advisor at JSC SNIIP, uses international projects to show that safety is not just a set of instructions, but a conscious value transmitted from the top down. The presentation details how leadership is integrated into the management system and why, without the personal example of executives, any regulations remain merely on paper.

Management System and Safety Culture: An Inseparable Link

The speaker analyzes how safety culture requirements are built into every documented procedure of an organization. Using the construction of the Hanhikivi-1 NPP as an example, it is shown that the absence of safety mentions in management system documents can lead to critical non-conformities and the suspension of a multi-billion dollar project. This emphasizes the importance of integrating safety principles into all business processes, from risk management to information security.

Roles and Responsibilities of Leaders at Different Levels

In the nuclear industry, every employee can demonstrate leadership qualities. The speaker identifies three hierarchical levels and describes specific actions for each:

• Top Management: forms an understanding of safety and demonstrates commitment to it by allocating financial resources and encouraging openness.
• Middle Management (Department Leaders): resolves operational issues, implements best practices, encourages a questioning attitude, and motivates personnel to work safely.
• Lower Level (Workers): demonstrates a questioning attitude, complies with regulations, and reports non-conformities without fear of punishment.

Leader Competencies and Managerial Courage

Special attention is paid to the competency of "managerial courage." This is a leader's readiness to object to management if safety requirements are violated, and the ability to honestly inform workers about problems. The speaker demonstrates by example that motivation for results must not come at the expense of safety, and a leader is obliged to strictly stop attempts to bypass rules for the sake of speed.

IAEA and WANO Principles: International Experience

The presentation details the principles of safety culture established by the IAEA and the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO). Key principles include:

• Leadership in safety as a conscious value.
• An atmosphere of trust and a non-punitive culture where workers voluntarily report errors.
• Recognition of nuclear technologies as unique and requiring a special approach.
• Continuous organizational learning and control.

Methods for Developing and Assessing Safety Culture

The speaker analyzes practical tools for developing safety culture, including the principles of error minimization, prevention, and openness. Self-assessment, independent audit, and monitoring are used to assess the level of development. Seven groups of assessment criteria are considered, ranging from the availability of regulatory documents to statistical indicators of injuries and equipment failures.

Working with Contractors: Uniform Standards

An important aspect is extending safety culture requirements to the entire supply chain. The speaker explains why subcontractors are obliged to comply with the same standards as the customer, and how audits are conducted to check the knowledge of ordinary workers on site.

What You Will Learn from This Webinar:

• How to integrate safety culture requirements into management system documents?
• What specific actions should leaders take at different levels of the hierarchy?
• How to develop "managerial courage" and learn to defend the priority of safety?
• How to implement a non-punitive culture and motivate workers to report errors?
• By what criteria do international auditors assess the level of safety culture?
• How to extend safety requirements to subcontracting organizations?