The ARPANSA Approach to Holistic Safety

John Ward Manager, Safety Analysis

IAEA TM 26-30 November 2012

Topics

• ARPANSA and the Australian context • Influencing safety culture • Developing ARPANSA’s holistic safety approach • “Selling” the approach to stakeholders • Application during pre-operational phases

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What is ARPANSA? the national centre of excellence for radiation protection and nuclear safety

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• Our regulatory group has jurisdiction for federal government users of radiation and their contractors

• Wide range of controlled facilities, apparatus and activities (IR and NIR) • We promote leadership and national uniformity in radiation and nuclear

safety • Through committees, ARPANSA set standards for the Australian community • ARPANSA undertake research into radiation safety • ARPANSA provide commercial radio-analytical, monitoring and calibration

services and a free radiation oncology calibration service • We measure atmospheric UV levels and provide advice on sun exposure • We are engaged in the international community in regard to safety and

security

The Challenge of Influencing Safety Culture

• What is a practical approach to safety culture in a country with a good radiation safety record?

• Do we continue to treat safety culture as an individual component of safety (albeit and important one).

• Do we look at the components of safety together – holistically?

We must promote safety culture in a practical way in everything we do?

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Developments in Safety Management

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• Retribution • Technological • Human factors • Organisational • Holistic (systems safety

Common contributing causes1 • Leadership issues • Operational attitudes

and behaviours • Organisational

(business) environment • Competence

• Risk assessment and management

• Oversight and scrutiny • Organisational learning • External regulation

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We can reduce risk by improving controls of these contributing causes. We can look for these vulnerabilities in the entire life cycle (design, construction, operation, decommissioning)

1 Study into the causes of major accidents by Prof. Richard Taylor, University of Bristol (UK), Safety Systems Research Centre

What is ARPANSA doing?

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• Research undertaken of causes of accidents • Research into modern approaches to safety management • Engagement with national and international counterparts • Prepared guidance on holistic safety and security for

publication • Engaged with major stakeholders in the ongoing

development and promotion of holistic safety

Holistic Safety

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• Encapsulates each previous approach to safety

• Considers the relative contribution that each provides

• Examines the relationships and inter-dependence to each other

• Develops a deep understanding of the operating organisation including the identification of strengths and vulnerabilities

• Can identify previously un-recognised relationships, and encourage widespread, shared, ownership of safety.

Human/Cultural Factors

Technological (System Structures

and Components)

Organisation and systemic factors

+

+

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Holistic Safety Guidelines Set out organisational CHARACTERISTICS and ATTRIBUTES for holistic safety with associated GUIDELINES • Human aspects • Non-technical skills • Defence in depth • Management systems • Resilience • Safety culture • Protective security and nuclear security culture

These documents are published on ARPANSA’s website – www.arpansa.gov.au and we have been ‘socialising’ our approach.

Holistic Safety Benefits

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Holistic Safety is a study of the right way to do things which: • Improves efficiency (and profit) • Improves the wellbeing of people

and the environment • Improves business resilience • Reduces staff turnover • Improves recruitment • Enhances reputation

Human/Cultural Factors

Technological (System Structures

and Components)

Organisation and systemic factors

+

+

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Holistic Safety Regulation • ARPANSA are currently socialising our holistic

expectations • Licence holders are best placed to assess themselves

and ARPANSA expects licence holders to address the holistic characteristics and attributes (graded)

• Inspections to verify compliance with our Act by examining performance against our holistic characteristics

• We will promote learning across our stakeholders based on our inspection findings (strengths and vulnerabilities)

• Our aim is to assist licence holders to identify and shore up any safety or security vulnerabilities

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Holistic Safety Inspection • ARPANSA is just starting to roll out holistic

inspections • Inspections target specific aspects of an

organisation and assess that against our holistic guideline.

• Inspectors look for strengths and vulnerabilities associated with the contributing causes of accidents

• Inspectors talk with staff to gauge continuity of attitudes and behaviours

• Inspections do not look explicitly for breaches of codes and standards – less adversarial

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Regulatory Oversight • ARPANSA currently employs a number of

oversight practices • We are currently reviewing the data provided

though quarterly reports, inspections, site visits and meetings

• We are considering the use of KPIs to indicate when regulatory intervention is needed

• Our aim is to feed holistic data into our licence holder risk profiling and target resources on this basis

Our aim is to promote holistic approaches amongst licence and reduce direct regulatory burden where good practice is prevalent

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New Projects Currently ARPANSA has not applied our

holistic approach to pre-operating phases • Significant new projects in Australia

• Interim waste store • National waste repository • New radio-isotope production facilities

• Pre-operational phases offer a unique opportunity to address safety cultural issues

• Safety culture in design and construction has implications that will last to the grave

• Our holistic guidelines are equally important to all life cycle phases, operators, designers and contractors

• New projects also offer a rare opportunity for a regulator to influence culture as it is the regulator who issues siting, construction and operating licences.

Summary

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• Without detracting from existing approaches, ARPANSA is shifting focus to an holistic approach to safety

• Holistic Safety has benefits to safety and security. It is attractive for wider operational reasons

• Guidance on holistic safety has been developed and published shortly (www.arpansa.gov.au/regulation/holistic )

• We are co-operatively promoting holistic approaches to safety • We will incorporate holistic safety into our inspection and incident

investigation processes and for general regulatory oversight • An holistic approach will be used for all project phases (cradle to

grave)

CONTACT ARPANSA

Email: John.Ward@arpansa.gov.au website: www.arpansa.gov.au Telephone: +61 2 9541 8350 Freecall 1800 022 333 General Fax: +61 2 9541 8348

THANK YOU