Managing Change in the Nuclear Industry: The Effects on Safety

Discusses how and why change can challenge the maintenance of a high level of safety, and what can be done to control that challenge and reap the benefits of change. The report draws an analogy between established principles for managing engineering changes safely and the need to put in place similar approaches to manage organisational changes.

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This INSAG report is written for members of boards of directors and senior executives who are responsible for the overall safety of an installation, who make decisions for change, and who implement those decisions. It is also written for senior regulators who, on behalf of the public, ensure that boards of directors and executives meet their responsibilities for safety. The report discusses how and why change can challenge the maintenance of a high level of safety, and what can be done to control that challenge and hence reap all the benefits of change. It draws an analogy between the well-established principles for managing engineering changes safely and the need to put in place similar approaches to manage organizational changes. The report also identifies issues that regulators should review when licensees propose changes to the organization and management of their enterprise.