NEA Director-General William D. Magwood, IV addresses CSSCF participants in Switzerland.
In recent years, the NEA has made considerable efforts to improve the understanding of the human and organisational aspects of nuclear safety, and of nuclear safety culture more generally. In co-operation with the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO), the NEA launched in 2018 the Country-Specific Safety Culture Forum (CSSCF), a framework which allows for host countries and organisations to assess in depth their cultural assets and challenges, as well as the measures that may be taken to strengthen the safety culture within the regulatory bodies and licensees of the country.
To examine national culture and nuclear safety culture in Switzerland, the NEA and WANO held a two-day Country-Specific Safety Culture Forum in Bern, gathering nuclear licensees and regulators from Switzerland, as well as international experts from Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Sweden and South Africa. Hosted by the Swiss Federal Nuclear Safety Inspectorate (ENSI) on 19-20 November 2024, the Forum offered a unique format of interactive sessions and role-playing to enable self-reflection.
Panel discussion moderated by Director-General Magwood with international experts: Michael Knochenhauer, Director General of the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority; Walter Glöckle, Deputy Head of the Department Nuclear Energy Supervision and Radiation Protection at the Ministry for Environment, Climate and Energy, Baden-Württemberg; Ai Asanuma, Technical Officer at the Nuclear Regulation Authority of Japan; Marta Barrientos Montero, Senior Advisor at the Spanish Nuclear Safety Council (CSN); Thiagan Pather, Divisional Executive at the National Nuclear Regulator of South Africa; and Marie-Aude Tavoso, Technologist III level, National Inspectorate for Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection (ISIN) of Italy.
“Excellence has always been a hallmark of the Swiss nuclear sector and the confluence of cultures and languages make Switzerland a unique place to explore the national safety culture,” said NEA Director-General William D. Magwood, IV during his address to CSSCF participants. “Throughout five editions and reports documenting each national CSSCF, we have gained both country-specific but also collective knowledge about safety culture in the nuclear sector,” added Director-General Magwood.
The event also featured remarks by Andreas Abegg, Chair of the ENSI Board, Marc Kenzelmann, ENSI Director-General, and Satu Katajala, Director of the WANO Paris Centre. The perspective of the operator was presented by Dominique Kuster, Head of Operations at the Gösgen Nuclear Power Plant, and that of the Federal Nuclear Safety Commission by its President, Peter Stahl.
Remarks by ENSI Board Chair Abegg, ENSI Director-General Kenzelmann and WANO Paris Centre Director Katajala.
CSSCF Switzerland was the fifth such event co-organised by the NEA and WANO. Previous Forums took place in Japan, Canada, Finland and Sweden. A report capturing the insights gained throughout the CSSCF Switzerland process will be published in mid-2025.
