Human Factors Research and Nuclear Safety (1988) / Chapter Skim
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7. Organizational Aspects of the Nuclear Industry
7. Organizational Aspects of the Nuclear Industry
Pages 80-88
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From page 80... ...
The panel recognizes that the focus of human factors in the nuclear industry has been on people who directly interact with the machine—operators and maintenance personnel. A complete treatment of human factors also includes broader questions about the organization and atmosphere in which these people function.
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From page 81... ...
It is important to note that the ways in which management and organization affect safety in the context of nuclear power plant operations are researchable questions (e.g., NUREG/CR-1656, 1980b; NUREG/CR-3215 volumes 1 and 2, 1983f; NUREG/CR-3601, 1984e; NUREG/CR-3645, 1984c; NUREG/CR-3737, 1984d)
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From page 82... ...
THE IMPACT OF REGULATIONS ON THE PRACTICE OF MANAGEMENT Rationale and Background Organizations and entities beyond a utility's boundaries have a significant effect on its policies and practices. This is particularly true with respect to various regulatory agencies, especially the NRC, but also state PUCs, and the environmental, health, and safety agencies of the states and the federal government.
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From page 83... ...
Most employ multiple sources of electrical power generation; nuclear power reactors are not usually the predominant source of supply. Therefore, corporate policies must take into account the operating demands of varying mixes of power-generating technologies.
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From page 84... ...
Managers socialized in an engineering culture often devalue operational knowIedge and knowledge from the field, while managers socialized in the military often underemphasize the horizontal coordination of units and overemphasize the vertical chain of command. There is reason to believe that in some circumstances a strong vertical chain of command inhibits the flow of information from operating levels reporting hazards and troubles (NUREG/CR-3737, 19846~.
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From page 85... ...
OPERATIONAL DECISION MAKING Rationale and Background Decision making in organizations' operating technologies based on sophisticated knowledge presents both managers and operators with a continuous challenge of reconciling the formal authority of hierarchical position and the responsibility to make decisions under circumstances in which non-decision-making operators may have better information on conditions and consequences than managers. Managers can attempt somehow to command the knowIedge necessary to understand operating conditions quickly enough to set directions, indicate a course of action, etc.
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From page 86... ...
Hence, identifying an emergency in plant operations is inevitably a group process. Research Recommendations Understanding the ways in which groups evaluate evidence and reach conclusions under stress is crucial for the design of emergency operating procedures and the development of better training methods.
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From page 87... ...
Engineers who became STAs disliked the shift work, often lacked operating experience, could not gain the respect of the operating crews, and often had no meaningful work to do when the plant was operating smoothly. NRC researchers note that utilities experimented with or at least considered various alternative roles to meet the purposes of this function, such as a shift engineer's getting a license or a shift supervisor's earning an engineering degree.
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From page 88... ...
In addition, comparison of these qualifications to judgments concerning acceptable qualifications would point the way toward improvements, should any be needed. Better knowledge of managerial qualities could result in increased public confidence in nuclear power generation as a safe energy source for the United States.
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